What Are The Odds?

Ulster’s Paddy Jackson and Luke Marshall will start as will Tom Court, Donncha O’Callaghan and Keith Earls as Ireland look to get their Championship challenge back on track.

A 30-22 win at the Millennium Stadium against Wales got the campaign off to a flying start before England profited from the conditions at the Aviva Stadium to win 12-5.

Ireland will look to make it victory number three on the bounce against Scotland in the RBS 6 Nations and are 4/6 with Paddy Power, official bookmaker to the IRFU, to keep this winning run going.

Declan Kidney’s side ran out 32-14 winners at home last season and were 21-18 victors at Murrayfield the season before.

A repeat of that scoreline would see Ireland cover Paddy Power’s handicap betting (-2) and reward backers at 10/11.

There are plenty of reasons for optimism for the Irish side to take into this game as they have won on their last five visits to Murrayfield in the Six Nations – and only on one of those occasions (2007, 19-18) has the margin been less than two points.

The 27 and 30-point winning margins of 2003 and 2005 have given way to one, seven and three-point wins more recently but 7/2 about the visitors winning by 1-12 points still falls within the win-margin bracket.

Ireland to steamroll the Scots and win by 13 or more points is 4/1 with Paddy Power.

Ireland ran in three tries against the Welsh in their RBS 6 Nations opener with Simon Zebo, Cian Healy and Brian O’Driscoll doing the damage.

Zebo and Healy are injured and suspended respectively but O’Driscoll is 12/1 with Paddy Power to get the game’s opening try.

And if Brian O’Driscoll scores a try in this match Paddy Power will refund all losing try scorer bets on the game. (T&Cs apply).

The Leinster man can also be backed to score the first try for his team at 6/1 with Paddy Power.

Ireland raced into a convincing lead against the Welsh and are 4/5 to score first against Scotland with Paddy Power.

Ronan O’Gara kicked Ireland’s two penalties against England and an Ireland penalty is 6/4 with Paddy Power to be the first score of the game.

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