The Rugby World Cup is held every four years and sees the top rugby union nations battling it out to lift the William Webb Ellis trophy. The 2023 Rugby World Cup will be held in France across nine cities and sees 20 nations taking part in the tournament.
South Africa are the current holder of the Rugby World Cup, having defeated England in the 2019 final, but this year’s tournament seems a wide-open contest with many countries in with a shot at glory.
Rugby World Cup Betting is also popular, and in this guide, we take a closer look at the top Rugby World Cup odds and betting markets.
Rugby World Cup Odds
All eyes will be on France in September and October as the top rugby union nations fight it out over six weeks for the right to be crowned Rugby World Cup winners.
Such a big tournament provides fans with a massive range of betting opportunities to enjoy. Read on as we closely examine all you need to know about Rugby World Cup odds.
Odds Format
Rugby World Cup odds work the same as other sporting events – bookmakers offer odds based on the probability of an event occurring, such as New Zealand to beat France. They may offer odds of 2/1 on this, and if you placed a $10 bet and the All Blacks won, you would receive back $30 – $20 profit and your $10 original stake.
Decimal odds may also be used depending on the bookmaker, with 2/1 showing as 3.00 as a decimal. You may also see each-way betting offered on some Rugby World Cup odds, specifically on the outright winner betting market.
If you back a country each way to win the Rugby World Cup and they reach the final, you are guaranteed a return. An each-way bet is comprised of two parts – a win part and a place part. An example would be placing a $10 each-way bet on Scotland to win the Rugby World Cup at 66/1.
If they were to reach the final and lose, you would be paid out at one-third of the Rugby World Cup odds on the place part of the each-way bet – so you would have $10 at 22/1, seeing a return of $230 on your $20 total stake.
Rugby World Cup Betting Markets
Being one of the most significant sporting events in 2023, bookmakers will offer a vast range of Rugby World Cup odds and betting markets for punters to enjoy. Here we take a closer look at some of the betting markets you’re most likely to see;
🏆 Outright Winner – The outright winner market sees you placing a bet on who will win the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
🏆 Match Winner – Every game at the Rugby World Cup will have match winner betting on it with three possible options – team A to win, team B to win, or the match to end in a draw.
🏆 Handicap – Handicap betting sees one side being given a shortfall of points to cover and is a popular bet when there is a firm favourite in the match. For example, New Zealand could face Uruguay, and New Zealand may be -52 on the handicap, meaning that Uruguay will receive a 52-point start. If New Zealand wins by 53 points or more, they are the handicap winner, but if Uruguay wins the match or loses by less than 52 points, they are the winner.
🏆 Winning Margin – Placing a bet on the winning margin sees you selecting a nation to win the game and by how many points. An example could be Ireland beating Scotland by 5-10 points.
🏆 First Tryscorer – Here you’re placing a bet on which player will score the game’s first try. With 30 players on the pitch, you can be rewarded with large odds if your selection does the business.
Top Teams at the Rugby World Cup
With the top nations from the northern and southern hemispheres battling it out, the 2023 Rugby World Cup is a tournament not to be missed.
There are currently five teams with Rugby World Cup odds of 6/1 or shorter – France, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, and England. The remaining 15 nations in the tournament all at double-figure odds.
However, there is likely to be a significant change in the Rugby World Cup odds over the coming months, with the Six Nations and Rugby Championship to be played before the nations head to France.
Rugby World Cup Favourites
🇫🇷 France
France are the current favourites, and with home advantage and a strong squad, they will fancy their chances of finally winning the tournament, having lost in the final on three occasions.
🇳🇿 New Zealand
New Zealand are second-favourites, but they stuttered through 2022, despite winning the Rugby Championship, and they face France in the tournament’s opening game. The loser of that game will most likely face South Africa in the quarter-finals, meaning a challenging route to the final.
🇿🇦 South Africa
South Africa will put up a formidable defence of their title and will have plenty of punters willing to back them to win a record fourth Rugby World Cup.
🇮🇪 Ireland
Ireland have been in excellent form over the last 12 months, but they tend to peak in-between tournaments, so they will be hoping for a strong Six Nations to keep the momentum going.
🏴 England
England are the unknown, having sacked Eddie Jone and brought in Steve Borthwick – but can he build a squad capable of winning the Rugby World Cup in just nine months?
The Remainder
Of the remaining teams, Australia can never be written off, with Eddie Jone back in charge, while Warren Gatland has also returned to Wales in the hope he can turn their fortunes around.
Scotland are a match for any team on their day, but they struggle for consistency and face a battle to get out of their pool, which contains South Africa and Ireland so they are a large price in the outright Rugby World Cup odds.
FAQs
The current favourites at the bookmakers to win the 2023 Rugby World Cup are the host country, France.
Qualification is now complete for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, with 20 nations heading to France for the tournament.
New Zealand and South Africa have won the Rugby World Cup on three occasions. South Africa are the current holder, and New Zealand are the only nation to defend the trophy, lifting it in 2011 and 2015.
