We take a look at the latest in the key markets for the Rugby World Cup.
The 2019 Rugby World Cup kicks off on Friday with hosts Japan taking on Russia. We’ve taken a look at some of the key markets.
Find out the best odds and who punters have been backing ahead of Friday’s curtain-raiser at Tokyo Stadium.
Defending champions New Zealand are 6/4 favourites to win the tournament, as short as 5/4 in places. Meanwhile, South Africa and England are battling it out for the second spot in the market, both at a best price of 9/2.
Punters are siding with the Springboks at the moment. They’ve accrued 19% of bets in the past week, making them the most backed to win the World Cup. Wales (12/1) are the second most popular with punters with 17% of bets.
The pool results will of course be key to the final outcome of the tournament. New Zealand and South Africa are both in Pool B, meaning the early results could be telling.
A South Africa v New Zealand final tops this market at 11/4. 34% of bettors in the last week think these two will battle it out on November 2nd. That outcome is way ahead of New Zealand v Ireland at 8/1. Another getting attention from punters is England v South Africa (12/1) with 15% of best in the last week.
It’s close at the top of this market, which can be a lottery, but it’s the All Blacks that dominate again. Wings Rieko Ioane (9/1) and Sevu Reece (10/1) top the pre-tournament top tryscorer market. Irishman Jacob Stockdale (12/1) and England’s explosive Jonny May (14/1) follow the New Zealand pair.
The most backed in the market isn’t in the bookies’ top four, however. The popularity of South Africa in the outright market carries over into this one too. Star winger Cheslin Kolbe (14/1) is the most backed this week with 30% of bets.
It’s the battle of the fly-halfs in this market and England’s Owen Farrell (4/1) leads the way with the bookies. South Africa’s Handre Pollard (9/2) was second in the scoring charts in the 2015 World Cup and his side are fancied to go far this time round. He’s the most backed in the past week, with 50% of bets on the market.
