Rugby World Cup Odds: What Are The Odds On England Winning The Rugby World Cup?
There was considerable trepidation coming into the tournament, but with two wins thus far placing them at the summit of Pool D, English rugby supporters have been offered a reason to be cheerful at the Rugby World Cup in France.
Now that the knockout rounds of the tournament are in sight for Steve Borthwick’s charges, the best betting sites are wondering if it is possible for England to leave aside the pre-tournament doubts and emerge as an unlikely winner of the Webb Ellis Cup for a second time.
It was in 2003 that they first secured the moniker of ‘world champions’, joining the southern hemisphere triumvirate of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa on the tournament’s roll of honours in the process.
Although led superbly by Martin Johnson, it was fly-half Jonny Wilkinson who was undoubtedly the jewel in the crown for head coach Clive Woodward during that successful campaign 20 years ago.
Coming up against an Australian outfit that was steered by future England supremo Eddie Jones, Wilkinson nailed an extra-time drop-goal to edge his side over the line with three points to spare (20-17).
The Newcastle Falcons kicker was every bit as important to the England cause in their semi-final victory over France in Sydney, as he contributed five penalties and three drop-goals to propel Woodward’s men towards a 24-7 success.
Victories Over Argentina And Japan A Big Boost For English Morale
Mike Ford was part of the Irish coaching staff for that World Cup in Australia and, a little under 20 years later, his son George channelled the spirit of Wilkinson to give England a perfect start to the 2023 edition of the tournament.
Occupying the number 10 jersey in the absence of the suspended Owen Farrell, the younger Ford knocked over six penalties and a trio of majestic opening period drop-goals during a 27-10 win for England against Argentina in their pool opener at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille on September 9.
This put them in a positive frame of mind for their next game against Japan in Nice eight days later as they went in as favourites with the best betting sites for rugby union.
The common consensus is that the Japanese aren’t at the same level as they were for their home-based World Cup in 2019, when the Brave Blossoms made it to the quarter-final stage of the tournament for the first time.
Nonetheless, they initially made life difficult for England with four penalties from Rikiya Matsuda leaving them a single point adrift (13-12) on 54 minutes. Yet when the gauntlet was thrown down to them, the English responded in devastating fashion.
Adding to an earlier finish from Lewis Ludlam, Courtney Lawes, Freddie Steward and Joe Marchant bagged converted tries to ensure the 2003 champions came away with a bonus point from a 34-12 victory.
England On The Verge Of World Cup Knockout Spot
A similar triumph this weekend against Chile – newcomers to the World Cup this year – would leave them on the brink of a spot in the knockout rounds, something that wasn’t seen as a given just a few short weeks ago.
Borthwick was left with a difficult task after Eddie Jones was relieved of his head coach duties by the RFU at the end of last year and following a run of just three wins from nine games at the helm, it was unclear what his first World Cup in charge of the side was going to look like.
However, they have accumulated nine points from a possible 10 across their two games in the tournament and it would be foolish to completely dismiss their chances in the Rugby World Cup odds.
English Seen As Most Likely Challengers From A List Of Outsiders
Even though France, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa are seen as the four main contenders for Webb Ellis glory, England are viewed as the most enticing outside punt amongst betting apps on the market.
This was the case before the second round of World Cup games, but with Australia suffering defeat to Fiji last Sunday, they have further cemented their status as the fifth favourites for the tournament.
However, whereas the likes of Bet UK and Unibet were offering 9/1 on England winning the World Cup this time last week, they now have them as a 10/1 prospect for overall glory.
This is more of a reflection on the performances of those ahead of them than anything the English produced against Japan, but nonetheless these are the shortest odds available on them at present.
Meanwhile, Spreadex are offering the longest odds of 12/1 on them doubling their World Cup haul.
World Cup Draw Could Work In England’s Advantage
Borthwick appears to be going for a very attrition game plan and while the possible deployment of Owen Farrell at inside centre could give them an extra dimension, it remains to be seen how their attack will shape up as this World Cup progresses.
Still, the fact that the four perceived main challengers for honours are on the opposite side of the draw means the door is certainly open for England to have an extended run in the tournament.
There are others in Pool D and Pool C who will feel the same, but with two of the leading quartet guaranteed to be out of the picture come the last-four, the English side will believe it is within their grasp to make the penultimate phase of the tournament.
If they managed to get themselves in a position where they were a mere 80 minutes away from a place in the Webb Ellis decider, then it wouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility that England could go from underdogs to genuine contenders.
Given they have contested four previous World Cup showpieces, any team that potentially faces them in a semi-final will have reason to be wary.