Rugby World Cup 2023

The 2023 Rugby World Cup will be the 10^th edition of the men’s Rugby World Cup. The competition takes place every four years. France are the host nation, for the third time, with the tournament scheduled to take place from September 8 until October 28.  There will be nine venues across the country, with the opening match and final will taking place at the Stade de France, in Paris. The teams compete for the Webb Ellis trophy and the 2023 tournament will take place in the bicentenary year of the invention of the sport by William Webb Ellis.

The defending champions are South Africa, who defeated England 32–12 in the 2019 final. Chile will make its first ever appearance at the Rugby World Cup, and Portugal will return for its second appearance, after 16 years.

Rugby Union World Cup 2023 Latest Odds

While Ireland are ranked number one in the world, they are currently third favourites for the World Cup. Many pundits feel that the French, ranked second in the world, will make home advantage count. France have never won a World Cup, but they are a serious and respected rugby playing nation and they will be a difficult team to overcome on home soil. Ireland beat New Zealand in a test series in the Autumn, however the Kiwi’s, currently rated as the third best team in the world, have the World Cup pedigree and are tipped to bounce back.

England, despite their recent hammering by France have made progress under Steve Borthwick and many feel they will continue to improve. Scotland performed better than many thought in the Six Nations and their odds have come down, though SBK are giving them a very good price at 41/1. Wales had a difficult campaign but it is thought that Warren Gatland will be able to extract some more improvement from his squad over the next six months.