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The Rugby World Cup is held every four years and pits the best rugby union nations in the world, as well as a bunch of cannon-fodder countries, against one another in the quest to lift the Webb Ellis Cup. Rugby world cup betting is always a major event and usually involves punters putting their life savings on New Zealand to win the tournament, only to find that they owe the bookies everything after the All Blacks choke.
The Rugby World Cup will be played in 2011 and once again New Zealand, who host the event this time around, are prohibitive odds-on favourites to win. The defending champions from the memorable 2007 world cup held in England are South Africa, who have won two of the four RWC tournaments that they have contested. The Springboks beat England in the final, dethroning the 2003 champions who remain the only Northern Hemisphere country to win.
New Zealand have only won the tournament once, when it was launched in 1987, despite always heading the rugby world cup betting for overall winner. Some purists might argue that this win doesn't count because South Africa didn't even participate back then. Australia have also won the RWC twice, and along with England, South Africa, and New Zealand these are the only countries that can claim to have been world champions. France have fared admirably by reaching two finals, and can also count themselves unlucky not to get there in 1995 when South Africa were gifted the semi-final win against them.
Rugby World Cup betting consists of many markets not just on which team will win. You can also bet on leading points-scorer, leading try scorer, which teams will win their respective groups, and of course loads of betting markets on each game.
Every online bookmaker that caters to a worldwide audience will offer betting markets on the upcoming Rugby World Cup. With 20 teams participating there will be loads of good bets on tap and we advise you to check back regularly for our latest news and recommended wagers.
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