New Zealand vs Namibia Prediction & Picks

Despite opening the tournament with a loss to France, New Zealand are still considered one of the top 2023 Rugby World Cup contenders, and they are expected to put on a display of their strength in Friday’s matchup with Namibia (3:00 pm ET, Peacock).

Last Friday, the All Blacks kicked off their quest for their fourth Rugby World Cup title with a 27-13 loss to France. New Zealand took a 13-9 lead with a try early in the second half, but the tournament hosts scored the game’s final 18 points to deny the All Blacks a losing bonus point.

At this point, winning Pool A is likely beyond the All Blacks at this point unless Italy can defeat France for the first time since 2013.

But they are still considered one of the four leading favorites along with France, Ireland, and reigning champions South Africa, who are also vying for a record fourth world title.

New Zealand vs Namibia Odds

Odds are via Bovada.

Spread

• New Zealand -72 (+105)
• Namibia +72 (-125)

Moneyline

• New Zealand -100000
• Namibia +6600
• Draw +50000

Over/Under

• Over 81.5 (-110)
• Under 81.5 (-110)

Will New Zealand Pile Up the Tries in Toulouse?

The second round of Rugby World Cup pool matches started Thursday with a France vs Uruguay match that was far closer than expected.

With 25 minutes left, Uruguay made it a one-point game with a converted try. But France responded quickly with one of their own and went on to a hard-earned 27-12 win.

Don’t expect a similarly close contest in this matchup, however.

This is the third straight World Cup to feature a New Zealand vs Namibia matchup in pool play. Both previous meetings have been blowouts, and this one should be as well.

In 2015, the All Blacks defeated Namibia 58-14 in London, with Julian Savea scoring two of his tournament record-equaling eight tries in the match.

Four years later, Namibia scored the first points of the game and trailed only 10-9 a half hour in. But they didn’t score again, whereas New Zealand added 61 points to their total to win 71-9 in Tokyo.

Based on how Namibia’s tournament opener in Saint-Etienne went, New Zealand should have the win and perhaps even the bonus point in the bag by halftime.

In last Saturday’s opener against Italy–the lowest-ranked team among the ten teams that play in either the Six Nations or Rugby Championship–Namibia took an early 3-0 lead and trailed 17-8 at halftime.

However, Italy tallied five converted tries without reply in the second half to win 52-8. It was Italy’s biggest-ever margin of victory in a Rugby World Cup match.

The last time that Namibia played a Rugby World Cup match in Toulouse, they were on the receiving end of an 87-10 rout by France in 2007.

New Zealand vs Namibia Prediction and Picks

Prediction: New Zealand to win

Picks: 1) Second half to be the highest-scoring half (-138 at Bovada), 2) Namibia team total over 5.5 points (+100 at Bovada)

As inspiring as Uruguay’s performance against France was, don’t let it fool you into thinking Namibia could do the same against New Zealand.

Even if you are unfamiliar with world rugby, Namibia’s result against Italy, one of the weakest major nations in world rugby, is a more accurate depiction of the results that typically occur when the top tier teams face off with teams outside of that level.

However, Namibia have been held to fewer than six points only five times in their 22 all-time Rugby World Cup matches, including both matches against New Zealand.

So, I will play the optimism game as I did with Uruguay–who promptly rewarded said optimism–and back Namibia to hit the over on a very small total.

Where to Bet on the 2023 Rugby World Cup

While rugby may not be one of the most widely watched or bet on sports in the United States, the Rugby World Cup always draws a lot of attention.

You can find 2023 Rugby World Cup odds at many of the top sports betting sites available to bettors in the USA. In addition to Bovada, here are some of the online sportsbooks that we recommend which offer odds on each game in the tournament, as well as Rugby World Cup winner futures odds:

If you don’t have an account at a book on this list, check out our in-depth reviews to help you determine if it is worth your interest and your betting funds. Happy betting, and please bet responsibly.