Dean Etheridge
The 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup has reached the knockout stages. There’s only eight teams remaining, and with the four quarter finals taking place this weekend, we look at the latest odds and bring you our free rugby union betting picks.
The top two from all three groups automatically qualified, with the two best third placed finishers also gaining a place in the final eight. New Zealand, Australia, and Wales went through from Pool A. While in Pool B, Canada qualified as group winners ahead of Italy, with third place USA also qualifying. Finally in Pool C, it was just England and France who went through to the final stages.
Strap yourselves in, the #RWC2021 quarter-finals are going to be 🔥 pic.twitter.com/diXE61K3DU
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 23, 2022
This is now the business end of the competition, and there’s no more second chances.
2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup Betting
So far, there’s been no major shocks. There were only really three teams in with a chance of winning the competition when it started, and that’s not changed.
Neither has the odds with the top rugby betting sites. England started the competition at -200 favorites, the Red Roses are now -250. As for the hosts New Zealand, they were +200, and are now +250. While making up the trio is France. They started the competition at +1000, and are now at +1200.
Next is Canada at +4000, and after that, you can virtually name your price. The latest odds can be found below. They are provided by Bovada, who you can read more about here in our Bovada sportsbook review.
| 2021 Women's Rugby World Cup Winner Betting |  |
| England | -250 |
| New Zealand | +250 |
| France | +1200 |
| Canada | +4000 |
| Australia | +20000 |
| USA | +40000 |
| Wales | +50000 |
| Italy | +50000 |
Now let’s take a look at the four quarter finals and name our Rugby Union betting picks.
France Women v Italy Women
The French finished second to England in Pool C, winning two of their three matches. Italy were second in Pool B, finishing behind Canada with two wins from three matches.
- Competition; 2021 Women’s Rugby Union World Cup
- Match; France Women v Italy Women
- Where; Whangarei, New Zealand
- When; Friday, October 28th, 2022
- Time; 11.30 pm ET
In the betting it’s no surprise to see France giving away a huge 25.5 points on the handicap. Italy’s two wins were comfortable enough, but didn’t give any indication that they were going to upset anybody.
Wins of 22-10 over the USA, and 21-8 over Japan, won’t have the French running scared. For their part, France’s two victories were 40-5 over South Africa, and 44-0 over Fiji.
I can see France winning this by 25 to 35 points and I am happy to make a win for France on the handicap, my first betting pick.
New Zealand Women v Wales Women
The Black Ferns are the second favorites to win the competition, and they face Wales, one of the two teams to qualify for the quarter-finals as the best third place finishers.
New Zealand topped Pool A with three wins from three, including a 56-12 win over Wales. The Welsh team only managed one win, a tight 18-15 win over Scotland.
- Competition; 2021 Women’s Rugby Union World Cup
- Match; New Zealand Women v Wales Women
- Where; Whangarei, New Zealand
- When; Saturday, October 29th, 2022
- Time; 2.30 am ET
The handicap in this match is set at 43.5, as close to the difference in score between the two sides in the Pool stages as you can get. At this stage of the competition, I expect New Zealand to be moving up through the gears, therefore I’m expecting them to beat Wales and beat the handicap.
England Women v Australia Women
The Red Roses are the team to beat at this World Cup, and as expected, they came through Pool C with three wins from three. The Aussie women qualified by finishing second in Pool A, losing to New Zealand, but beating Scotland 14-12, and Wales 13-7.
- Competition; 2021 Women’s Rugby Union World Cup
- Match; England Women v Australia Women
- Where; Waitakere Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand
- When; Saturday, October 29th, 2022
- Time; 8.30 pm ET
The wins for Australia were quite telling, they struggled in both matches. England regularly trounce Scotland and Wales, and that’s why – with a handicap spread set at 37.5 – I’m taking England to beat Australia on the handicap for my betting pick.
Canada Women v USA Women
The USA were the other third place finishing team to qualify for the quarter-finals. The Americans finished with two points from one win in Pool B. The win was 30-17 over Japan. The defeats came at the hands of Italy (22-10), and Canada (29-14).
As for Canada, they topped Pool B with three wins from three matches. As well as beating the United States, they also defeated Italy 22-12, and Japan 41-5.
- Competition; 2021 Women’s Rugby Union World Cup
- Match; Canada Women v USA Women
- Where; Waitakere Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand
- When; Saturday, October 29th, 2022
- Time; 11.30 pm ET
This is the closest match on the handicap (14.5 points), and probably the most likely to have any realistic chance of an upset. I don’t really see the USA winning though, and I’m also expecting Canada to win this match more comfortably than they did in the first meeting between the two sides.
Therefore I’m also expecting to see the Canadians beat the handicap spread, and make that my final betting pick.
