With the Six Nations having passed us by, the next thing to look forward to is the biggest Rugby event of them all.
Rugby World Cup 2019 is being held in Japan from the 20th September to the 2nd November, with over 20 nations competing. New Zealand are the reigning world champions, having won in 2011 and then defending the title with a second consecutive win in 2015. Can they pull off a third win this year, or will we see them knocked off the top spot?
Rugby World Cup 2019
Top Contenders
The two top contenders for pundits in the past few months have been either Ireland or (you
guessed it) New Zealand. New Zealand has been drawn in the same Pool as South Africa this year and while New Zealand are still widely held to be the favourite to win, South Africa are considered the only team in the pool capable of pulling off an upset and taking down the All Blacks.
The Irish have yet to reach the Semifinals, never mind winning a World Cup, but despite a
rocky start in 2019, they had a strong year in 2018, having taken a Grand Slam victory at the Six Nations as well managing to beat the All-Blacks for the first time on home soil. It’s hard to say with their current showing but they may be in good standing to take the throne this year. Ahead of their Six Nations final match against Ireland, Welsh forwards coach Robin McBryde even admitted they were probably facing the best side in the world. Now that being said, Wales did go on to beat Ireland in the final of the Six Nations and win a grand slam.
After this victory, Wales are now considered among the genuine contenders for the Cup. It’s hard to say whether they will manage it but you will at least have the option of consulting reviews and bonus offers from bookmakers before placing your bets.
Toughest Pool?
Pool C is set to be the toughest of the groupings in this years tournament, with England, France and Argentina all vying for the quarter-finals. All three teams are at peak level but England is currently the favourite behind Ireland and New Zealand for the Cup, so we may at least see them come out on top of the pool.
Rugby World Cup 2019 is still anyone’s game, but the definite favourites are Ireland or New Zealand. So what do you think? Will we see a home nations victory this year or will the All Blacks continue to dominate in world rugby?
