Rugby World Cup Odds: Who Will Win The Webb Ellis Cup In France?

Their victory against Uruguay wasn’t as emphatic as the one that preceded it, but host nation France are still seen as World Cup favourites in the eyes of betting sites.

Seemingly neck-in-neck with New Zealand before the tournament started, Les Bleus squeezed ahead of the southern hemisphere giants after recording a 27-13 win over them at Stade de France on the opening night of the RWC (September 8). 

Damian Penaud and Melvyn Jaminet grabbed tries for the home team and with Thomas Ramos contributing 17 points off the kicking tee, Fabien Galthie’s charges laid down a significant marker in Pool A.

Next up for the French was a duel with Uruguay at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille six days later. Given Uruguay have never been higher than 14 in the world rankings (and that was all of 18 years ago), the South Americans came into this contest as clear outsiders.

Throw in the fact that it was their first outing at this World Cup and the anticipation was that it would prove to be a long evening for Los Teros. 

Yet with Galthie and his fellow coaches looking to measure their campaign to perfection, there were a whopping 13 changes to their starting line-up for this Uruguayan test.

Second String French Side Not As Sharp As First Choice Selection

Yoram Moefana, Gabien Villiere and Cameron Woki were the only survivors from their impressive defeat of the All Blacks and this led to a somewhat disjointed display from the favourites over the course of the action. 

When full-back Baltazar Amaya bagged a converted try on 53 minutes, Uruguay trailed by a single point (13-12) and were still in the frame for a shock victory.

France did ensure that the spoils were theirs courtesy of tries from Peato Mauvaka and Louise Bielle-Biarrey, but their search for a bonus point success will continue into their clash with Namibia at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille this Thursday. 

Yet their forthcoming opponents are arguably the weakest team in the pool and as long as France can beat them and Italy – who they face on October 6 – then top spot in Pool A will be secured.

France The Favourites For Webb Ellis Success

Ultimately, the New Zealand game is all that punters should be basing France on at the moment and that performance was more than enough to justify them being the favourites amongst bookmakers for the Webb Ellis Cup.

With their third game of the tournament fast approaching, as many as 13 exchange betting sites have the French at 4.0 for the World Cup. 

Home advantage can be a galvanising factor – albeit they only got as far as a semi-final when the World Cup was previously held in France in 2007 – and the majority of bookmakers believe the French will follow in England’s footsteps and become the second winners of the tournament from the northern hemisphere.

New Zealand, Ireland And South Africa All On France’s Boot Heels

Whereas France and New Zealand were inseparable when it came to determining the World Cup favourites a fortnight ago, the All Blacks are now in a three-way battle with Ireland and South Africa to see who is the most favoured after the tournament hosts.

At the time of writing, an astonishing 19 betting sites are offering the identical odds of 5.0 on either the Irish or the three-time winners from the far side of the world being the ones to claim World Cup honours at the end of October. 

Highly-regarded bookies feature in this cohort and even though Ireland are yet to progress beyond the quarter-final stage of the Rugby World Cup, their form in the past 18 months suggests they are in a good place at the moment.

Since losing to New Zealand in the first game of their summer series last year, the Irish have won 15 games on the bounce – including their 59-16 demolition of Tonga last weekend. 

Meanwhile, the All Blacks recovered from the disappointment of the France game with a facile 71-3 success at the expense of Namibia in Toulouse on September 15.

Defending world champions South Africa supplemented their 18-3 win against Scotland a week earlier with a clinical 76-0 disposal of Romania on Sunday. 

They certainly seem to possess a lot of the attributes required to claim back-to-back Webb Ellis crowns – something that their big rivals New Zealand managed to achieve in 2011 and 2015.

Bet365 - amongst a couple of others - currently head up a group of 18 bookmakers that see South Africa as a 3.75 possibility in the race for World Cup glory.

England Seen As The Most Likely Outsiders For Ultimate Success

Although they are on the same side of the draw, it is clear that the quartet of France, South Africa, Ireland and New Zealand are seen as the main contenders for the tournament.

There are some signs of encouragement for England supporters, however, as they have already gotten the better of Argentina and Japan in Pool D.

The impending return of Owen Farrell from suspension will also boost their prospects and Friday’s game against tournament newcomers Chile in Lille could see them sealing a spot in the knockout rounds. 

Still, the shortest odds on England claiming their first World Cup in 20 years is 10.0, while the longest is 13.0 with Bluebet.

Australia And Wales Are Others In Consideration Ahead Of Their Upcoming Clash

Although their chances of making the knockout rounds are uncertain as a consequence of their disappointing reversal to Fiji last weekend, Australia are still ahead of several countries in the outright betting for the World Cup. 

Ladbrokes are offering the odds of 13.0, but most bookmakers see them as a 26.0 outside bet.

Ladbrokes are also offering 21.0 on Wales, but with some betting firms stretching out as far as 40.0, the Six Nations outfit appear to be rank outsiders. 

Nevertheless, it is the Welsh that face Australia in Pool C on Sunday and a win there could see them leapfrogging the Wallabies at the very least.

Whereas Argentina are available at odds that range from 26.0 to 50.0, Scotland’s chances of World Cup glory are rated from 50.0 to 100.0. 

Fiji’s excellent win on Sunday has certainly not gone unnoticed and with a knockout spot now up for grabs, the Pacific Islanders are available at just 50.0 now.