What Are The Odds On Scotland To Win The Rugby World Cup?
Daire Walsh
When they touch down in France for next year’s Rugby World Cup finals, Gregor Townsend and his Scottish side are expected to be well down the list of potential winners on betting sites.
In Japan four years ago – for just the second time since the tournament was first launched back in 1987 – the Scots failed to make it out of the pool stages.
Having pushed eventual finalists Australia all the way in a 2015 quarter-final, hopes were high that the Celtic nation could do something special in East Asia.
However, defeats to Ireland and host country Japan saw Scotland only managing a third-place finish in Pool A.
While Scotland suffered a similar fate at the 2011 finals in New Zealand, they have made the quarter-finals on no fewer than seven occasions in the World Cup.
Indeed, at the 1991 finals, the Scots advanced to the semi-final stage for the one and only time to date.
After overcoming Western Samoa in the last-eight, they subsequently lost out narrowly to England in the penultimate round before falling short to New Zealand in a third place play-off.
Scotland Set To Be Up Against It At 2023 World Cup
Although Townsend and his squad will be eager to avoid a repeat of their performance in Japan the last time out, this is easier said than done.
Awaiting them in Pool B are defending champions South Africa and current world number one Ireland.
Despite having a sorely underwhelming campaign themselves, Ireland comfortably dismissed the challenge of Scots in their opening game of the 2019 World Cup.
On present form and recent history, Scotland will be outsiders in their quest to reach the knockout phase next year.
This goes some way to explaining why the odds on Scotland winning the Rugby World Cup are so long with the best betting sites for rugby union.
Scots Rank Outsiders For Glory Next Year
Even before the concluding test of their summer tour of Argentina last weekend, Scotland were 40/1 with betting apps and eighth favourites for World Cup glory overall.
Not a huge amount has changed in the days that have followed their 34-31 reversal to the Pumas in Santiago del Estero, albeit they are now ninth in the reckoning behind the Argentineans for global supremacy.
But, there are also some bookmakers – including Paddy Power – who are now offering Scotland Rugby World Cup odds of 50/1.
Townsend’s Men Known For Being Erratic
For a long time, the Scots have been regarded as something of an enigma within the international game.
Capable of putting it up to the very best teams out there on their day, they can also flatter to deceive once expectations start to rise.
Following away victories over England and France in the 2021 Six Nations, Scotland looked set to enjoy a productive campaign after kick-starting the 2022 edition of the Championship with another impressive win against the English.
Yet, this was followed by defeats to Wales, France and Ireland, with only an unconvincing success at the expense of Italy to supplement their initially encouraging start to the tournament.
A fourth defeat in five games then arrived in the opening phase of their three-test summer series with Argentina on July 2 – a Gonzalo Bertranou try helping to get Michael Cheika’s reign as Pumas boss off to a winning start.
In spite of this set-back, Scotland got their tour back on track with an emphatic 29-6 victory over the Argentines in Salta seven days later.
They had looked set for a morale-boosting series win after developing a 31-20 cushion inside the final-quarter of the closing test last Saturday, but converted tries from Bertranou and Emiliano Boffelli saw Argentina snatching the series at the death.
Scotland Looking For Signs Of Encouragement
While there were some green shoots to be garnered from this tour, it should be remembered that their opponents entered this summer on the back of a frustrating 2021.
From 12 games under previous head coach Mario Ledesma, the Pumas recorded just three wins and one draw as well as falling to eight defeats.
Nonetheless, Scotland will look to accentuate the positives ahead of this year’s Autumn Nations Series and the 2023 Six Nations.
Improved showings in these campaigns would go a long way towards enhancing their odds in the Rugby World Cup betting.