Rugby World Cup Tips: Predictions & Betting Odds For England vs Argentina
England vs Argentina Predictions:
- England To Win By 11-15 Points - 5/1 With Ladbrokes
- Half-Time/Full-Time Argentina/England - 11/2 With 888sport
- Argentina To Score The First Try - 11/8 With William Hill
It may not be the most anticipated game in the tournament this weekend, but UK betting sites are nevertheless intrigued by the bronze final between England and Argentina at the Rugby World Cup (RWC) on Friday evening.
A third place play-off between last weekend’s beaten semi-finalists, this game sees these two teams locking horns for the second time in France at the RWC.
Back on September 9 - at the very beginning of the tournament - the English and the Pumas faced each other in a Pool D encounter at Stade Velodrome in Marseille and they have to do it all again on Friday.
England Held The Edge In Their Pool Stage Meeting With Argentina
Setting a tempo that was to be maintained right up to the penultimate rounds, England relied heavily on the dead-ball prowess of their chosen fly-half.
While it was Owen Farrell who had place-kick duties for their agonising defeat to South Africa last Saturday, George Ford occupied the number 10 shirt in the absence of the suspended English skipper.
He proceeded to register all 27 of his side’s tally off the boot - six penalties and three drop-goals - as England enjoyed an encouraging start to their World Cup campaign.
Argentina bounced back from that disappointing reversal to make it all the way into the last-four, but they met a resurgent New Zealand at that stage and promptly saw their bid for the Webb Ellis Cup ending in a heavy 44-6 defeat to the All Blacks.
Because of how different their semi-final games turned out to be, England are strong favourites to secure third spot in the tournament with most UK bookmakers rating them at 1/3.
In contrast, the majority of the best betting sites for rugby union are offering odds of 5/2 on the Argentines coming out on top at Stade de France.
Could Be Closer Than Previous Meeting Of Both Sides
With that in mind, rather than looking at it from this vantage point, it is more interesting to look elsewhere for tips on this particular contest.
In that pool stage clash at the beginning of last month, England ultimately had 17 points to spare (27-10) over their South American rivals.
The odds on Steve Borthwick’s men to once again triumph on a margin of between 16 and 20 points currently ranges from 11/2 to 7/1 with betting apps.
However, Argentina will be looking for a strong response to both that game and their semi-final humbling to New Zealand and will believe they are capable of running England closer on this occasion.
Therefore, the 5/1 being offered by Ladbrokes for the 2003 world champions to win by somewhere in the region of 11 to 15 points appears rather enticing.
Though the odds would suggest that England are expected to be in the ascendancy right the way through this fixture, it may not necessarily be the case.
In their final pool game against Samoa a little under three weeks ago, the English trailed 14-8 at the break before eventually turning things around to win by a single point (18-17).
Argentina Capable Of Having Strong Spells Against England
Despite how it turned out in the end, Argentina were only six points behind to the All Blacks last Friday with 35 minutes gone on the clock - a clear indication of how much a game can evolve over time.
Given this encounter mightn’t be played with the same ferocity as the other knockout fixtures, the lead could potentially change hands as it develops.
As it stands, there are odds of 11/2 with 888sport on Argentina to lead at half-time only for England to turn them over 40 minutes later.
Tip: Half-Time/Full-Time Argentina/England - 11/2 With 888sport
Argentines Will Look To Draw First Blood
At odds of 8/15, England are the clear favourites to score the game’s first try.
That said, Argentina have scored 17 tries over the course of the tournament and are more than capable of being the first side to cross the whitewash in this bronze showpiece.
William Hill are offering 11/8 on this happening and the Pumas attack could well be worth getting behind for this clash.
Tip: Argentina To Score The First Try - 11/8 With William Hill
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