Steve Starr
- France (-150) is favored to win Pool A on their home field over the All Blacks from New Zealand (+110)
- Both Ireland and South Africa have EVEN odds to claim first place in Pool B
- Rugby World Cup 2023 will take place in France from September 8 to October 28
The 2023 Rugby World Cup is under six months away with the hosts from France slight favorites to win the global tournament for the first time in its history. South Africa and New Zealand have split the past four events with two championships a piece. And Ireland is riding high after winning the recent Six Nations Grand Slam.
Today, we’ll look at the opening odds to win each of the four World Cup pools and make our picks. Here’s also where you can check out the top Rugby Betting Sites in 2023 and stay up to date with the latest betting tips on the 2023 Rugby Union World Cup.
2023 Rugby World Cup – Pool A
| Pool A Winner |  |
| France | -150 |
| New Zealand | +110 |
| Italy | +5000 |
| Namibia | +100000 |
| Uruguay | +100000 |
France favored to defend home field
The pools for the 2023 Rugby World Cup were drawn way back in the year 2020. Each country will play the other four teams in their pool once with the winner and runner-up advancing to the knock-out quarterfinals stage. France (-150) is the favorite in Pool A over New Zealand (+110) while Italy (+5000), Namibia (+100000) and Uruguay (+100000) are facing long odds to advance.
Les Bleus have defeated England, Scotland, Italy and Wales over the past six weeks, but fell to Ireland 32-19 in the Six Nations championship final in Dublin. It was France’s first loss since the summer of 2021. They’ll open the tournament against the All Blacks on Sept. 8. The French won their most recent Test versus NZ 40-25 in Nov. 2021 on their home field, however, the Kiwis are 48-13 all-time and 5-2 in World Cup matches vs France.
Hopelessly lopsided World Cup draw raises questions for World Rugby https://t.co/xwBbi2CG0Q
— The Irish Times (@IrishTimes) March 24, 2023
2023 Rugby World Cup – Pool B
| Pool B Winner | |
| Ireland | EVEN |
| South Africa | EVEN |
| Scotland | +1000 |
| Tonga | +8000 |
| Romania | +100000 |
Ireland & South Africa in tough draw
Coming off their fourth-ever Six Nations Grand Slam, Ireland (+100) faces an uphill battle to win their first Rugby World Cup. Because of the ridiculous World Cup draw, they have to advance past South Africa and Scotland in Pool B before taking on New Zealand or France in the quarterfinals. The Irish lost in the quarters at both the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, but this looks like their best team to date.
The defending 2019 World Cup Champions from South Africa (+100) will look to join the All Blacks as only the second nation to claim back-to-back titles. The Springboks will have their hands full in their Sept. 10 opener against Scotland (+1000). Scotland defeated England, Wales and Italy at the Six Nations and kept it close against France and Ireland.
2023 Rugby World Cup – Pool C
| Pool C Winner | |
| Australia | -165 |
| Wales | +135 |
| Fiji | +2200 |
| Georgia | +3300 |
| Portugal | +15000 |
Australia & Wales have an easy ride
Australia (-165) and Wales (+135) are two of the biggest beneficiaries of the lopsided World Cup draw with Fiji (+2200), Georgia (+3300) or Portugal (+15000) unlikely to provide much resistance in Pool C. The Wallabies won the event in 1991 and 1999 and made a quarterfinals exit back in 2009. Meanwhile, Wales has never climbed the mountaintop in international competition, but did finish fourth in 2019.
In their last matchup against each other in November 2022, the Aussies came back from 21 points down to defeat Wales 39-34. However, Wales squeaked out a 29-28 victory the previous year so these two clubs are tightly matched.
Wallabies coach Eddie Jones cagey on reports of $1.6m bid to lure back NRL star Joseph Suaalii https://t.co/xWJIMjj2ab
— Guardian Australia (@GuardianAus) March 24, 2023
2023 Rugby World Cup – Pool D
| Pool A Winner | |
| England | -335 |
| Argentina | +250 |
| Japan | +2200 |
| Samoa | +100000 |
| Chile | +100000 |
Can Argentina knock off England?
While England (-335) should cruise in a soft Pool D, they have not been impressive of late. Not only did the Lions lose to Ireland (29-16) and Scotland (29-23) in Six Nations play, they were embarrassed 53-10 by France. If England fails to improve under new coach Steve Borthwick, don’t be surprised if Argentina (+250) claims Pool D. Back in August 2022, Los Pumas beat the All Blacks (25-18) in New Zealand for the first time ever, and they thumped Australia 48-17 in the Rugby Championships. Argentina also squeaked out a 30-29 victory versus England at Twickenham in November.
If you’re looking for a longshot, Japan (+2200) advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2019 Rugby World Cup while hosting the tournament.
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
