Sports / Rugby
2019 Rugby World Cup
11 Feb 2019 at 03:52hrs | Views
Another World Cup year has finally arrived in the Rugby World as Japan
get set to host the ninth edition of the competition. It is set to take
place between September 20th and finishing on the 2nd of November, in
what is going to be a fantastic occasion. This will be the first time
the tournament has taken place in Asia, so they will be looking to put
on a show. Punters have already started looking at the best offers
available on bettingsites.ng
ahead of the tournament latter this year. So who are the key contenders
for the tournament that kicks off in around seven months' time?
New Zealand
The current world number one side New Zealand will head into the competition as the strong favourites and can be supported at a general 6/5. The All Blacks are of course the current two time defending champions having won the tournament in both 2011 and 2015, as they continue to dominate the world stage. They have three titles in their history and again are heading in with a squad full of star names. At the previous tournament back in 2015 they faced off against rivals Australia in the final, in which they won the game by 34 points to 17. New Zealand will be expected to follow up and become the first side to win the competition three times in a row.
Ireland
Ireland have been one of the inform rising sides in the sport for the last few years. This has seen them push through as the number two ranked side in World Rugby, so are likely set to be the key challenge to the outstanding New Zealand outfit. They are another squad full of some of the leading players in the sport and were a general 3/1 for the tournament. However following the recent heavy defeat to rivals England at the six nations, this has seen them now drift to a general 4/1 in the betting markets. This now seems a solid price for a side with the record Ireland have, so the question will be if they can regain the winning thread in the tournament. Ireland have only reached the quarter final at both of the previous World Cups, but with possibly the strongest squad to date, they will be expecting to surpass this in Japan later this year.
England
The current world number four ranked side is England, and following their impressive victory over Ireland, this has seen them now push to the general third favourites for the upcoming World Cup. This was a victory that sees them really coming into form in a world cup year, which is very exciting for England fans. Could this squad go on to emulate the 2003 success and win the competition for just the second time in England's history? England could just be the surprise packages for the tournament in Japan, as prior to the Ireland victory, not many would of put them as potential winners. This means they still remain betting favourites over the likes of Australia and South Africa, who are also set to be major dangers to the leading protagonists.
After a big start to the #SixNations, worth reminding you it's 7 MONTHS AND 18 DAYS until #RWC2019
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) February 3, 2019
That is all. pic.twitter.com/SwGStJSl8O
New Zealand
The current world number one side New Zealand will head into the competition as the strong favourites and can be supported at a general 6/5. The All Blacks are of course the current two time defending champions having won the tournament in both 2011 and 2015, as they continue to dominate the world stage. They have three titles in their history and again are heading in with a squad full of star names. At the previous tournament back in 2015 they faced off against rivals Australia in the final, in which they won the game by 34 points to 17. New Zealand will be expected to follow up and become the first side to win the competition three times in a row.
Ireland have been one of the inform rising sides in the sport for the last few years. This has seen them push through as the number two ranked side in World Rugby, so are likely set to be the key challenge to the outstanding New Zealand outfit. They are another squad full of some of the leading players in the sport and were a general 3/1 for the tournament. However following the recent heavy defeat to rivals England at the six nations, this has seen them now drift to a general 4/1 in the betting markets. This now seems a solid price for a side with the record Ireland have, so the question will be if they can regain the winning thread in the tournament. Ireland have only reached the quarter final at both of the previous World Cups, but with possibly the strongest squad to date, they will be expecting to surpass this in Japan later this year.
England
The current world number four ranked side is England, and following their impressive victory over Ireland, this has seen them now push to the general third favourites for the upcoming World Cup. This was a victory that sees them really coming into form in a world cup year, which is very exciting for England fans. Could this squad go on to emulate the 2003 success and win the competition for just the second time in England's history? England could just be the surprise packages for the tournament in Japan, as prior to the Ireland victory, not many would of put them as potential winners. This means they still remain betting favourites over the likes of Australia and South Africa, who are also set to be major dangers to the leading protagonists.
Source - Byo24News
