The 2026 Guinness Six Nations reaches a pivotal juncture this weekend, with two blockbuster Round 4 fixtures played back to back on Saturday 7th March.
With Ireland contesting their clash with Wales in Dublin the day before, the action will be followed by keen Irish eyes as it unfolds on Saturday, as paths to the Triple Crown and Championship start to clear.
The schedule starts at Murrayfield in Edinburgh, where Scotland compete with Six Nations favourites France for the Auld Alliance Trophy at 2:10pm Irish time, before attention turns to the iconic Stadio Olimpico in Rome for Italy’s skirmish with England at 4:40pm.
We’ve previewed both of Saturday’s Six Nations fixtures, with the latest injury news, forecasted line-ups and free predictions, with odds provided by Tonybet’s comprehensive rugby union markets.
Scotland team preview
Scotland can approach Saturday’s stiff test against defending champions and favourites France with a kick in their step following their dramatic comeback win over Wales in Round 3.
The Scots have rebounded brilliantly since that disappointing 18-15 loss to Italy in their Six Nations opener on 7th February, showcasing their class and steel to topple old enemies England (31-20) before dipping into their powers of recovery when beating Wales (26-23) to reclaim the Doddie Weir Cup.
Under head coach Gregor Townsend, Scotland have built a reputation for playing exciting, attacking rugby, powered by the orchestration of Finn Russell at fly half and a dogged, dynamic back row.
Russell’s kicking was instrumental against Wales, and Scotland will be looking to the 33-year-old for inspiration again when France visit Edinburgh.
In terms of injury news ahead of Round 4, Scotland have had some good news in the form of Jack Dempsey’s return to fitness. The loose forward is back in training following a bicep issue, and his return should strengthen the team’s carrying options.
Dempsey, along with Jamie Ritchie and Jamie Dobie, had been injured in Scotland’s win over England earlier in the tournament, and his return to fitness is something of a surprise. Ritchie and Dobie are still sidelined, however, and are expected to miss the rest of the Six Nations.
At home, Scotland will hold some advantage in the form of crowd support along with the familiarity with Murrayfield’s conditions. However, they will need more than home advantage alone to cope with this French juggernaut.
The Scots will hope that their ability to exploit turnovers and transition quickly could exploit any French indiscipline, though Les Bleus don’t look like a side riddled with potential mistakes.
Possible Scotland XV: McBeth, Cherry, Z. Fagerson, Williamson, Cummings, Brown, Darge, M. Fagerson, White, Russell, Van der Merwe, Tuipulotu (c), Jones, Steyn, Kinghorn
France team preview
With three wins from three, a mammoth 123 points scored and just 34 conceded, defending Six Nations champions France have hardly put a foot wrong so far, and they can clinch another title with a victory at Murrayfield.
Nobody has been able to lay a glove on Les Bleus, who have overpowered a trio of opponents since the start of the tournament. They were far too good for Ireland in Paris (36-14), ran rings around Wales in Cardiff (54-12), and made light work of Italy (33-8) in their most recent assignment on 22nd February.
Thomas Ramos, who has been one of the players of the tournament, scored 13 of France’s 33 points against the Italians, and the 30-year-old has put more points on the board (38) than any other individual so far.
However, Ramos is just one of the cogs in this formidable French machine that looks a cut above across the field, with a forward pack capable of completely dominating the gain line against the Scots.
Antoine Dupont, Charles Ollivon, Matthieu Jalibert and the aforementioned Ramos all have serious star quality and all have claims on berths for the Team of the Tournament.
Try machine Louis Bielle-Biarrey is the most exciting French combatant of them all, however, and Scottish knees will knock any time the 22-year-old gets the ball. The winger has scored an incredible 55 tries in 50 matches for club and country over the past 17 months, and he looks like a potential match winner at Murrayfield.
Possible France XV: Gros, Marchand, Aldegheri, Ollivon, Guillard, Cros, Jégou, Jelonch, Dupont (c), Jalibert, Bielle-Biarrey, Moefana, Depoortère, Attissogbe, Ramos
Italy team preview
Italy have shown flashes of improvement and encouraging signs in 2026, all of which point to progress under Gonzalo Quesada, and they have another chance to take another positive step when they host England in Rome.
The Italians have never beaten England before in 32 attempts. However, the landscape ahead of their latest encounter looks positive from an Azzurri perspective, and they will back themselves to make history in the Eternal City.
Italy have been on an upward trajectory for a while under Quesada’s instruction. They pushed Ireland to the very brink in Dublin before losing 20-13, and although they weren’t good enough to trouble France in Round 3 (33-8), the loss there won’t be enough to dampen Italian optimism.
An injury to key performer Ange Capuozzo is cause for some pessimism, however. The full-back sustained a shoulder injury in Italy’s loss to France after he had scored his team’s only try, ruling him out of the rest of the tournament. David Odiase should be ready to deputise.
Still, even without Capuozzo, Italy should be a threat. They came very close to upsetting England (24-27) when the teams last met on Italian soil in February 2024, and they have improved even further since then.
Possible Italy XV: Fischetti, Nicotera, Ferrari, N. Cannone, Zambonin, Lamaro (c), Zuliani, L. Cannone, Fusco, Garbisi, Ioane, Marin, Menoncello, Lynagh, Odiase
England team preview
It has been a period of reflection for England following their record-breaking loss at Twickenham to Ireland (42-21) on 21st February, and the pressure is on to muster a response in Italy.
Steve Borthwick’s side, who have already been turned over twice in the 2026 Six Nations, have struggled for consistency, with injuries compounding England’s issues. Scrum-half Alex Mitchell and centre Ollie Lawrence are the latest two to drop out with injury issues, though changes were always likely regardless after that limp showing against the Irish.
In fact, in their defeats to Scotland and Ireland, England conceded a massive 73 points and missed a galling 53 tackles, so a major shake-up in personnel seems warranted against Italy.
Indeed, all the chatter this week has been about Borthwick’s potential England selection in Rome. Freddie Steward seems likely to drop out after he was taken off after just 39 minutes against Ireland.
Tom Roebuck could earn a start on the wing, while Seb Atkinson could also be restored to the XV, with his aggression an in-demand attribute for this watery English side.
Elsewhere, Luke Cowan-Dickie, who also came off early against Ireland at Twickenham, could be replaced by Jamie George at hooker.
Joe Heyes and Ellis Genge are likely to be trusted again as the props, while Guy Pepper could be given a chance, along with Theo Dan.
Even with a reshuffled pack, England look to have superior individual quality over the Italians on paper. However, their recent form raises real questions about their confidence levels and about their ability to execute gameplans under pressure.
Possible England XV: M. Smith, Roebuck, Freeman, Atkinson, Arundell, F. Smith, Van Poortvliet, Earl, Curry, Chessum, Coles, Itoje (c), Heyes, George, Genge
Our predictions
Tonybet’s Scotland vs France match result odds:
- Scotland to win – 4.40
- France to win – 1.23
Scotland conceded 23 points against a very ordinary Welsh side in their last Six Nations assignment, and if Wales were able to put that much on the board, a vastly superior France side should be capable of doing even more damage.
The Murrayfield factor is definitely something to consider. However, France have looked absolutely rampant this year and they could seal their title with a flourish in Edinburgh.
The French have been scoring an average of 41 points per match since the start of the tournament, and they registered 35 points when they last faced Scotland 12 months ago (35-16).
With Les Bleus looking so prolific, there is an opportunity to back them to score over 32.5 points here with Tonybet at an attractive price of 1.82.
Tonybet’s Italy vs England match result odds:
- Italy to win – 3.20
- England to win – 1.37
Italy will kick off Saturday’s encounter with England as clear underdogs, which is understandable given their unfavourable head-to-head record in the fixture (0 wins in 32). However, there is more than a sniff of an upset in the air in the lead-up to the ruck in Rome.
The Azzurri were worthy winners, albeit by a narrow margin, over Scotland (18-15) in the Italian capital on 7th February, and that was a week before the Scots scored 31 points in a fine showing against England (31-20).
England’s self-belief would have been further softened by their chastening loss at home to Ireland, so if Italy can start quickly and aggressively at the Stadio Olimpico, a historic victory could be within reach.
With the markets looking kind, we don’t really need an Italian win to profit, however. They offer superb value in the handicap stakes, where Italy +5.5 points can be backed at better than evens at 2.02.
Keep up to date with Tonybet
For the latest odds and live betting opportunities on these potentially thrilling Six Nations fixtures, head over to Tonybet, where you can find a full range of Six Nations markets, including match winner, handicap lines, total points options, and even player specials for both of Saturday’s games.
Whether you’re backing France to edge closer to glory at Murrayfield or England to slip to an unprecedented defeat in Rome, Tonybet offers competitive markets with in-play options to keep you engaged from the first whistle to the last.
