Rugby World Cup 2019 – Preview & Predictions
New Zealand will be chasing their third subsequent World Cup silverware as sports’ biggest event is about to begin on September 20th in Japan. The All-Blacks have been the dominant force in the last decade and they head into the tournament as the main favourites. Just less than three weeks before the start of the competition, you can back New Zealand to confirm the tag and win the trophy at 5/4 odds. Apart from the outright prediction, we will go through each of four pools (groups) sharing our thoughts on which of the other teams have the chance to enjoy a deep run in Japan.
*Pool A
Ireland and Scotland lead the field in the Pool A. The Irish team are massive favourites to win the group, while the Scots will battle hosts Japan for the second place. The likes of Samoa, and particularly Russia, are heavy underdogs and we don’t see them causing troubles to any of the aforementioned outfits.
All eyes have to be on Ireland who have enjoyed pleasant times in 2018. They have won their first Six Nations Grand Slam since 2009 (third in history) and they proved quality by picking up an impressive victory over New Zealand along the way. Speaking of their potential chances of going all the way, we have to mention the limits in the depth of their squad. This is why the Irish team usually under-performed at this particular tournament throughout history. You can, however, back Ireland to reach the semi-final at 11/10 odds as reported by rugby betting tips expert site bt4y.com.
Hosts Japan may be capable of causing an upset against Scotland and the value bet from this pool would be the Cherry Blossoms to reach the quarter-final on the home soil at sky-high 11/4 odds.
*Pool B
Back-to-back champions New Zealand will play in Pool B. They will have a single genuine challenger in the likes of South Africa there. We have to mention that the All Blacks were only defeated twice last year. One of these defeats came at the hands of Ireland, while the other was just against South Africa.
The Springboks have won this competition in 2007 (New Zealand grabbed titles in 2011 and 2015), but they’ve struggled for consistency ever since. They are capable of beating anyone on their day, but we doubt in their long-term success here in Japan. Italy should finish third, while the last two places are reserved for Canada and Namibia.
*Pool C
This is the most evenly-matched pool in the tournament and we would warmly advise you to skip any group winner picks here. England are the main favourites on paper. They do have the most quality in their ranks, but they have been so inconsistent over the last few years and we can by no means see any value in backing them to win the pool at 4/11 odds.
The English squad defeated Wales in February this year, and they have won no more than one match ever since that victory. France and Argentina clearly have what it takes to take advantage of England’s flaws and claim an upset. The lack of consistency has been the biggest issue for these two outfits as well. Either way, the value is clearly with both France and Argentina to win the pool at the expense of England. The French team are at 9/2, while the South Americans stand at 5/1 to do so.
Tonga and the United States are huge underdogs and they should determine the last place in the pool in their head to head encounter.
*Pool D
The last pool is where we have Wales and Australia as shadow favourites to go all the way. These two likes will battle it out for the top of the group, Fiji will likely be third, while we don’t give any chances to Georgia and Uruguay who are the weakest teams in the Pool D.
We are, however, pessimistic about the chances of Wales or Australia going far in Japan given their form in the last couple of years.
