Rugby World Cup Odds: Who Will Win The Webb Ellis Cup In France?
The 2023 Rugby World Cup finally gets up and running this weekend as anticipation continues to grow.
As such, betting sites are offering their considered take on who they expect to win the tournament in France.
Now into its 10th edition, this tournament first sprung into life back in 1987 when New Zealand and Australia acted as co-hosts.
Whereas the former came out on top in that inaugural year, the latter eventually got their hands on the Webb Ellis Cup in 1991.
Australia added to this success in 1999 with a final victory over France at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, before New Zealand ultimately added to that maiden triumph 36 years ago by winning the World Cup back-to-back in 2011 and 2015.
Coming into this year’s tournament, the All Blacks and Wallabies are two of just four nations to have achieved World Cup glory across the nine editions that precede the forthcoming 2023 extravaganza.
Southern Hemisphere Nations Have Been Dominant World Cup Forces In The Past
While England were victorious in 2003 – and remain the only northern hemisphere side to climb to the top of the world rugby ladder – reigning champions South Africa have won it on three separate occasions.
This puts them at the summit of the World Cup roll of honours alongside New Zealand, who they overcame to secure the Webb Ellis Cup for the first time in their home-based World Cup of 1995.
When all four semi-finalists in the 2015 edition of the tournament hailed from the southern hemisphere (the aforementioned triumvirate of New Zealand, South Africa and Australia plus Argentina), there was a fear that those on the other side of the world were being left behind from an international rugby perspective.
Although South Africa claimed the top prize in Japan four years ago, it certainly wasn’t a complete whitewash for the northern hemisphere with England and Wales both making it to the penultimate round of the tournament.
Indeed, it was the English who ended New Zealand’s quest for a third consecutive Webb Ellis crown with a magnificent last-four triumph in Yokohama.
Yet despite Six Nations Championship triumphs for both teams since then, England and Wales have both replaced their head coaches in the past 12 months owing to a poor run of form.
Steve Borthwick and the returning Warren Gatland have assumed the reins respectively, but have struggled to get them back to the levels they were at four years ago.
New Zealand And France Look Like The Teams To Beat
Ian Foster has also had a difficult time as head coach of New Zealand and will make way for Scott Robertson once the 2023 World Cup reaches a conclusion for the All Blacks.
However, he has guided his country to victory in each of the four Rugby Championship campaigns he has led them into and they had been unbeaten in 11 tests prior to their admittedly heavy defeat at the hands of South Africa on August 25.
The All Blacks enter most Rugby World Cups as pre-tournament favourites with rugby betting sites and while they may not seem like the force of old on the surface, this is once again the case in 2023.
Ahead of their Pool A opener against France on Friday evening in Saint-Denis, bookmakers are rating New Zealand’s chances of winning a fourth World Cup at 4.0.
However, there is actually very little to separate them from host country France.
Six Nations Grand Slam winners in 2022, the French are also 4.0 with a number of sportsbooks to secure the World Cup crown for the very first time.
It is remarkable that the two main favourites for the tournament are clashing in the very first fixture.
Holders South Africa Set To Be In The Shake-Up
If you look at South Africa’s history in the World Cup, there has been a 12-year gap between their tournament triumphs.
This has also meant that they have greeted the British & Irish Lions as world champions two years after each of their Webb Ellis successes.
Their defence of the trophy in 1999 ended at the semi-final stage – though they did claim third spot on the final weekend – and in the quarter-finals in 2011.
In a pool alongside Ireland, Scotland, Tonga and Romania, the Springboks will most likely have to face either New Zealand or France should they make it through to the knockout rounds.
Bookies are offering odds of 5.5 on them overcoming one of these sides and going all the way from there to victory.
World Number One Ireland Hoping For A Big Tournament
They might be the No.1 ranked team in the world for quite some time at this point, but Ireland are only regarded as fourth favourites for glory in France over the coming weeks.
This is perhaps, in part, due to the fact that they haven’t progressed beyond the last-eight of the World Cup in nine previous attempts and didn’t even get that far in the 1999 and 2007 tournaments.
Nevertheless, Andy Farrell’s men are a solid 6.0 with Bet365 to take home the ultimate glory in the sport.
Australia Ahead Of Outsiders In The Betting Stakes
Since crashing out of the 2019 World Cup at the quarter-final phase, there has been little or no consistency from Australia in terms of results.
Between Dave Rennie and Eddie Jones – who succeeded Rennie towards the end of 2022 – the Wallabies have won just 13 of the 39 international tests they have played in the past four years.
That said, they find themselves on the opposite side of the draw to New Zealand, France, South Africa and Ireland, and could forge a title tilt if they manage to develop some momentum through the pool stages of the tournament.
Odds on Australia winning the World Cup currently sit at 15.0 with betting apps and while he has yet to win a test on his return, Jones has previously been involved with Wallabies, Springboks and English teams that have reached the Webb Ellis Cup decider.
Slightly behind the Aussies in the World Cup betting order at present are England, who are available at odds 17.0 for overall glory.
The price on Argentina winning the trophy for the very first time is 29.0, while Celtic neighbours Scotland and Wales are evenly priced in the odds at 50.0 amongst some of the biggest bookmakers on the market.