What Are The Odds On Scotland To Win The Rugby World Cup?
Scotland are coming into the Rugby World Cup on the back of some encouraging displays at various stages in 2023, however they have a tough path to the final in their sights.
As such, the best betting sites are lukewarm when it comes to Scotland’s chances of glory at the tournament.
Thanks to victories at the expense of England, Wales and Italy, Gregor Townsend’s charges finished a respectable third in the final standings at this year’s Six Nations Championship.
For the third season in succession, the Scots got the better of the English to claim not only the Six Nations bragging rights over their arch rivals, but the coveted prize of the Calcutta Cup.
The 29-23 win at Twickenham Stadium saw them move up to fifth place in the world rankings – equalling their joint-highest position that was last set in May 2018.
They remain in fifth spot heading into the World Cup and given the way they have performed in some recent warm-up games, this is fully justified.
Scotland Showing Impressive Form In Warm-Up Games
Thanks to 10 points from former Ireland U20s Grand Slam winner Ben Healy, Scotland secured a 25-13 triumph against Italy at Murrayfield Stadium on July 29.
While their opponents didn’t play their full deck, a morale-boosting 25-21 victory followed over France in the same stadium a week later.
A stronger French side welcomed them to Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Etienne on August 12, but Les Bleus required a 79th-minute penalty from Thomas Ramos to seal a 30-27 win.
Townsend’s men then returned to Edinburgh for a fourth and final World Cup warm-up encounter with Georgia on August 26.
After a difficult opening in front of 54,212 spectators, the Scots turned on the style in the second half to come out on the right side of a 33-6 final scoreline.
This puts them in good stead for the start of their World Cup campaign, but when you consider what they will be coming up against in France, it is essential for Townsend that his squad are in the right frame of mind.
Scotland In An Incredibly Tough World Cup Pool
Right from the word go at the 2023 edition of the tournament, Scotland will find themselves in the lion’s den as their 2023 Rugby World Cup betting odds suggest.
On Sunday (September 10), they are set to face reigning world champions South Africa at Stade Velodrome in Marseille.
Should they come away with a win from that game, then the Scots will put themselves in a strong position to have a fruitful World Cup.
Should they lose to Jacques Nienaber’s side, it will cast doubts over their ability to reach the knockout rounds of the tournament.
Tonga and Romania – on September 24 and September 30 respectively – are two games that Scotland are more than capable of winning, but current Six Nations champions and world number one side Ireland await them in their final Pool B fixture on October 7.
Given South Africa and Ireland are the favourites with the best betting sites for rugby union to emerge from the pool, it stands to reason that Scotland are well down the pecking order for World Cup success.
Scotland Seen As Rank Outsiders For Tournament Glory
The most common value you can get on Scotland claiming the Webb Ellis Cup is 33/1 – odds that can be found with various bookmakers.
Meanwhile, Coral have gone even further with odds of 40/1 on the Scots winning the World Cup.
It certainly would be a major shock if Scotland were to come out on top of a crowded field in France, particularly when they don’t have a strong pedigree in the tournament.
Having lost out to New Zealand in the inaugural edition of the World Cup in 1987, the Scots made the semi-final of the global competition four years later.
The joint hosts of the tournament, Scotland suffered a narrow 9-6 defeat to England in the penultimate phase of the 1991 World Cup in Edinburgh and subsequently were on the receiving end of a 13-6 reversal in a third-place play-off.
Since then, the Celtic nation have appeared in five additional quarter-finals, but haven’t been able to make it through to the last-four for a second time.
The Scots have failed to make it past the pool stages in the two of the last three World Cups, though they were perilously close to pulling off an impressive victory against eventual finalists Australia at the quarter-final stage of the 2015 tournament.
A Lot Rides On Opening Game Against South Africa
Winners of the last Five Nations Championship in 1999, the Scots have yet to climb the Six Nations ladder since the competition was revamped the following year.
This is widely regarded as the best Scotland team in years, but it is entirely possible that they could live up to that tag in France and still not make it past Pool B.
That forthcoming opener against South Africa won’t necessarily define their tournament, but it is a pivotal match for Townsend and his troops nonetheless.
The Springboks are expected to make a winning start to the defence of their Webb Ellis crown with William Hill (1/5) giving their full support to the southern hemisphere giants in the odds.
By contrast, Scotland are viewed as rank outsiders for a win as bookies see an underdog’s victory as a 4/1 prospect and it is clear that the Scots will have their work cut out for them in Marseille.
From 28 previous meetings with South Africa, Scotland have earned just five wins – the most recent being in an autumn international back in November 2010.
The Springboks emerged triumphant from their previous World Cup pool stage clashes in 1999 and 2015, but Sunday would be a perfect time for Scotland to add a degree of balance to this fixture.