The best rugby union teams in the Southern Hemisphere take one another on in July. The 2023 Rugby Championship will take place on three continents over three match days. With the Rugby World Cup in September in France, this is the perfect warm-up for all involved.
What Is the Rugby Championship?
The Rugby Championship began in 2012, replacing the Tri-Nations tournament. Four teams contest the Rugby Championship, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and Argentina.
In 2023, the tournament is a shortened format due to the World Cup, which comes up in September. July 8th is the opening game of the Rugby Championship, with other games on July 15th and July 29th.
Rugby Championship Odds & Betting
With only four teams participating, betting on the Rugby Championship is relatively straightforward. Rugby Championship odds generally come in two different formats. They are fractional, i.e. 5/1 or decimal 6.00 – decimal odds include the return of a 1-point stake, while fractional ones do not.
What are outright odds?
The outright Rugby Championship Odds are placing bets on which country will win. With only three games each, outright odds are bets with a quick return for winners.
With only four participants, the outright odds will be ‘Win Only’. No each-way betting is available where placed teams can return some profit from bets.
What betting markets are there with Rugby Championship Odds?
Match-by-match betting will be available, providing Rugby Championship Odds. There will be short prices on many matches, which might not be to the liking of some punters.
Handicap bets are a popular way to bet on rugby union. Giving the lesser country a headstart can make the favourite more of a backable price.
For those who know their rugby union well, then matches will have try scorer markets – allowing you to pick out a player who you think will score a try in a particular game. Samisoni Taukei’aho was the top scorer in the competition in 2022. He scored five tries across the tournament, so he will no doubt prove popular again with try-scorer bets.
Which Team Wins the 2023 Rugby Championship?
With the Rugby Championship Odds now live, it’s time to look at the 2023 competition. Each country will play one match against each of the other three. Having a home advantage in the biggest of your team’s games will prove crucial for your bets.
New Zealand
The big question is how likely are New Zealand to win the rugby championship. They are currently favourites with the bookmakers, so they are the shortest odds to win. Although the current squad lacks the talent of past incarnations, they won this in 2021 and 2022.
They remain the team that sets the standard in rugby union. They are a short enough price but deserve to be so above all their rivals.
South Africa
South Africa looks like the biggest threat to New Zealand on the formbook and the odds. They beat New Zealand in round one of the 2022 Rugby Championship. Unfortunately for them, the All Blacks got swift revenge on them in round two.
2019 was the last time that they won the tournament. On paper, it looks as if their match against the All Blacks will be critical once more. Whichever one of these teams comes out on top is in pole position to win the overall prize.
Australia
You must return to 2015 to find the last time the Wallabies made their country proud. Runner-up in 2019 and 2021, the odds suggest that even that might be beyond them in 2023. Australia slipped to their lowest-ever position in the world rankings in 2022, a disappointment for a proud country.
Their odds are shorter than Argentina, but that will be scant consolation to supporters. Third in a four-horse race is not the result that they are looking for. It seems unlikely there will be many with bets on them doing better.
Argentina
The Pumas pulled off a big shock in round three of this competition last year, upsetting the All Blacks. They have picked up nine wooden spoons in their ten years as part of the Rugby Championship. 2015 is the only year that they have avoided finishing bottom.
In both 2019 and 2021, they failed to win a game. Last year they picked up a pair of successes. The country will hope that they have the beating of other teams again. The quality of their squad is improving, but it still leaves them a little short. They will find that their Rugby Championship odds are on the bigger side.
Conclusion
Even though it is a shortened competition this year, it won’t be any less exciting. Always a massive clash of the big rugby union names, the Rugby Championship 2023 should live up to its billing. Round 2 will see the All Blacks take on the Springboks in Auckland. Of all the matches, this is the one that will mean the most to the teams. It will also very likely see the winner become the champion.
FAQs
New Zealand will most likely win if the Rugby Championship odds are correct. They succeeded in 2021 and 2022 and the returning Tri-Nations in 2020, which was played with no South Africa.
Clear second favourites are South Africa, while a win for either Australia or Argentina would be a surprise.
As such, it looks all set for the All Blacks to triumph again. A win here will set them up perfectly for the World Cup in France. Confidence going into that will be all important, and this can be the perfect boost.
New Zealand are the most successful team at the Rugby Championship. They have won eight of the ten times the tournament has been played. Before, when it was the Tri-Nations, they won 11 of 17.
Given the quality of the teams that they have taken on, it is a remarkable record. Both South Africa and Australia have produced some powerful teams in the past. For the most part, however, they have been no match for the All Blacks.
