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Wales must target Dylan Hartley if they are to beat England

| 31.01.2011

It’s just five days until Cardiff hosts the opening match of the Six Nations between Wales and England, and what a tournament it’s shaping up to be.

With none of the sides competing for the Six Nations title in the greatest of form, the Six Nations betting is wide open and the Wales vs England fixture will go a long way to providing punters with a better idea of the winner.

England are the 15/8 favourite to win the Six Nations but are without a win at the Millennium Stadium in their last three visits to the Welsh capital.

Wales are a big price at 7/1 to win the Six Nations considering on the last two occasions they’ve beaten England in their opening Six Nations fixture they’ve gone on to win the Grand Slam, and Warren Gatland’s side are 6/5 to beat England on Friday night.

It’s likely to be a tight game and this is reflected in the handicap betting with England available at 1/1 to beat Wales -3 points, but former Wales star Jonathan Davies believes Wales can win if they target England hooker Dylan Hartley.

Hartley’s temperament has been called into question on many occasions and Davies believes that should Wales get at Hartley, the penalty count against England could be high and the scrum may collapse.

Hartley has been involved in skirmishes with players from the Cardiff Blues already this season and Friday’s game is set to be a feisty affair and yellow cards look on the agenda.

England are the 4/6 favourites to beat Wales on Friday, but with a decimated pack and the history books against them, Martin Johnson’s side offer little value to beat Wales.

Hartley’s performance will be closely scrutinised and at home, Wales offer the value to beat England.

A £25 stake on Wales winning the Six Nations would return £200. New customers can sign up here for a free bet worth £25.

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Author

Robbie Morris

Robbie studied sports journalism at the University of Gloucestershire, an establishment chosen for its proximity to Cheltenham racecourse, where he was a season ticket holder. Upon graduation, Robbie was a contributor to GolfPunk, a national magazine aimed at ridding golf of its traditionalist image, before joining the news.ladbrokes team.