2023 Rugby World Cup Betting

Rugby is a massively popular sport all over the UK and always delivers lots of action, drama and tough tackling to delight fans. It also has its fair share of top competitions to follow, and the 2023 Rugby World Cup is a great example. 

Starting in early September 2023, it is being held in France and sees 20 of the top teams in men's international rugby union competing for the trophy. It is a must-watch for any keen UK rugby fan and has already thrown up some great matches. Rugby World Cup betting is also popular in the UK, and this betting guide tells you all you need to know for betting on this exciting tournament.

When is the 2023 Rugby World Cup?

The men's 2023 Rugby World Cup is world rugby's premier event and started on 8th September. This saw the opening match between France and New Zealand in Paris. The tournament is set to finish on 28th October 2023, when the final will take place at the Stade de France to see which side will emerge victorious.

��️ Where will the Rugby World Cup be held?

2023's Rugby World Cup is being held entirely in France. The venues below are the official stadiums where games will be played across the tournament: 

• Stade de France (Paris)
• Stade Velodrome (Marseille)
• OL Stadium (Lyon)
• Stade Pierre-Mauroy (Lille)
• Matmut Atlantique (Bordeaux)
• Stade Geoffrey-Guichard (Saint Etienne)
• Allianz Riveira (Nice)
• Stade de la Beaujoire (Nantes)
• Stadium de Toulouse (Toulouse) 

Which team is the favourite to win the Cup?

The truth for UK punters looking to get involved with rugby betting is that there are a few sides who seem favourites to win the 2023 World Cup. Of course, now the action is well underway, it becomes a little easier to see who is playing well and who has a real chance of tasting success! 

Perhaps the standout side in this rugby championship that most people expect to lift the trophy is South Africa. They came into the 2023 World Cup as defending champions from 2019 and with a wealth of talent in their squad. A powerful performance to see off Scotland in their opening pool game was ominous and shows why they seem the most hotly tipped to win. 

With players like Manie Libbok, Cheslin Kolbe, Faf de Klerk and Pieter-Steph du Toit to call on, they should only get better as the competition progresses. Although an upcoming game against Ireland will be no easy ride, the rest of their pool games should not present much of an issue, and this should help them ease into the later stages of this event.

�� Is England a winning contender this year?

The burning question for UK rugby bettors is whether the England side really has a decent chance of winning in 2023. The simple fact is that anything can happen in top international competitions like this, and 2019 showed they have what it takes to make it to the later stages of these events. 

Coming into the opening Pool D match against Argentina, though, things looked a little gloomy for Steve Borthwick's men. They had not enjoyed the best form leading up to the World Cup, and star man Owen Farrell was sitting it out due to suspension. Their sparkling performance was, therefore, not only very impressive but showed signs that they might have clicked at the right time. 

When you consider they had Tom Curry sent off in the opening few minutes and still grabbed a George Ford-helmed 27-10 victory, it looks much brighter in the England camp. Although their other pool games against Japan, Samoa and Chile will not be easy, if they continue playing with the pace, power and intensity they showed against Argentina, they could well be in with a good shot at winning the World Cup in 2023. 

What are the top 10 winner odds for the 2023 World Cup?

If you plan to bet on the Rugby World Cup from the UK, knowing which sides (apart from South Africa) are in with a real shout of doing well makes sense. The below are the current top 10 favourites with the most popular bookmakers in the country. 

⛹️ Who are the top scorer contenders?

World rugby's betting choices are vast, and this means trying out markets other than who might win the whole competition or an individual match is fun. Betting on who might emerge as the tournament's top scorer is a case in point – but what rugby betting odds do bookies have for this right now? 

Which team has won the previous Rugby World Cup?

The Rugby World Cup 2019 was held in Japan and was won by South Africa. This saw them beat England 32-12 in the final to clinch their third World Cup victory. Prior to this, the Rugby World Cup 2015 was held in England and saw New Zealand win. This was a major story in 2015 rugby circles and shows what a dangerous side they are on their day. 

��Which teams are expected to win in the first round of Rugby World Cup matches?

Although there are lots of top international men's rugby teams across the 4 pools in this championship, the four listed below are current favourites to top their group and have World Cup 2023 odds which reflect this.

�� Who else might qualify for Rugby World Cup Pools A and B in 2023? 

Rugby world cups are always full of intrigue, and Pool A is a tough group to call in many ways. This is because there are two teams outside of an Antonie Dupont-inspired France who could grab a qualifying slot. Italy looked very impressive in their opening match against Namibia and crushed them with a 52-8 win. 

Ange Capuozzo looks a superstar rugby player on the world stage and could well inspire his teammates to glory in 2023. New Zealand, of course, are not out of it in Pool A and will be looking to shrug off their opening defeat to France in their remaining matches. This makes their game against Italy at the end of September a potential decider for which side might go further in the tournament. 

Pool B looked to be the toughest one to call before play began and could still throw up some surprises before it's done. South Africa seem most likely to grab one of the top two spots to qualify and Ireland rugby looks in great shape to do the same after beating Scotland. Although Romania won't feature much by the looks of it, Tonga may well have more of an impact on how things pan out.

�� Who else might qualify for the Rugby World Cup Pools C and D in 2023? 

Pool C is also likely to be a tight affair, although you would naturally expect Australia to do enough to qualify from it. Players like Richie Arnold and Will Skelton should continue to gel with younger pros to help them achieve this. It looks like either Wales or Fiji are the best bet to join them in moving on from Pool C. The recent 32-26 Welsh win in their first World Cup match against Fiji might prove decisive in this respect. 

Pool D looks like it should be England's for the taking after their impressive opening game win – but who else might qualify for the quarter-finals from it? Chile are no real force in world rugby and look overawed in their first World Cup, so you have to think a fast, agile Japan, a rugged Samoa or a physical Argentina are all vying for the second qualifying spot.

Tips for Rugby World Cup 2023 betting for UK punters 

If you are thinking of getting involved with World Cup betting in the UK, it is key to know what you are doing first. The below are some useful tips to take onboard with this in mind.

• Choose which sportsbooks in the UK to bet with carefully. Only register with licenced ones which offer top-level online security features, excellent customer support, mobile betting functionality, great value rugby odds and a good choice of RWC 2023 markets.
• Do your research on any wagers before you place them – it is never a good idea to bet blindly or based only on instinct. From checking out the latest team news to looking at head-to-head records, this is something you cannot ignore. 
• Take your time to find the top offers sportsbooks have for customers (see below for 3 bookies with the best free bet promos for RWC wagering currently).
• Don't just stick to the 'Win' market when betting on 2023 Rugby World Cup games. Once you feel comfortable with sports wagering, look at other markets to add more variety to your experience. 
• Manage your bankroll sensibly and only stake a small amount of your betting bank on any one wager.
• Always bet responsibly on the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Stop when you need a break and use the responsible gambling tools all decent sportsbooks online in the UK carry.

�� Which bookies have free bets I can use on the Rugby World Cup?

Bonuses are something all UK sports bettors look out for when choosing which sportsbooks to register with – whether you like to bet on rugby sevens, the Six Nations or other sports entirely. This is certainly true for anyone who might be thinking of placing a wager on who might win the 2023 RWC or individual games within it. 

Although there are lots of awesome free bet offers to grab out there, the 3 below stand out in particular.

BoyleSports – bet £10, get £20 in free bets + 8 places on top RWC tryscorer

This is one of the most well-known UK bookmaker sites and a name which is offering a superb free bet offer for RWC 2023 betting. New customers not only get £20 in free bets when they first stake a £10 bet but also can access 8 places instead of 5 on the competition's top tryscorer. 

Betfair – bet £10, get £40 in free bets

Betfair are also a massive name in UK sports wagering and have their own tasty free bet promotions to take advantage of when betting on the World Cup in 2023. This current one sees new customers able to place an initial £5 bet before getting £20 to use for rugby betting in free bets. 

Sky Bet - £30 in free bets when you place any bet

Sky Bet have an awesome free bet promotion offer for UK customers to bag and you only need to place a bet with a 5p minimum stake to get it. Once you have done this at odds of at least 1/1 or more, 3 x £10 free bets will be yours to use for RWC wagering. 

But how do you get these kinds of bonuses, and why are they betting bets which are so great for UK gamblers? Accessing offers like this is as simple as creating an account with the relevant sportsbook online, putting some cash into it and placing any qualifying bets you need too. 

Once this is done, you should get any free bets credited to your account automatically. In terms of why these promo deals are worth hunting down, they not only give you free cash to bet on Rugby World Cup matches with but also give you a risk-free way to hopefully make profits on new rugby betting markets.

�� How to watch the 2023 Rugby World Cup

• Location: France (multiple venues across the country)
• Date/Time: Friday 8th September 2023 (opening game) to Saturday 28th October 2023 (2023 World Cup final match)
• TV/Live stream: Available to watch on ITV/online at ITVX in the UK and live streaming at selected bookies (check is this is offered before creating an account) 

Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
• Never chase their losses
• Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed

For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.