Rugby World Cup betting preview: Tournament predictions, tips & best odds

Rugby World Cup betting tips:

• France to win the World Cup – 7/2 with Betway
• Will Jordan top tryscorer – 8/1 with Unibet
• England to reach the semi-finals – 4/6 with bet365

New Zealand, France, South Africa and Ireland are among the elite teams that will vie for glory at the Rugby World Cup this autumn.

The All Blacks boast a star-studded squad featuring the likes of Ardie Savea, Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barret, so they are the narrow favourites in the latest Rugby World Cup odds.

However, they could face fierce competition from South Africa, who are the reigning champions after beating England in the 2019 final.

Meanwhile, France will benefit from home advantage at this tournament, while the Irish will be full of belief after beating Les Bleus to the Six Nations title earlier this year.

Dark horses include England, Australia and Argentina, so it promises to be a fascinating tournament, filled with excitement, drama and intrigue.

Read on to learn more about the leading contenders and discover the reasoning behind our best Rugby World Cup betting tips.

Back France to seize glory on home soil 

There is currently a vast gulf in quality between the world’s top four teams and the chasing pack.

Ireland have stormed to the top of the world rankings after clinching a famous Grand Slam at the Six Nations in March.

They beat Italy, England and Samoa last month, extending their winning streak to 14 matches, so they will be surging with confidence.

South Africa are second in the rankings after winning five of their last six matches and they are fresh from inflicting a record defeat upon the All Blacks.

New Zealand have had a tumultuous 12 months but they still have a wealth of world-class talent within their ranks, so they will be dangerous at this tournament.

France are third in the rankings, sandwiched in between the Springboks and New Zealand, after winning 18 of their last 20 matches.

Unfortunately, these four teams find themselves on a quarter-final collision course, so only two of them will reach the semi-finals.

France and New Zealand have landed in Pool A at this tournament, while Ireland and South Africa are in Pool B.

The winner of Pool A will take on the runner-up of Pool B in the quarter-finals and the runner-up of Pool A will face the winner of Pool B.

It will be a shame to see two brilliant teams crash out early, but we should be in for some thrilling clashes in the last eight.

They are likely to be very tight affairs but home advantage could swing things in France’s favour.

Les Bleus have won their last 14 matches on French soil, a run stretching all the way back to March 2021.

They are fresh from thrashing Australia 41-17 in Paris last month, with Antoine Dupont, Matthieu Jalibert and Thomas Ramos expertly pulling the strings.

Dupont is now arguably the world’s best player, while try machine Damian Penaud is an expert finisher and the bookmakers have set odds of 7/2 on France winning the World Cup, which is a bet we’re willing to take on. 

Many betting sites will also give you a third of the odds if you go each-way and they finish runners-up, which is a solid option if you would prefer a more cautious approach.

Will Jordan can continue his hot streak

According to rugby betting sites, Penaud is the favourite to finish this tournament as the top try scorer after he played a starring role at the last two Six Nations Championships.

He was the joint-top tryscorer as France lifted the trophy in 2022 and he scored five tries earlier this year as Les Bleus finished second to Ireland.

Penaud’s record of 26 tries in 46 games is very impressive and he should have plenty of opportunities to add to that tally against the likes of Italy, Uruguay and Namibia in Pool A.

However, All Blacks superstar Jordan boasts an even more impressive ratio of 22 tries in 22 appearances for his country.

He is starting to be mentioned in the same breath as legends like Jonah Lomu and Doug Howlett and he could live up to that billing in France this autumn.

Jordan should run riot against Italy, Uruguay and Namibia, while he will be able to add to his try haul if the All Blacks go deep into the tournament, as is widely expected. 

England have a clear route to the semi-finals

England have endured a very difficult year and they could be low on confidence after losing five of their last six matches.

However, they do have a very clear route to the semi-finals of this tournament, as they will avoid Ireland, South Africa, France and New Zealand in the quarter-finals.

They are the narrow favourites to finish ahead of Argentina at the top of Pool D and they should be able to pull it off.

Key players are missing for their opener against the Pumas but England have nevertheless won 10 of their last 11 matches against Argentina.

If they win the group, they will face the runner-up of Pool C in the quarter-finals. That is likely to be Wales, a team in even greater disarray than England, and Steve Borthwick’s men should prevail.

Even if they finish second in Pool D, they would face a winnable showdown with the victor of Pool C – which is expected to be Australia – so we’re backing odds of 4/6 on England reaching the semi-finals.

Get free bets on the Rugby World Cup

Most new betting sites have sign-up offers which can be taken advantage of if you’re already planning to bet on the Rugby World Cup. 

For example, Monster Casino now have a sportsbook offering and new UK customers can get a £30 free bet when they deposit and stake £10. 

Recommended new bookmakers

Both BetUK and Kwiff are relatively new to the industry too and have similar ‘Bet £10, get £30’ free bet offers which can be utilised on the Rugby World Cup. 

All our recommended bookies are fully licensed in the UK but don’t forget to read the terms and conditions and please gamble responsibly.