Gbets 2023 Rugby World Cup Preview

The wait is finally over - the 2023 Rugby World Cup is here!

Hosted by France, the tournament starts this Friday, 8 September, and will end on 28 October. It promises to be one of the most competitive world cups yet, with many of the “tier 2 nations” such as Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Italy and Georgia having grown in leaps and bounds in recent years. This means that none of the “tier 1” teams can take any match lightly at this year’s tournament, and every match will be of keen interest to spectators.

The top 4 four ranked teams in the world, namely, Ireland, South Africa, France and New Zealand are considered the favourites for the tournament, but any one of Scotland, England, Australia and Argentina also pose a serious threat and could potentially lift the William Web Ellis Cup. With 48 matches set to be played, there will be so many games and so many competitive matches to bet on at www.gbets.co.za!

Here’s our preview of the tournament, with the standouts from each pool, and what could potentially occur in the knockout stages:

Pool A

France
New Zealand
Italy
Uruguay
Namibia

Fixtures

8 September 2023, 21:15 ̶ France v New Zealand, Stade de France, Saint-Denis
9 September 2023, 13:00 ̶ Italy v Namibia, Stade Geoffroy Guichard, Saint-Étienne
14 September 2023 , 21:00 ̶ France v Uruguay, Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille
15 September 2023, 21:00 ̶ New Zealand v Namibia, Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse
20 September 2023, 17:45 ̶ Italy v Uruguay, Allianz Riviera, Nice
21 September 2023, 21:00 ̶ France v Namibia, Stade Vélodrome, Marseille
27 September 2023, 17:45 ̶ Uruguay v Namibia, OL Stadium, Lyon
29 September 2023, 21:00 ̶ New Zealand v Italy, OL Stadium, Lyon
5 October 2023, 21:00 ̶ New Zealand v Uruguay, OL Stadium, Lyon
6 October 2023, 21:00 ̶ France v Italy, OL Stadium, Lyon

Preview

Hosts France and 3-time champions New Zealand will be the heavy favourites to progress from this group. The opening match of the tournament between them will be key to determining which team finishes top of the pool. Since the 2019 World Cup, France have been in a rich vein of form, with a 79% win rate and a 14-match winning streak, while the normally dominant All Blacks have experienced one of their worst periods between World Cups, with a 69% win rate, although they were unbeaten for a year from 2022 to 2023.

Guided by coach Fabien Galthie, France has built up a formidable team, with star players such as captain Antoine Dupont, Gregory Aldritt, Damian Penaud and Jonathan Danty. Despite their wavering form, the All Blacks will still be a formidable presence, with coach Ian Foster and captain Sam Cane banking on stars such as Richie Mo’unga, Ardie Savea, Shannon Frizell and Will Jordan to perform.

Italy showed improved and competitive performances in the 2023 6 Nations and also beat Australia at the end of 2022, but they are still not expected to challenge either France or New Zealand. However, both teams will still have to be wary of them. Uruguay and Namibia are not expected to progress but will hope to be competitive.

Prediction: France to top the pool, New Zealand to place 2^nd, Italy to place third.

Pool B

South Africa
Ireland
Scotland
Tonga
Romania

Fixtures

9 September 2023, 15:30 ̶ Ireland v Romania, Nouveau, Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
10 September 2023, 17:45 ̶ South Africa v Scotland, Stade Vélodrome, Marseille
16 September 2023, 21:00 ̶ Ireland v Tonga, Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes
17 September 2023, 15:00 ̶ South Africa v Romania, Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
23 September 2023, 21:00 ̶ South Africa v Ireland, Stade de France, Saint-Denis
24 September 2023, 17:45 ̶ Scotland v Tonga, Allianz Riviera, Nice
30 September 2023, 21:00 ̶ Scotland v Romania, Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille
1 October 2023, 21:00 ̶ South Africa v Tonga, Stade Vélodrome, Marseille
7 October 2023, 21:00 ̶ Ireland v Scotland, Stade de France, Saint-Denis
8 October 2023, 17:45 ̶ Tonga v Romania, Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille

Preview

This pool has rightly been named the “pool of death” in this year’s tournament, with 3 of the top 5 ranked teams in the world competing for a quarterfinal spot. Further Tonga can’t be written off and are likely to provide these teams with a stern test.

Ireland is currently ranked number 1 in the world and has been in dominant form since 2020, with an 82% win rate and a historic 2-1 series victory against the All Blacks in New Zealand. They have plenty of squad depth, and coach Andy Farrell and captain Johnny Sexton will expect the Irish to finally rise to the occasion at a World Cup, with the team having, bizarrely, never qualified for a semifinal. Helping them along the way will be star players such as James Lowe, Tadhg Furlong, Caelan Doris and Jamison Gibson-Park.

South Africa has enjoyed mixed results since lifting the trophy in Yokohama in 2019, with the COVID-19 pandemic particularly disrupting the team’s progress, as they did not play at all in 2020. They only have a 65% winning percentage since 2021, but they did win the British and Irish Lions series 2-1 and recently hammered Wales 52-16 and the All Blacks 35-7, resulting in the side rising to number 2 in the rankings.

The team therefore enters the tournament with good momentum, and coach Jaques Nienaber, Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus and inspirational captain Siya Kolisi (recently recovered from a serious knee injury) will be quietly confident of being the first Springbok team to win back-to-back titles. This ambition will be backed by star players such as Cheslin Kolbe, Eben Etzebeth, Malcolm Marx and Faf de Klerk. However, the team will miss Handre Pollard and Lukhanyo Am, two 2019 stars who didn’t make the squad due to injury.

Scotland is one of the most improved Tier 1 nations and are currently ranked 5^th in the world. Coach Gregor Townsend and captain Jamie Ritchie will enjoy the side’s underdog status and will believe that they can cause upsets over both Ireland and South Africa. Their quest will be bolstered by standout players such as Duhan van der Merwe, Finn Russell, Darcy Graham and Sione Tuipulotu.

Romania is back in the World Cup after a prolonged absence and will be hoping to put up a good performance.

Prediction: South Africa to top the pool, Ireland to place second, Scotland to place third.

Pool C

Wales
Australia
Fiji
Georgia
Portugal

Fixtures

9 September 2023, 18:00 ̶ Australia v Georgia, Stade de France, Saint-Denis
10 September 2023, 21:00 ̶ Wales v Fiji, Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
16 September 2023, 17:45 ̶ Wales v Portugal, Allianz Riviera, Nice
17 September 2023, 17:45 ̶ Australia v Fiji, Stade Geoffroy Guichard, Saint-Étienne
23 September 2023, 14:00 ̶ Georgia v Portugal, Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse
24 September 2023, 21:00 ̶ Wales v Australia, Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu
30 September 2023, 17:45 ̶ Fiji v Georgia, Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
1 October 2023, 17:45 ̶ Australia v Portugal, Stade Geoffroy Guichard, Saint-Étienne
7 October 2023 , 15:00 ̶ Wales v Georgia, Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes
8 October 2023, 21:00 ̶ Fiji v Portugal, Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse

Preview

Due to the vagaries of World Cup seeding, none of the teams in this pool is favoured to win the World Cup, yet Wales, Australia, Fiji and even Georgia can’t be written off. Both Wales and Australia have endured tumultuous times over the past year, with Warren Gatland taking over as coach of Wales in 2023, and Eddie Jones being appointed Australia coach this year after being sacked by England.

Wales has gone backwards in the last four years since making the 2019 World Cup semifinals, placing 5^th in both the 2022 and 2023 Six Nations championships. They are thus not considered serious challengers for the trophy, but opponents will still need to be wary of them. They will hope that experienced players such as Dan Biggar, Liam Williams, Dan Lydiate and captain Ken Owens can help turn their fortunes around in the tournament.

Australia has experienced a bit of a nightmare 2023, losing 5 matches under Eddie Jones, although they had 2 close losses, including a 3-point loss to the All Blacks. Nevertheless, as 2-time champions, one could never write off the Aussies, and opponents will have to be wary of dangerous players such as Samu Kerevi, Marika Koribete, Rob Valetini and captain Will Skelton.

Fiji will be buoyant after shocking England 30-22 in a warmup match, a result which saw them rise to an all-time high of 7^th in the world rankings. If the Fijians can enjoy parity in the forwards, then they can release their dangerous backs, and their free-flowing style will be dangerous to many teams.

Georgia has gone from strength to strength, and the favoured teams will need to take them seriously. Portugal will feature at the World Cup for only the 2^nd time, having participated in 2007.

Prediction: Australia to top the pool, Fiji to place second, Wales to place third.

Pool D

England
Japan
Argentina
Samoa
Chile

Fixtures

9 September 2023, 21:00 ̶ England v Argentina, Stade Vélodrome, Marseille
10 September 2023, 13:00 ̶ Japan v Chile, Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse
16 September 2023, 15:00 ̶ Samoa v Chile, Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
17 September 2023, 21:00 ̶ England v Japan, Allianz Riviera, Nice
22 September 2023, 17:45 ̶ Argentina v Samoa, Stade Geoffroy Guichard, Saint-Étienne
23 September 2023, 17:45 ̶ England v Chile, Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille
28 September 2023, 21:00 ̶ Japan v Samoa, Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse
30 September 2023, 15:00 ̶ Argentina v Chile, Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes
7 October 2023, 17:45 ̶ England v Samoa, Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille
8 October 2023, 19:00 ̶ Japan v Argentina, Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes

Preview

This will be another tough and competitive pool, as Japan is a much-improved team, made the quarterfinals of the 2019 World Cup and will prove tough opponents for the Tier 1 nations England and Argentina, while Samoa won’t be pushovers either.

Since losing to South Africa in the 2019 World Cup final, England seems to have gotten considerably weaker, with their decision to drop Eddie Jones and hire Steve Borthwick as coach not having borne any real success as of yet. Their 4^th place finish in the 2023 6 Nations is an indicator of the team’s sluggish form, and their recent defeat to Fiji further highlights the struggles they have faced.

England does have a good World Cup record though, winning once and making three finals, and opponents cannot count them out of the race. Captain Owen Farrell will need to fire though, along with stalwarts such as Maro Itoje, Courtney Lawes, Billy Vunipola and Danny Care.

Argentina always has the ability to shock more fancied opponents, demonstrated by their two defeats of the All Blacks in 2020 and 2022 respectively. With a robust forward pack and dynamic backs, coach Michael Cheika will expect players such as Pablo Matera, Emiliano Boffelli, Nicholas Sanchez and captain Julian Montoya to fire and help the Argentinians capture their first trophy.

Helmed by the wily Jamie Joseph, Japan will hope to continue their giant-slaying ways from the last two world cups and once again progress to the quarterfinals. Samoa will hope to return to the kind of form they showed in 1991 and 1995 when they made the quarterfinals. Chile is a World Cup debutant and will be eager to shine on the world stage.

Prediction: Argentina to top the pool, England to place second, Japan to place third.

Knockout matches

Quarterfinals

Quarter-final 1

14 October 2023, 17:00, Stade Vélodrome, Marseille

Winner Pool C v Runner-up Pool D

Quarter-final 2

14 October 2023, 21:00, Stade de France, Saint-Denis

Winner Pool B v Runner-up Pool A

Quarter-final 3

15 October 2023, 17:00, Stade Vélodrome, Marseille

Winner Pool D v Runner-up Pool C

Quarter-final 4

15 October 2023, 17:00, Stade de France, Saint-Denis

Winner Pool A v Runner-up Pool B

Semi-finals

Semi-final 1

20 October 2023, 21:00, Stade de France, Saint-Denis

Winner QF 1 v Winner QF2

Semi-final 2

21 October 2023, 21:00, Stade de France, Saint-Denis

Winner QF 3 v Winner QF4

Bronze final

27 October 2023, 21:00, Stade de France, Saint-Denis

Loser SF1 v Loser SF2

Final

28 October 2023, 21:00, Stade de France, Saint-Denis

Winner SF 1 v Winner SF2

Score more with Gbets

It’s going to be an exciting time: 7 weeks of tries, big hits, flashy play…and lots of bets! Don’t forget to visit www.gbets.co.za during the tournament and make your mark (and hopefully fill up your wallet). We’ve got great odds, boosted odds and special promos where you can win even when you lose! Bet Now and keep an eye on our social media pages for more World Cup promos.

Go Bokke!