The 10th Rugby World Cup kicks off on Friday with a mouthwatering clash between hosts France and tournament favourites New Zealand.

It’s a tournament of two halves - teams first have to negotiate a pool stage which produces more landslides than upsets, but then win three matches against top-tier opponents in the knockout stages.

May the best team win - although squad depth, discipline and the bounce of the ball are big factors too.

Graham Woods' Rugby World Cup Tips

New Zealand to win Rugby World Cup @ 11/4
Akaki Tabutsadze top Georgia tryscorer @ 7/2
Jordie Barrett top tournament points scorer @ 66/1

Odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and subject to fluctuation.
 

Setting the scene…..

There’s a big four in the betting for the 2023 Rugby World Cup and those four nations are housed in the first two pools, meaning only two will reach the semi-finals. 

New Zealand and South Africa, who between them have won the last four tournaments, are in there with France and Ireland - both Grand Slam winners in the last two years in the Six Nations.

Then there’s a gap to double-figure prices for Australia and England, who have had difficult years and seem unlikely to turn things around in time for the tournament in France.

What	Rugby World Cup 2023
Where	France
When	8th September - 28th October 2023
How to watch	All matches live on ITV network
Odds	New Zealand 11/4, France 3/1, South Africa 10/3, Ireland 9/2, Australia 11/1

New Zealand to win Rugby World Cup @ 11/4

The All Blacks are always favourites to lift the William Webb Ellis Trophy and may seem an obvious pick, but over the last three years they have been anything but.

Alarm bells started ringing in 2020 with a home defeat to Argentina, the following year ended with defeats to Ireland and France, while 2022 brought a historic first home series loss to the Irish.

It looked as if the ship had been steadied as 2023 opened with five successive wins, but a record 35-7 reverse to South Africa in their final warm-up match has put them on the back foot.

This build-up means New Zealand are available at a bigger price than they have been on the eve of any other tournament.

Graham Woods' Tip:

A tournament opener against hosts France may seem daunting but Les Bleus have lost first-choice fly-half Romain Ntmack late in their build-up, while New Zealand will have been stung by their heavy defeat to South Africa.

After that the All Blacks can ease through fixtures against Namibia, Italy and Uruguay and arrive fresh at the knockout stage

In the quarter-finals they look set to face either South Africa or Ireland, but those teams have a tougher, far more physical pool to work through - Pool B also features Scotland, Romania and Tonga.

South Africa, like France, have lost their fly-half in Handre Pollard, and there have been doubts about the goalkicking of replacement Manie Libbok which is a crucial factor in knockout rugby.

Akaki Tabutsadze top Georgia tryscorer @ 7/2

There’s sure to be a fierce battle to be the top tryscorer at the tournament, and often unheralded players can make their mark by bagging a big haul in a one-sided pool clash.

For the big guns it’s all about squad depth and sharing the scoring duties around, especially in the pool stage, but the beauty about betting in the top team tryscorer markets is that you can find nations with a real focus on their attack.

And one of those teams are Georgia who boast a dangerous talent in winger Akaki Tabutsadze.

Graham Woods' Tip:

The Lelos face a tough pool campaign against Australia, Wales and Fiji, and don’t score a lot of tries against the best teams. But a clash with familiar opponents Portugal gives their star man a chance to shine and it may take only two tries to top the charts.

Tabutsadze bagged a brace when the teams met in the final of the 2023 Rugby Europe Championship in March and he scored a total of eight in the tournament as a whole.

Jordie Barrett top tournament points scorer @ 66/1

The top pointscorer market is a horrible puzzle to untangle, with so many nations sharing the kicking duties around, while the absence of 2019 top scorer Handre Pollard plus France fly-half Romain Ntamack adds to the doubt.

It has to be worth taking a chance on a big-priced player who may get his opportunity in the pool stage and can contribute with a try or two as well as points from the tee.

Graham Woods' Tip:

New Zealand’s Jordie Barrett could be that man. He started the All Blacks’ 2019 pool match against Namibia at fly-half, landing eight of 11 kicks at goal, and weighed in with three tries during the tournament as a whole.

Graham Woods' Rugby World Cup Tips

New Zealand to win Rugby World Cup @ 11/4
Akaki Tabutsadze top Georgia tryscorer @ 7/2
Jordie Barrett top tournament points scorer @ 66/1

Odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and subject to fluctuation.