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Rugby World Cup 2023 betting

Held every four years from 1987 onwards, the Rugby World Cup is the official international championship of rugby union football. The tournament has grown with every staging since union footy went professional in 1995 and now ranks among the highlight events on the sporting calendar. This is your one-stop shop for Rugby World Cup betting, covering everything from the latest outright odds to the best RWC betting sites.


Best bookmakers for Rugby World Cup odds

United States Rugby World Cup Bookies

Rugby World Cup Bookies

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How to bet on the Rugby World Cup

Rugby World Cup bookies offer dozens of different ways to have a bet on the tournament. The best RWC betting sites have hundred of options for each game, including:

  • Match winner
  • Match handicap
  • Winning margin
  • Over/under lines
  • First half result
  • Second half result
  • First tryscorer
  • Anytime tryscorer

You can also bet on a team’s or a player’s performance through the Rugby World Cup. Popular RWC futures markets include:

  • Outright winner
  • Name the finalists
  • To reach semi-finals
  • Pool winners
  • Winning continent
  • Winning hemisphere
  • Top tournament tryscorer
  • Top team tryscorer

See our dedicated rugby union betting page for more details on bet types and how they work.


Best Rugby World Cup betting sites

There are dozens of Rugby World Cup sportsbooks out there, but which ones are right for you? Below are our top RWC betting sites for gamblers in United States.

What makes these guys better than the rest? They tick each of the following boxes:

  • Licensed and regulated online bookmaker
  • 128-bit or better SSL digital encryption
  • Secure deposit and withdrawal options
  • Dedicated customer support system
  • Optimised for desktop, tablet and mobile
  • Competitive odds and wide-ranging markets

Many of these trusted online bookies also run exclusive Rugby World Cup promotions and RWC betting specials, so we suggest signing up to all of them to ensure you get the best value every time you bet.


Rugby World Cup results and records

  • The ninth edition of the Rugby Union World Cup kicks off on September 20, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. It is the first time the RWC has ventured to Asia and only the second time it has gone beyond Europe or Oceania, after the 1995 South Africa tournament.

    RWC 2019 features 20 teams divided into four pools of five. Teams will play each other once in a single round-robin, with four points awarded for a win and two for a draw. Teams are also awarded a bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match, and for losing a match by fewer than eight points.

    Pool A Ireland, Scotland, Japan, Russia, Samoa
    Pool B New Zealand, South Africa, Italy, Namibia, Canada
    Pool C England, France, Argentina, United States, Tonga
    Pool D Australia, Wales, Georgia, Fiji, Uruguay

    The top three teams from each pool will earn automatic qualification for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, but only the top two will advance to this year’s quarter-finals. The 2019 Rugby World Cup final is scheduled for Saturday, November 2 at International Stadium Yokohama.

  • Prior to 1987 there was no unified international title for rugby union. England, France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales competed in the Five Nations Championship each year, while Australia and New Zealand played for the Bledisloe Cup. Emerging nations such as Argentina, Italy and Japan were largely ignored, leading to stagnation.

    The idea of a world championship dates back to the 1950s, but it was not until the 1980s that the movement won majority support from rugby unions around the world. Australia and New Zealand co-hosted the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987, having led the push for the tournament’s creation. The All Blacks took out the maiden title, defeating France 29-9 in the final at Eden Park, Auckland.

    After Australia beat England to win the 1991 tournament, two significant events took place. In 1992, South Africa returned to international rugby after the fall of the apartheid regime; and three years later, the Rainbow Nation hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The Springboks were underdogs after so long in the wilderness, yet they beat Australia, France and New Zealand en route to the title. The image of Nelson Mandela handing the Webb Ellis Cup to South Africa skipper Francois Pienaar has become synonymous with the racial reconciliation movement.

    Australia won their second title in 1999 and were among the favourites to win it again in 2003 as the host nation. The Wallabies looked the goods after beating New Zealand in the semi-finals, but England had other ideas. A packed house in Sydney watched on in shock as Jonny Wilkinson slotted a decisive drop goal in the dying seconds of extra time as the Brits became the first Northern Hemisphere team to win the Rugby World Cup.

    The 2007 event in France was a year of upsets, with neither Australia nor New Zealand reaching the final four – the first and only time that has ever happened. South Africa defeated England in the final to claimed their second title, while Argentina became the first South American team to finish in the top four.

    The tournament returned to New Zealand in 2011, when Richie McCaw and the All Blacks edged out France in a hard-fought final. With that result, the French became the first side to lose three RWC finals. NZ backed it up in 2015, becoming the first back-to-back winners, and will look to make it three in a row when they head to Japan in 2019.

  • Australia & New Zealand 1987
    Winner New Zealand
    Runner-up France
    Third place Wales
    Fourth place Australia
    Europe 1991
    Winner Australia
    Runner-up England
    Third place New Zealand
    Fourth place Scotland
    South Africa 1995
    Winner South Africa
    Runner-up New Zealand
    Third place France
    Fourth place England
    Wales 1999
    Winner Australia
    Runner-up France
    Third place South Africa
    Fourth place New Zealand
    Australia 2003
    Winner England
    Runner-up Australia
    Third place New Zealand
    Fourth place France
    France 2007
    Winner South Africa
    Runner-up England
    Third place Argentina
    Fourth place France
    New Zealand 2011
    Winner New Zealand
    Runner-up France
    Third place Australia
    Fourth place Wales
    England 2015
    Winner New Zealand
    Runner-up Australia
    Third place South Africa
    Fourth place Argentina
    Japan 2019
    Winner South Africa
    Runner-up England
    Third place New Zealand
    Fourth place Wales

    • Most titles: 3 – New Zealand (1987, 2011, 2015)
    • Most final appearances: 4 – Australia (1991, 1999, 2003, 2015), New Zealand (1987, 1995, 2011, 2015)
    • Most runner-up finishes: 3 – France (1987, 1999, 2011)
    • Most points in a match: 145 – New Zealand vs Japan (1995)
    • Biggest winning margin: 142-0 – Australia vs Namibia (2003)

    • Most appearances: 22 – Jason Leonard, Richie McCaw
    • Most points: 277 – Jonny Wilkinson
    • Most tries: 15 – Jonah Lomu, Bryan Habana
    • Most points in a match: 45 – Simon Culhane (NZ vs Japan, 1995)
    • Most tries in a match: 6 – Marc Ellis (NZ vs Japan, 1995)
    • Most points in a tournament: 126 – Grant Fox (1987)
    • Most tries in a tournament: 8 – Jonah Lomu (1995), Bryan Habana (2007), Julian Savea (2015)


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