Wales vs Australia prediction and odds: Rugby World Cup 2023

Rounding out play on the third weekend of the Rugby World Cup 2023, one of the most exciting pool matches of the tournament so far is upon us. Wales take on Australia in a clash that will likely have significant ramifications on how this tournament is shaping up, with a loss for either team meaning they’ll need to rely on other results to make the knockout rounds. Read on for our Wales vs Australia predictions.

Wales vs Australia – match predictions

In a match that will in all likelihood define the 2023 Rugby World Cup for both Wales and Australia, there’s plenty to play for here. Read on for our top predictions ahead of the Wales vs Australia this weekend:

Prediction 1: Wales to win @ 10/11 (1.95)

This is one of the toughest matches to call in the tournament so far, but on balance, Wales have looked the better side this World Cup. Far from perfect, they did manage to come away with the result against Fiji, and get the job done over Portugal too. Australia, on the other hand, were well and truly exposed by Fiji last week.

What’s more concerning, is Eddie Jones has yet again changed his first-five, putting Carter Gordon on the bench and bringing Ben Donaldson into pivot. It’s bad enough that Jones has selected only one out-and-out five-eighth, and an inexperienced one at that; let alone the fact that he hasn’t stuck with him, and is now switching up the lineup. Expect Australia to be too disjointed to come up with a big result here, and for Wales to seal their spot in the quarter-finals with a win.

Prediction 2: Over 57 points in the match @ 3/1 (4.00)

This wager is more of a gamble, but the last time these two sides met, they were both playing woeful rugby, yet managed to throw the ball around and combine for a 73 point match. Australia will know they require a big win here in order to keep their hopes alive, so there’s every chance they’ll come out playing risky rugby to score tries–opening up opportunities at both ends of the field for points.

Wales vs Australia preview: Bonus points could be crucial

Heading into this match, here’s a look at how both teams’ tournaments have gone so far at the Rugby World Cup 2023:

Wales

Despite heading into the Rugby World Cup in all sorts of turmoil, the Welsh have got their campaign off to a strong start over the last fortnight. They survived a late onslaught by Fiji, narrowly coming away with five points in a 32-26 victory, before backing up against Portugal in a 28-8 win that got the job done, claiming another five points. Win against Australia, and they’ll be into the knockout phase. Lose, and it’ll come down to some fine margins.

Australia

It hasn’t been such a successful start to Australia this tournament, with the Wallabies falling victim to the first big upset of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. After defeating Georgia in a scratchy 35-15 victory to open their campaign, most recently Australia lost 22-15 to Fiji in a game where they were thoroughly outplayed by their Pacific neighbours. Lose here and Australia are all but out of the tournament; win, and they’ll need to get out the calculators–though a big victory and depriving Wales of bonus points will go a long way.

Wales vs Australia head to head

Australia lead the head to head overall between these two sides, having won 31 of their 45 matches, with one draw. However, Wales have claimed three of the past four meetings. Most recently, Australia won a last gasp victory in Cardiff in 2022, winning 39-34 after being behind 34-13 with 25 minutes to go.

• Date and time: Sunday 24 September, 8:00 PM GMT
• How to watch: ITV, ITVX or SC4 in the UK