The Rugby World Cup is perhaps the most prestigious rugby tournament on the planet. Every rugby player aspires to take the field and represent their country on the highest stage and hoist the William Webb Ellis Cup. It is part of the rugby union circuit that takes place only once every 4 years. The southern hemisphere teams seem to have an advantage and generally perform better than most in this world tournament. As such, punters tend to have success with betting lines that ask them to back teams such as New Zealand and England, to name two, to get well past the pool stage and into the knockout rounds with a decent chance of winning the championship.
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Rugby World Cup 2025 Favourites
Speculation has it that England will win the Rugby World Cup, despite being odds-on favorites at 5/1, behind only hosts France and reigning champions New Zealand. Observers say that these odds suggest that the experts see England as one of the top three contenders for the title. Either way, the thought of England winning the World Cup is certainly an intriguing prospect.
Scotland is the frontrunner for the upcoming Rugby World Cup, but they are being closely challenged by England, France and Ireland, all of whom are serious contenders for the coveted title. Why does this matter? These four nations bring a rich heritage to the sport, making the World Cup an event to watch.
The most popular bookmakers now have England at 5/1 to win the 2025 Rugby World Cup. This recent shift in sentiment is quite remarkable.

IRB Rugby World Cup Pools
Below is a list of the 20 international rugby teams that will be competing at the 2025 IRB Rugby World Cup in Japan:
1. Pool A | 2. Pool B | 3. Pool C | 4. Pool D |
New Zealand | South Africa | Wales | England |
France | Ireland | Australia | Japan |
Italy | Scotland | Fiji | Argentina |
Uruguay | Tonga | Georgia | Samoa |
Namibia | Romania | Portugal | Chile |
Frequently asked questions about betting on rugby union
If you want to bet on the Rugby World Cup, there are plenty of good options. You can place a bet on just about any game in the tournament, but there are also some other interesting markets to consider. These include tournament long bets, such as who will score the most tries, as well as betting on individual games that happen to be very closely matched.
Rugby World Cup odds tend to be plentiful and varied. While you can always find the usual bets - such as total points, match winner and double result betting - online bookmakers also offer a number of fascinating rugby union bets for you to place. And because it's a relatively niche sport compared to the likes of football or basketball, bookmakers tend to get creative with the types of betting markets they put together.
Want to make watching the Rugby World Cup even more exciting? Then try betting on the results! You can put your money on who you think will come out on top. And while you can rarely bet on the game ending in a dead heat, if you do your homework and check the form and team news of both sides, you should be able to come up with a reasonable pick.
Betting on the Rugby World Cup can be a little daunting. Of the various options to choose from, handicap betting stands out as a top contender. It serves to level the playing field, so to speak, by giving one team an advantage - let's say 9 points, which translates into 0 tries, 1 conversion and 2 penalty goals with some time left on the clock before half-time - while we're at it. Hooray for competition! And for the prospect of some nail-biting entertainment when this circus comes to town on September 8th.
If you want a unique bet for this year's Rugby World Cup, consider this: Place a bet on whether a particular player will score a try in a particular match. This market allows you to not only guess at key moments in the game (early or late) when a particular player might do what he does best (and what a lot of players, including the All Blacks, seem to do best), but also to watch live with your heart in your throat as you pray for a particular player to plunge over the try line.
If you want to bet on Rugby World Cup matches, your best bet is in-running betting. This type of live betting focuses on the action taking place in the match, with odds fluctuating based on specific events in the game. One of the most popular in-running bets is predicting how the next point will be scored; will it be a drop goal, a penalty or a try?
2023 Rugby World Cup Betting Tips
Betting on the Rugby World Cup is no easy task. To improve my chances of winning, I use betting tips and strategies specifically for this event. Even with a good framework for making betting decisions, there's still a good amount of luck needed to come out on top in the end. This is a recent post on my blog about betting on the Rugby World Cup. Knowledge is power: Rugby World Cup betting tips and strategies. When it comes to the Rugby World Cup, betting can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. On the one hand, you could simply place a bet on which team will be crowned champion.
The Rugby World Cup is a huge global event, and people all over the world love to bet on their favorite players and teams. It is a staggering number of us, all 30 million of us in the US and beyond, who wager more than $150 billion every year on all kinds of events. But we don't all win, and that's largely by design.
Here’s a list of rugby betting tips you can use from our expert tipsters:
- Make sure you follow each game and all games closely. This will ensure that your decisions are as informed as possible. This will help you make timely adjustments to your lineup in response to changes within the team, such as injuries or suspensions.
- When you look at the Rugby Cup odds for 2025, you probably get a very obvious impression of the difference in quality. They are nowhere near equal. To truly understand how certain teams stack up against the others, punters are better off looking at the IRB Men's Rankings.
- Although historically teams that host the World Cup tend to do well, Japan probably has the worst odds of any host nation in recent memory. This means that online sportsbooks do not see the Japanese national team going very far in this tournament.
Rugby World Cup Winners List
Year | Host Nation | Winner | Runners-Up |
2019 | Japan | South Africa | England |
2015 | England | New Zealand | Australia |
2011 | New Zealand | New Zealand | France |
2007 | France | South Africa | England |
2003 | Australia | England | Australia |
1999 | Wales | Australia | France |
1995 | South Africa | South Africa | New Zealand |
1991 | Europe | Australia | England |
1987 | Australia & New Zealand | New Zealand | France |