What are the chances for one UK nation to win the Rugby World Cup title?
The quarterfinals of the Rugby World Cup are ahead of us. That means that the tension in the United Kingdom is about to hit the peak when talking about this sport.
Three nations are still in the race for the most prestigious trophy of the Rugby Union. And all of them have solid chances of reaching. Some have a bit better prospects, some not so good, but in general, there is a solid opportunity to see the trophy in the UK.
According to the bookies England is the No.1 contender in this story. Even before the start of the championship, we’ve marked them as one of the biggest contenders for dethroning New Zealand. Eddi Jones’ guys are facing Australia in the quarterfinals, and unlike the previous years, they are considered heavy favourites in this clash. The Wallabies are not so dominant as before, and it appears that the English crew has a nice chance to reach the semis.
The odds for their win in this event are 7/19. Aussies to reach their third consecutive semifinals are at 14/5, while a draw will multiply your stake 29 times. In the second pair of that part of the draw, we have New Zealand vs Ireland. The All Blacks’ win is set at 2/9, Ireland’s upset 94/19 and a draw at 35/1. You can find the odds and the predictions for every Rugby World Cup game on this link.
Athough Ireland is not officially in the UK we will involve them in this story. They definitely have the toughest possible opponent from all the teams left in the World Cup. Even if they advance to the semis, their next rival will be the fiercest possible.
Meanwhile, the No.2 team in the world rankings, Wales has a bit easier path towards the finals than the Irish side. France is a tough challenge, but far easier than New Zealand or Australia. Even though the Gauls defeated all three opponents in their group, we need to say that all of them were much weaker than the Welsh rivals. Plus, two of their victories, against the USA and Tonga were minimal 23-21.
So we can say that the Dragons are expected to reach the semis. Odds on their win are 3/7, while France to advance, sits at 11/4, with a draw at 33/1. Their projected rivals in the match for the finals should be South Africa, who faces the host Japan in the last quarterfinal pair. The difference in quality is just too big in that one, and bookies predict an easy win of the Springboks, with the odds on that are 2/11. Japan to win, however, is 8/1, and a draw is fantastic 50/1. Hosts will no doubt be very motivated, and they might take too much energy from the South Africans, which is a chance for the Dragons.
When looking at the overall situation, England and Ireland have a much tougher draw than Wales. Even though the bookmakers see England as the closest nation from the UK for capturing the World Cup, we really believe that Wales could be a pleasant surprise and an unexpected winner of this tournament. Especially if the injuries spare Warren Gatland’s squad, which wasn’t the case so far in Japan. Odds on that are 9/1. England is at 9/2, while Ireland sits at 18/1. Of course, the main favourite is New Zealand, with 11/10.
But as we all know, Rugby World Cup is one of the most exhausting and exciting competitions, and one small detail could change the entire course of the same. That is why we can’t wait for the quarterfinals to begin.
