Wales vs Scotland Prediction & Betting Tips - Six Nations
by Devesh Jaganath | in Six Nations Prediction
The final match on the opening weekend of the 2024 Six Nations Championship will lead us to Cardiff, where Wales will play host to Scotland on Saturday evening. The hosts ended last season's competition in fifth palace, while the visitors managed their joint-best finish of third.
Scotland are third-favourite to win this year’s tournament, according to the latest Six Nations odds, behind Ireland and France. Check out all our Six Nations betting tips for the first round here.
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The Best Betting Odds for Wales v Scotland Match
| Bookmaker | 1 | X | 2 | Bonus up to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2.88 | 26 | 1.53 |
|
|
2.7 | 23 | 1.48 |
|
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Wales vs Scotland Form
Wales and Scotland's standings in the Six Nations
| Teams | Pts | P | W | D | L | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
4
|
12 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
|
6
|
4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | -51 |
Wales and Scotland Last Matches
5/6 (83%)
0/6 (0%)
1/6 (17%)
4 Nov 2023 - Test Matchs
14 Oct 2023 - Rugby World Cup
7 Oct 2023 - Rugby World Cup
24 Sep 2023 - Rugby World Cup
16 Sep 2023 - Rugby World Cup
10 Sep 2023 - Rugby World Cup
3/6 (50%)
0/6 (0%)
3/6 (50%)
7 Oct 2023 - Rugby World Cup
30 Sep 2023 - Rugby World Cup
24 Sep 2023 - Rugby World Cup
10 Sep 2023 - Rugby World Cup
26 Aug 2023 - Test Matchs
12 Aug 2023 - Test Matchs
Wales against Scotland : Head to Head (H2H)
67 %
0 %
33 %
11 Feb 2023 - Six Nations
12 Feb 2022 - Six Nations
13 Feb 2021 - Six Nations
31 Oct 2020 - Six Nations
9 Mar 2019 - Six Nations
3 Feb 2018 - Six Nations
Wales - Scotland: Form Analysis
Warren Gatland returned as head coach of Wales before the 2023 Six Nations but was unable to make an immediate impact as his side managed just one win in the competition, beating Wooden Spoon recipients Italy. However, the Welsh head coach fared much better at the Rugby World Cup, where his side topped their group en route to the knockout stages. During that time, they pulled off a nail-biting win over the Flying Fijians before claiming a historic win over Australia, which ultimately knocked the Wallabies out of the competition. The Dragons reached the quarter-final, but despite a good showing, they were beaten 29-17 by an inspired Pumas. Wales excelled in their kick-chase game, securing possession from 14% of their open-play kicks in the previous Six Nations, the highest rate among all teams in the Championship. That rate increased even further to 18% during the World Cup. With some fresh new talent in the side and a more settled back office, the Dragons will be looking to get off to a good start in this year's competition.
Meanwhile, Scotland had a positive 2023 Six Nations campaign, which began with a Calcutta Cup victory over arch-rivals England in the first match. They followed that up with a record win against this opponent at Murrayfield but were no match for powerhouses Ireland and France in the next two matches. The Scots sealed third place with a win over Italy in their final match. Heading to the World Cup, Scotland would have known that they were going to be up against it as they were drawn into the group of death that featured defending champions South Africa and tournament favourites France. Unfortunately, they came up short against both those sides, finished third in their group, and did not make it to the knockout stages. While Scotland excels in attacking wide and can be formidable when provided with time and space, many of their standout performances hinge on a robust defensive foundation. Notably, they led the Six Nations in tackles last year, totaling 831.
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Players list
Substitutes
Wales & Scotland Squad Analysis
Wales will be without Louis Rees-Zammit due to his unexpected switch to the NFL just weeks ago. Jac Morgan and former co-captain Dewi Lake are also sidelined through injury, along with Taulupe Faletau, Christ Tshiunza, Taine Plumtree, and George North, who has a shoulder issue. Owen Watkin is set to line up alongside Nick Tompkins in midfield.
Gatland's tournament squad in Cardiff includes five uncapped players: Cameron Winnett, Evan Lloyd, Alex Mann, and Mackenzie Martin from Cardiff, along with Bath prop Archie Griffin, with Winnett set to make his Test debut at full-back on Saturday. WP Nel has been ruled out with a neck strain, and Gloucester fly-half Adam Hastings is also unavailable, leading to late call-ups for Javan Sebastian and Ross Thompson.
Wales - Scotland Key Points
- Wales have won five of their last six matches in all competitions
- Wales have beaten Scotland in their last 10 matches at this venue
- Wales reached the quarter-final of the Rugby World Cup last year
- Scotland have lost three of their last six games
- Scotland have not beaten Wales in Cardiff since April 2002
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Our Wales vs Scotland Prediction
While Scotland enter this match as the marginal favourites, they have found it difficult to beat Wales on their home patch, last winning a match at the Millennium Stadium over two decades ago. In addition, the Scots are missing several first-team regulars and have a fair few new faces who have not played much together in the past. We expect Wales to keep this one very close, and it would not be a huge surprise if they got their Six Nations campaign off to a winning start. Our Wales vs Scotland prediction: Wales +7.5
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Wales vs Scotland match : Frequently asked questions
The Six Nations match between Wales and Scotland will take place on Saturday, February 3, at 16:45 GMT.
Wales and Scotland will face off at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
In the UK, the Six Nations match will be broadcast live on BBC One, via the BBC iPlayer or on ITVX.
TV viewers in Ireland can view the match on either RTE or Virgin Media Television.
Most African viewers can tune in to DSTV and Supersport.
US: NBC Sports are the rights holders for the Six Nations, and matches will be broadcast live on CNBC.
Viewers in New Zealand and Australia can enjoy live coverage on Sky Sport NZ and Stan Sport.
In France, you can watch Six Nations matches on France 2 and its France TV streaming service.
Countries across Asia can watch the tournament on Premier Sports.
You can also catch up-to-the-minute action of all the Six Nations livescores right here if you are not near a TV set.
All tips are fully researched and given in good faith, but profits cannot be guaranteed.
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