Updated: 2024
The excitement and anticipation is nearly over, with the 2019 Rugby World Cup kicking off on Friday, September 20th.
Then it’s time for 43 days of quality rugby at the highest level. The 2019 Rugby World Cup will take place in Japan where nations from across the world will compete for the prestigious Webb Ellis Cup trophy.
Competing Teams and Groups
| Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D |
| Ireland | New Zealand | England | Australia |
| Scotland | South Africa | France | Wales |
| Japan | Italy | Argentina | Georgia |
| Russia | Namibia | USA | Fiji |
| Samoa | Canada | Tonga | Uruguay |
Tournament Format
In the opening round of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, twenty nations compete to make their way out of the four Pools: A, B, C and D. There are five teams in each Pool and they will play each other once. Only the top two teams will advance from the Pools into the knockout rounds.
The knockout rounds are the standard format of:
- Quarter-Finals – October 19-20
- Semi-Finals – October 26-27
- Small Final – November 1st
- Final – November 2nd
Odds and Favourites
| Team | Odds of winning | Team | Odds of winning |
| New Zealand | 11/8 | Australia | 16/1 |
| England | 4/1 | France | 25/1 |
| South Africa | 9/2 | Argentina | 40/1 |
| Ireland | 10/1 | Scotland | 80/1 |
| Wales | 10/1 |
Top Teams Overview
Having won the previous two Rugby World Cup editions, New Zealand, or the All Blacks as they are famously called, are undoubtedly the favourites heading into this year’s tournament. However, their dominance is put to the test by England, Wales, Ireland and South Africa who follow them in the odds at winning.
England definitely has the firepower and skill to beat any team on any day and are seen as New Zealand’s main contender. They had a very good performance at the Six Nations campaign and beat Ireland 57 to 15 in the warm-up match to the World Cup. This marked England’s largest win and most points scored over Ireland ever.
South Africa was much lower down the list until a series of recent good results, culminating with the victory at the 2019 Rugby Championship which saw their odds drop drastically.
Even though Ireland is ranked first in the World Rugby Rankings, their form has taken a step back from 2018 where they had an impeccable Six Nations and an impressive win over the All Blacks. They got demolished by England in the World Cup warm-up match which saw their odds go up a bit.
Wales had an excellent winning streak this year and also pulled off a Grand Slam. They even dethroned New Zealand from the top spot in the World Rugby Rankings until Ireland took over. They were seen as the main contenders to the All Blacks until injuries to the main players Gareth Anscombe and Taulupe Faleteau will keep them out of the World Cup.
Australia had mixed results this year. However, they did beat the All Blacks 47 to 26 in the Rugby Championship. A week later they did lose against them 36 to 0 in the World Cup warm-up match.
France, Argentina and Scotland finish off the list of the nations who stand a realistic chance of winning the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
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