What to expect from the Rugby Union World Cup 2023
The upcoming 2023 Rugby World Cup in September is fast approaching. What can we expect from this year’s tournament? Find out more here.
With only five months to go until the start of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, here is a quick look at what we can expect from the sport’s biggest tournament.
We will reveal here which team is most likely to come out on top and which players will be the ones to watch.
Which teams qualified for the 2023 Rugby World Cup?
A total of 20 teams qualified for the upcoming 2023 Rugby World Cup, which is scheduled to get underway in France at the Stade de France on September 8th in the opening match between host nation France and New Zealand.
Let’s take a quick look at each team playing in the 2023 Rugby World Cup. They include the following:
- France
- New Zealand
- Ireland
- South Africa
- Australia
- England
- Argentina
- Scotland
- Wales
- Fiji
The other teams that also made it to the finals are Japan, Tonga, Georgia, Italy, Samoa, Chile, Namibia, Portugal, Romani, and Uruguay.
Which team will most likely come out on top?
As is the case with the majority of major world sporting events like this, the host nation, France, is the odds-on favourite team to win. After France, the next team that has the best shot at winning is New Zealand.
Next up, it’s Ireland, South Africa, and then Australia (based on the latest current odds from trusted online bookmakers, such as the official 32red sports betting site.
A closer look at the odds
If you decide to put a bet on France to win the upcoming Rugby World Cup, you are currently looking at average odds of around 11/4 in the standard UK fractional odds format. In other words, France has a 26.70% implied probability rate of winning.
For those of you who prefer using the decimal odds or American/moneyline odds formats, 11/4 is the same as saying 3.75 (decimal) or 275 (moneyline).
If, for example, you bet a total of $/€/£25.00 wager (or equivalent currency value) right now on France to win the 2023 Rugby World Cup, and they go on to win, you would be looking at a total return of $/€/£93.75 (which includes your initial $/€/£25.00 stake returned + a $/€/£68.75 profit).
What about the other teams?
- New Zealand – 3/1 (4.00, or 300), with a 25.00% implied probability rate of winning the Rugby World Cup
- Ireland – 4/1 (5.00, or 400), with a 20.00 chance of winning
- South Africa – 9/2 (5.5, or 450), with an 18.20% chance
- Australia – 9/1 (10.00, or 900), with a 10.00% chance
- England – 9/1 (10.00, or 900), with a 10.00% chance
- Argentina – 25/1 (26.00, or 2,500), with only a 3.80% chance
The countries that are least likely to win are Uruguay, Romania, Portugal, Namibia, and Chile. These teams all have the same 100/1 (1,001.00, or 100,000) odds, which means they only have a 0.10% chance of winning.
Which players will be worth watching in the 2023 Rugby World Cup?
Some of the star players to keep an eye out for during the 2023 Rugby World Cup are Sam Cane (New Zealand/Chiefs), Alun Wyn Jones (wales/Oprey), Lukhanyo Am (South Africa/Sharks), and Charles Ollivon (France/Toulon).
We also think that Rodrigo Fernandez (Chile and Selknam), Quade Cooper (Australia/Kintetsu Liners), and George Ford (England/Sale Sharks) will perform really well throughout the tournament.
Upcoming fixtures
After the hosts play New Zealand in the opening game of Group A on Friday, September 8th, 2023, you then have Italy against Namibia, Ireland against Romania, Australia against Georgia, and England against Argentina, to name just a few of the opening fixtures you can look forward to.
