Rugby World Cup Betting Odds

The Rugby World Cup—often known simply as the “RWC“—is the most important and prestigious competition in rugby union. This makes Rugby World Cup betting extremely exhilarating for our Irish players! Organised by World Rugby, the sport’s global governing body, the RWC is held every 4 years.

The tournament sees the top national teams from around the globe compete to prove themselves to be the best rugby force on the planet. Examples of these fantastic teams include New Zealand, South Africa, England, France, Argentina, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, and Fiji.

Whoever emerges victorious from the championship will be the proud recipient of the Webb Ellis Cup. With these nations’ reputation at stake in the biggest competition in rugby union, you can be sure that you’ll be treated to some amazing displays of rugby!

Moreover, it makes it the perfect opportunity for enjoying some rugby betting in Ireland! However, if you’re new to either online betting, wagering sites, or the RWC, then we’re here to help you get started. Thus, we highly suggest that you read the rest of this page!

What Is the Format of the 2023 Rugby World Cup?

There are 20 nations that participate in the RWC, which are generally the 20 best teams on the planet. Once these nations are decided, the competition can begin.

The championship is divided into 2 stages: a pool round and a knockout round. In the pool stage, the qualified nations are split into 4 groups of 5 teams each. They are distributed according to their rank in the World Rugby Rankings system.

These nations will then play one another once, scoring points as they go for wins and draws. Moreover, there is also a bonus points system in place for the pool stage, where teams earn bonus points for scoring at least 4 tries and for losing by 7 points or fewer.

The top 2 nations from each group then move on to the knockout stage, which is composed of quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the long-awaited final. Nations will progress through these knockout matches until they get to the final, where the winner of the championship will emerge!

Each edition of the RWC is hosted by a different nation, and in 2023 France is set to be the host of the championship. The event will be hosted at numerous stadiums in cities around the country between the 8th of September and the 28th of October. 

Rugby World Cup 2023 Favourites

We are quickly approaching the 2023 Rugby World Cup and to finding out which team will evermore have their nation inscribed on the Webb Ellis Cup. The year has already turned out to be a profilic one for rugby betting, after an exciting Six Nations Championship and what is shaping up to be a crunching warm up of Summer International tests, but the best is still to come.

The Rugby World Cup will start with a hard-hitting game between France (Les Bleus) and New Zealand (the All Blacks) on the 8th of September. We consider both teams to be in our top three for the favourites to win the tournament, so we expect to see sparks to fly at the Stade de France on opening day.

Another favourite for potential World Cup winners are Ireland, who, despite being seen more as dark horses in previous iterations of the competition are currently ranked number one in the world rankings.
Let’s dive into a little bit about the favourites in order to give you a more informed opinion, if you are interested in betting on the Rugby World Cup.

New Zealand

The (Mighty) All Blacks are often argued to be the most successful sports team in the world – one reason why pundits see them as early Rugby World Cup favourites. New Zealand are no strangers to the most prestigious tournament in rugby union, and so far, they have cleaned up in the quadrennial competition a total of three times, with back-to-back wins in 2011 and 2015.

You could think, however, that there may be a certain bad flavour in the All Blacks camp, given that New Zealand Rugby have already stated that their current Head Coach, Ian Foster will be replaced after the 2023 World Cup. The current man in charge is a real professional and will obviously give his very best, but, underneath, he may still struggle with the feelings of doubt which the board of NZR have implied for him.

A key point about New Zealand’s chances lies in the fact that the All Blacks mythos is decaying, and they no longer walk onto the pitch holding a mental advantage over their rivals. The Haka, for one, originally associated with the traditional war cry of male warriors and performed before every game, no longer puts the fear of God into opposition players.

Under Foster’s tenure, also, the All Blacks have not dominated rugby as they have in the eras of Steven Hanson and Graham Henry. It would nevertheless be foolish to write off the team at this stage, as like a wounded lion, when opposite teams underestimate the Kiwis, they found the All Blacks to hit back with the greatest ferocity!

Ireland

For quite some time, Ireland have enjoyed being the number-one team in the rugby world rankings. Head Coach, Andy Farrell has built on his predecessor, Joe Schmidt’s tenure and has ensured that Ireland remain the dominant international force to beat.

The Irish have yet to win a Rugby World Cup and have often chocked in the early stages of the competition, failing to get past the quarter-finals. Having said that, the Men in Green look like a different side altogether compared to teams from years of yore. They have enjoyed Six Nations success, winning a grand slam in 2023 and managing to become only the fifth ever team to win a tour series on New Zealand soil against the All Blacks.

One of the key reasons the Irish have forged success has been due to their talisman, captain Johnny Sexton. This is said to be his last year in an emerald green shirt, and he will want to retire from the game with a big feather in his cap. Ireland are a different team when Sexton plays, so Andy Farrell will be sure to keep an eye on his star over the summer, prior to the start of the Rugby World Cup.

We may not have Ireland as the top pick of our favourites, but we suspect that if they can overcome the sort of obstacles that have heeled them in previous competitions, they could go on to make World Cup history in 2023.

France

France have played a long-term game since the last World cup in 2019. Their famous coaches, Fabien Galthie and Shaun Edwards, have changed the French game of one built solely on passion to a well-oiled machine that incorporates flair, grit, and arguably the best defensive system in world rugby.

There will also be the deciding factor of the home advantage, which proved invaluable in their bigger matches in the 2022 Six Nations.

The French are in a good position to lift the Webb Ellis Cup at the end of the tournament, but naysayers will point to the fact that France have yet to win a Rugby World Cup and have choked in the final for all of their previous opportunities. The pundits, however, see Les Blues as one of the top favourites to win.

Likely Rugby World Cup Pool Winners

Sport is the betting community’s leveller as there are so many variations that can affect the eventual winners, such as injuries, home advantage, manager changes, weather, and supporter influence. Whose name will be on the Webb Ellis Cup at the end of the competition? Let’s explore!

Pool A

With two of rugby giants, New Zealand and France, being in Pool A, this is going to be a tough pool. Using history as a key indicator, one would expect the All Blacks to win Pool A, given that they have beaten France 48 times whilst France have only managed 13 wins against the All Blacks.

My prediction is that the home advantage, the French Coaches, and France’s world-beating players will prove to be the reasons why France will head up Pool A. Recent form is also in Frances’s favour. Who can forget their last encounter when France won 40-25? France will be first in Pool A with the All Blacks being in second place.

What about the other teams in Pool A, Namibia, Uruguay, and Italy? Yes, they have all qualified and have earned the right to be in the World Cup, but betting aficionados will agree that there will not be any upsets from these teams.

Pool B

In Pool B, we have two powerhouses and a possible when it comes to betting on who will win. Ireland, the current number-one team in the world rankings, and the current Rugby World Cup holders, South Africa are the leaders to win Pool B, with Scotland close behind. Will the latter be strong enough to beat with the two main nations?

If we could put Scotland’s opposition in White and call them England, then they would have a real chance of winning, seeing as they seem to save everything for beating the old foe. Hypothetical situations aside, Pool B will be a two-horse race.

As for Tonga and Romania, they may not present any real threat to Ireland or South Africa and will likely prove to serve as warm-up games for the rest of the competition.

The history books have South Africa as outright winners of Pool B, but in their last encounters with Ireland, they succumbed to a loss of 19-16 in a bruising battle. In that vein, Ireland look solid to win Pool B and South Africa to be runners-up.

Pool C

Australia and Wales are the two top teams in Pool C. The hype around the Australian team has been created due to Eddie Jones becoming the Australian Coach after being booted from the top job for England. Jones has had minor success with the Wallabies before, but is that to say that he can create the same this time around?

Wales, on the other hand, have been a world rugby power in the past, but the last few years have seen Wales at an all-time low. Is the Welsh Dragon breathing its last breath or can Warren Gatland breathe fire into the Welsh Dragon as another Head Coach on his second go around?

Fiji, Georgia, and Portugal are the other rugby nations competing in Pool C, but very few rugby fans will see them marking even a scratch against the main contenders.

Australia should win Pool C and Wales will likely scrape through as runners-up.

Pool D

You would be forgiven for thinking that the Rugby World Cup gods must be English when you see Pool D. This must be the easiest route to the knockout stages for England, with Argentina as the number-two option.

The other teams in Pool D are Samoa, Chile, and Japan. Japan has, in the past, given one-off performances against teams like South Africa, but 2023 is not set in stone to be another year of surprise performances from the Brave Blossoms.

Likely winner and runners-up? England to top Pool D and Argentina to follow.

Outright Winner

The punters’ outright favourites to win the 2023 Rugby World Cup are New Zealand and France, followed by Ireland. Interestingly enough, however, the final could easily be France v Ireland, with Les Blues finally getting their names on the Webb Ellis Cup. The home advantage may prove the decisive factor for France, who could only become the second Northern Hemisphere team to take the winners’ picture on the final day.

Ireland are looking to have their best World Cup ever, and, as mentioned before, rugby pundits are already expecting to see them to make it to the final. New Zealand, therefore, may have to pick up a consolation prize in the bronze-medal final on the Saturday before.

Highlights from the Rugby World Cup 2019

What a Rugby World Cup that 2019 had in store! Iconic moments include the following:

• Fiji v Uruguay, 27-30
• Japan v Ireland, 19-12
• New Zealand v Italy, 0-0
• England v New Zealand, 19-7
• England v South Africa, 12-32

Overall, the last Rugby World Cup proved that the dominance of the stronger rugby nations may still be unmatched but that the smaller teams still have a place in contension as they develop. Based on the last competition’s performances, the 2023 Rugby World Cup is set to be another electric event!

Rugby World Cup Highlights over the Years

The Rugby World Cup has plenty of history. Let’s take a look at a few of the magic moments from yesteryear.

1995, South Africa v New Zealand 

Any South Africa v New Zealand match is always tough, but sparks flew with the added pressure-cooker environment of a Rugby World Cup final. Fans around the stadium all had nails bitten to the quick as they watched 80 minutes of regular time end in a 9-9 draw, with extra time still to play. Eventually, the match would be decided by the battle of the fly-halves, Joel Stransky and Andrew Mehrtens, ending a tense test, 15-12.

The scene that most likely remember was the South African President, Nelson Mandela handing the Well Ellis Cup to François Pienaar – an event that inspired the movie Invictus and was recreated famously by Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon respectively.

2003, Australia v England

Australia were in fine form in the early 2000s and seemed a strong contender to grab the 2003 Rugby World Cup title under Eddie Jones. Having breezed to the final, Southern Hemisphere rugby fans seemed certain that the Aussies would lift the trophy.

After a gruelling 80 minutes that left the two sides tied at 14-14 and two subsequent penalties that brought the score to 17-17 by the dying minutes of extra time, it would take Jonny Wilkinson, despite playing through injury, to break the deadlock with a stunning drop goal that will forever be burned into the minds of English rugby fans.

2015, New Zealand v Australia

It was a year of dreams for New Zealand in 2015, as they became the first ever nation to lift the Webb Ellis Cup for the third time – also becoming the first to claim two titles back-to-back. It was, as well, the first time that the All Blacks had managed to dominate the competition away from home, cementing their place in world history not just as champions in their homeland.

The game was impressive in itself with records for most tries and points scored in a World Cup final, but who can forget the moment that All-Black Sonny Bill Williams gave away his winner’s medal to a young fan in the crowd? There wasn’t a heart in the stadium not proud to be a rugby fan for his sportsmanship.

What Are Rugby World Cup Betting Odds?

Before you can go and play your wagers on the RWC, there’s a couple of last things that you should know. One of these is the odds of our wagers. These are the numbers we mentioned earlier when we explained what markets are.

These numbers are important for 2 significant reasons: the first of which is that these numbers tell you how much money you’ll receive for a successful bet. The second reason is that they also represent your chances of success.

In other words, the odds let you know how likely your bet will win. The combination of these 2 factors should inform you on what bets to play when wagering on the RWC. Thus, being able to read the odds is a very important and useful skill.

How Do You Read the Odds Formats on Our Sportsbook?

If you’d like to be able to understand the formats we provide on the RWC, then the first thing you should know is that there are 3 main formats that represent the odds. These are known as the decimal, fractional, and American formats.

You’re also going to need to know that there are 2 main differences between these different formats. The first of which is how these formats represent the odds. On the other hand, the second difference is where they happen to be used most.

Despite these 2 differences, however, the formats are interchangeable. Thus, using one format is merely a matter of preference. Finally, we’ve already gone over how a bettor can understand the formats, which we suggest that you read.

The Most Popular Rugby World Cup 2023 Markets at Betiton Ireland?

• Outright: this first market allows you to wager on the nation that you think will take home the entire tournament. 
• Group Winner: this next wager is a bit simpler than the previous one as you simply need to wager on who you think will win their group. 
• Match Winner: unlike the previous bets, to win this wager, you simply have to choose who, in your opinion, the winner of a match is going to be. 
• Winning Margin: when betting on this market, you have to bet on the number of points that you think the winning side will score over the loser. 
• Top Tryscorer: with this last wager, you need to wager on the player that you believe will score the most tries in the championship. 

What Happens If the Rugby World Cup Final Is a Draw?

There are a number of extra stages that happen in the case of a draw in the finals of the RWC. The stage is an extra time round of 20 minutes. If the sides are still drawn after this round, then there is another round of 20 minutes, except this time it’s a sudden death round.

This means that whoever scores first will automatically win. If somehow the sides are still tied after sudden death, there is a kicking competition where 5 players kick from 3 different positions. The side with the most successful number of kicks wins. However, if they’re still tied, the kicking competition goes to sudden death.

Frequently Asked Questions about Rugby World Cup Betting