The 2023 Rugby World Cup starts this weekend when hosts France face New Zealand in a mouth-watering clash to get the festival of rugby started. Below we look ahead to the competition and tell you the best bets to make with our latest rugby betting picks.
- What; 2023 Rugby World Cup
- Where; France
- Nations Competing; 20
- When; Friday, September 8th - Saturday, October 28th
- Defending Champions; South Africa
The 2023 Rugby World Cup gets underway this Friday. A total of 20 nations will be competing to win the tenth edition of the competition across seven grueling weeks of top-quality action.
The Big Four
South Africa are the defending champions, New Zealand are the favorites, France are the hosts, and Ireland are ranked No.1 in the world. All four will feel they have a chance of winning the competition. And all four have been jousting for the position of favorite over the past 12-18 months in the lead-up to the tournament.
After a strong showing in the 2022 Six Nations, France was installed as the betting favorite to win the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Ireland then entered the fray after defeating the All Blacks in New Zealand in the 2022 Northern Hemisphere summer, before they further underlined their credentials by winning the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2023.
1948. 2009. 2018. 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 🏆
☘️ #GrandSlam pic.twitter.com/XdXHX9jgmF
— Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 18, 2023
Then after strong showings in the 2023 Rugby Championship, the All Blacks and the Springboks re-entered the betting favorites fray. Throw in some more dodgy performances from England and Australia over the past few months, and we now have four clear favorites to win the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Below, we look at the betting in more detail.
Latest 2023 Rugby World Cup outright winner betting
At the time of writing, New Zealand is leading the way in the latest 2023 Rugby World Cup betting odds.
The All Blacks are +300, with France and South Africa at +350 and Ireland at +450.
Australia (+1300) and England (+1500) are the next in the betting following the leading four nations.
England gets their campaign off against Argentina (+2500) on Saturday. Should Steve Borthwick’s team lose that match, the +1500 will drift even further, especially given the English’s poor build-up to the competition, where they’ve at times looked like a team that has never even played together.
Another nation that the description could apply to is Australia. They open their campaign against Georgia on Saturday. Lose that, and never mind their odds drifting, there will probably be a campaign back home to have Eddie Jones removed and the squad replaced by the Aussie cricket team!
More betting from the best online rugby betting sites can be found below on our odds table.
| 2023 Rugby World Cup Winner Betting |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | +300 | +300 | +300 |
| France | +350 | +350 | +350 |
| South Africa | +350 | +350 | +350 |
| Ireland | +450 | +450 | +450 |
| Australia | +1300 | +1300 | +1300 |
| England | +1500 | +1500 | +1500 |
| Argentina | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Wales | +5000 | +5000 | +5000 |
| Scotland | +5000 | +5000 | +5000 |
| Fiji | +10000 | +10000 | +10000 |
| Japan | +30000 | +30000 | +30000 |
| Samoa | +35000 | +35000 | +35000 |
| Tonga | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Italy | +75000 | +75000 | +75000 |
| Georgia | +75000 | +75000 | +75000 |
Pool Winner Betting Picks
The top two qualify from each pool for the quarter-finals. Pool A and Pool D have two strong teams, and three weaker teams, and are easy to predict who will get through. But Pools B and C aren’t as easy to predict who the two quarter-finalists will be.
- Pool A; France, Italy, Namibia, New Zealand, Uruguay
- Pool B; Ireland, Romania, Scotland, South Africa, Tonga
- Pool C; Australia, Fiji, Georgia, Portugal, Wales
- Pool D; Argentina, Chile, England, Japan, Samoa
All four groups look open when it comes to picking the outright winner. In Pool A, New Zealand are favorites at -120, with France at +100.
Your squad for Rugby World Cup 2023 🖤#RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/cyveOHZ1GP
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) August 7, 2023
Pool B looks the most interesting. South Africa has taken over as the favorite from Ireland. The Springboks are -105, with Ireland at +110 and Scotland (now ranked five) at +900.
In Pool C, Australia are -250 to win it. They are the shortest-priced favorite of all the pools. The Wallabies are followed by Wales (+250) and Fiji (+600).
Finally, in Pool D, England are the favorites at -110, with Argentina at +100. The bookmakers almost see this as a 50/50 call. Japan and Samoa are joint-third in the betting at +3300.
Looking at Pool C, and Australia are short for a good reason. Wales are in a poor place and look vulnerable when it comes to qualifying for the quarter-finals. The Aussies have a mistake in them as well, so we feel a wager on Fiji to win Pool C at +600 is worth a wager.
We also feel that England can’t get any worse. Can they? Famous last words, maybe, but a bet on England at -110 to win Pool D looks like a good value bet.
2023 Rugby World Cup Winner Pick
It’s impossible to see anybody from outside the four favorites lifting this trophy. England and Australia are previous winners, but they currently look so far off the mark that they have to be dismissed.
South Africa and New Zealand have previous when it comes to World Cups. They are both multiple winners. Will this play a part when it comes to the crunch against the likes of France and Ireland? It probably will.
If France and Ireland can play the 15 guys in the jerseys, either nation is capable of winning the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The problem is, that either nation may get caught up in the occasion and play against the history of the shirts, rather than the guys wearing them.
We therefore feel that hedging our bets on New Zealand (+300) and South Africa (+350) is the best option. If either wins, we are in profit.
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