All Blacks Aim to Retain World Cup

The All Blacks shook their chokers take at the last Rugby World Cup, winning the tournament under immense pressure in their own back yard. 4 years on and they’re once again favourites to win the Web Ellis Cup. At $2.40 with William Hill, they’re half the price of hosts England, who are on the second line of betting. So can anyone stop rugby’s number 1 nation retaining their World Champions status?

New Zealand Numbers

If you’re betting against New Zealand to triumph for a third time you can wager on when they’ll be eliminated. The Kiwis are paying $3.75 to finish runners up while they’re $3.50 to lose in the semi finals. Their price to get knocked out in quarters is $5, while they’re $301 to exit in the group stage (WHICH WILL NOT HAPPEN). The reigning champions are paying $1.01 to top their pool which contains Namibia, Tonga, Georgia and Argentina.

The latter face the All Blacks first up and William Hill have the Pumas at $10 to cause a boilover while New Zealand is $1.05. The firm favourites are $1.90 to cover the line which has been set at -20.5. They beat Argentina 39-18 in the pair’s most recent clash in round 1 of the Rugby Championships in July.

Best of the Rest in Pool C

So Argentina is expected to start their campaign with a loss but they’re also expected to make it out of Pool C. In what’s the least competitive group, the Pumas are under $1.10 to make the knockout phase. Tonga are the only other team that could fight for a spot in the quarters finals. The Pacific Islanders are $6 get out of the group, while Namibia and Georgia are simply making up the numbers. Tonga take on Georgia in their opening game and are $1.13 favourites while the Georgians are $6 underdogs. The line for that match is 13.5.

Predicting Pool C looks easy enough, and it would be some surprise if New Zealand and Argentina don’t finish first and second respectively. Will we see any upsets along the way?