Ireland have been installed by Coral.co.uk/scrum as the firm favourites to record a famous treble by lifting the Six Nations, Grand Slam and Triple Crown titles in the coming RBS Six Nations championship.

A country's performances in last Autumn's internationals and those of leading clubs and provinces in the Heineken Cup are the yardstick by which the official betting and gaming partner of Premier Rugby and the Guinness Premiership has prepared its forecasts.

Eddie O'Sullivan's men were the form squad in November and will hope to build on that over the coming eight weeks. The Irish received a further confidence boost with Munster and Leinster qualifying for the knock-out stages of the European Cup. World Cup hosts France are second favourites although Bernard Laporte's team face tough away fixtures in Dublin and London. While new captain, Raphael Ibanez will apply his first hand experience of the game in England to reduce the impact of the latter fixture, the historic match in Croke Park on the 11th February could be key to the fortunes of "Les Blues".

England's dismal record in the November tests had dramatic consequences for all concerned. The new management and coaching team will have been encouraged by the performances of three Guinness Premiership clubs in reaching the quarter-final stage of the Heineken Cup. Brian Ashton has assembled a talented squad which has the potential to cause a few upsets.

The Millennium Stadium hosts Wales v Ireland on the opening Sunday. Both teams have great hopes not just for the Six Nations but also for the World Cup. This could be a defining encounter for the ambitions of both Celtic countries in both competitions.

Once again, Scotland and Italy make up the rear and there is a tendency to underestimate both. Scotland have progressed under Frank Hadden's direction and have the potential to cause an upset or two. Equally so Italy under the guidance of Pierre Berbizier With so many of the "Azzurri" plying their trade in England and France they are a growing force in the game and will threaten unwary visitors to Rome especially.

RBS Six Nations Championship 2007 - Betting

Champions
Ireland 6/4
France 2/1
England 4/1
Wales 9/2
Scotland 28/1
Italy 125/1

Grand Slam
Ireland 3/1
France 5/1
England 10/1
Wales 11/1
Scotland 66/1
Italy 300/1
No winner 4/5

Triple Crown
Ireland 7/4
Wales 7/2
England 5/1
Scotland 20/1
No winner 9/5

Wooden Spoon
Italy 1/3
Scotland 3/1
England 20/1
France 40/1
Ireland 50/1

In addition to the normal betting opportunities Coral also has a range of bets to test the confidence of each country's fans. They include:

1. Which team will be first to beat England?
Scotland 9/2; Italy 10/1; Ireland 4/6; France 6/1 and Wales 10/1.

2. How many matches will France win?
Five wins are at 5/1; four at 7/4; three at 6/4; two at 9/2; one at 20/1 and none at 100/1.

3. England fans can back Jonny Wilkinson at 50/1 to kick the drop goal that wins the Grand Slam for England.

4. Brian O'Driscoll is at 7/1 to be named RBS Player of the Tournament.

5. Josh Lewsey is at 20/1 to be the Tournament's top try-scorer!

A comprehensive range of betting opportunities for the RBS Six Nations is available at www.coral.co.uk/scrum.