Rugby World Cup Betting Tips
The Rugby World Cup has reached the semi-final stage, with Argentina set to face New Zealand and England taking on South Africa.
The Pumas and the All Blacks are first up on Friday and the Kiwis will be looking for a repeat of the 41-12 victory they recorded in this summer's Rugby Championship.
Then, on Saturday, the only unbeaten team still in the tournament, England, will be looking for revenge on South Africa in a repeat of the 2019 final in Japan.
Tip 1: New Zealand -20.5 @ 27/25
New Zealand's build-up to the tournament was far from ideal and probably contributed to their under-par showing on the opening night against France when they lost 27-13.
However, they have excelled since, especially in attack, racking up a tournament-high 281 points from their five matches.
They could be timing their run perfectly and will fancy themselves to get past an Argentina team who have somewhat bundled along after losing their first match 27-10 to England.
The Pumas probably just about deserved to beat Wales 29-17 in the quarter-finals but will need to raise their game to get the better of a New Zealand side who were nigh-on perfect in their 28-24 win over Ireland.
Ian Foster's team won the pair's most recent meeting and have undoubtedly improved since losing 25-18 to Friday's opponents in August 2022.
They got revenge for that result with a 53-3 win the following week and while they have suffered their only two defeats to the Argentinians in the last seven meetings, they have won the other five matches in that run by over 20 points.
Argentina will not be short of spirit. However, they could struggle to stick with an All Blacks attack that has been nothing short of sensational.
Tip 2: South Africa to win by 1-12 points
South Africa were superb in their 29-28 quarter-final win over France, in which they opted to play with additional width to avoid an 80-minute arm wrestle.
The Springboks may opt for a more restricted approach against England, who just about had enough in the last eight against Fiji, edging to a 30-24 win.
The pair have history, with South Africa winning the last World Cup final 32-12. However, the game was in the balance on the hour mark, with the Springboks leading 18-12 before pulling away with a couple of late tries.
They have built their three World Cup wins, including a 15-6 victory against England in the 2007 final, on a solid defence and kicking game.
No.10 Manie Libbock's goal-kicking remains a worry but he seemed to grow in confidence from the tee against the French. If he falters, the Boks will happily fall back on Handre Pollard, who was successful with both of his attempts against Les Bleus and also knocked over 22 points in the final four years ago.
England fly-half Owen Farrell succeeded with six out of eight shots at goal against the Fijians, while he also nudged over a drop goal. He will look to keep the scoreboard ticking over for the Red Rose but they may need more in a match that is expected to turn into a grind.
The Boks will back their defence against an England attack still to click at the World Cup and, with nine of the last 15 meetings settled by 12 points or less, a run that includes a draw, the holders should have enough.
How did our semi-final tips pan out?
- Tip 1: New Zealand -20.5 @ 27/25
- Tip 2: South Africa to win by 1-12 points @ evens
England nearly ruined our betting tips for two weeks in a row with a fantastic performance against South Africa. However, South Africa dug deep and pulled out the victory winning by one point. That alongside New Zealand's decimation of Argentina led to our double for the semi-final paying out.
Pre-Tournament Outright Tips
Tip 1: South Africa – Outright Winners @ 14/5
The top half of the draw includes many of the big hitters, including France, the All Blacks, South Africa, world number one Ireland and improving Scotland.
England - the only northern hemisphere side to win the World Cup - are in the bottom half, along with Argentina and out-of-form duo Australia and Wales.
The top half of the draw looks almost certain to produce the winner, but there are plenty of question marks hanging over all the contenders.
Injury has impacted the French squad, who will also need to cope with the hope and expectation of the home fans. Although Ireland won the Six Nations and are now number one in the world, they have never previously made it past the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
New Zealand have not been reaching their usual very high standards, suffering a record loss to South Africa, 35-7, in a World Cup warm-up clash at Twickenham.
The Springboks are also battling injuries, but even if they fail to top Pool B, as was the case when they won in 2019, the Boks are outstanding at building momentum by grinding out results.
Tip 2: Argentina to reach the final @ 7/1
Argentina made their mark on the big stage in the 2007 World Cup, when the South Americans reached the semi-finals - a feat they repeated in 2015.
The current Pumas squad have beaten England, Australia and New Zealand over the last 18 months and that alone makes them an exciting outside prospect.
Argentina have been drawn in Pool D, alongside Steve Borthwick’s England and the two teams meet in Marseille in their opening match.
Japan are also in the same group and made the last eight as hosts four years ago, but are unlikely to have a repeat impact on this tournament.
Samoa are an interesting case, with the new eligibility criteria allowing them to select players who have previously represented Australia and New Zealand, but debutants Chile will struggle.
Argentina and England should still have enough to progress, but the Pumas - 24/1 to lift the trophy in October - certainly look like the team to beat.
They always raise their game for World Cups and, having topped their pool and then beaten hosts France on their way to finishing third in 2007, expect them to kick on and go deep in the tournament.