The 7th Rugby World Cup is now in full swing with all the best teams in the world in New Zealand for what is shaping up to be a classic tournament, all the major teams are beginning are now ready for the tournament with the host nation the hot favourites with the bookmakers to lift the trophy. The All Blacks have been in blistering form of late having swept all before them with ease and with that in mind they are the hot favourites in the
Rugby World Cup 2011 Odds, they have swept aside Tonga and Japan so far and look to be the team to beat.
The first major shock of the tournament which has seen some of the main fancies struggle against lesser opposition has now take place with
Ireland beating Australia. It was a massive win for the Irish and the rest of the World Cup with the draw now likely to be blown wide open. We could now see Australia, South Africa and New Zealand all in the same half of the draw when we get to the last eight which has had a big affect on the betting.
The tournament itself is being played across both the north and south islands of New Zealand with 13 stadiums hosting the games, the main venue for the opening game and the final will be the famous Eden Park in Auckland. The
All Blacks go in as favourites but as always they will have to deliver on the day and in the past they have failed to do that at World Cups.
South Africa were the top dogs back in 2007 when they won the World Cup in Paris and they will not want to give up their trophy without a fight, they are strong from 1 to 15 and although they may not be quite at the level they were in France they can never be ruled out.
Latest Rugby World Cup News and Betting Markets
- 20/09/11 - England call up Thomas Waldrom to World Cup squad as back row cover after Nick Easter injures his back in training
- 18/09/11 - Wales scrape past Samoa while England defeat Georgia scoring six tries in the process
- 17/09/11 - Ireland defeat Australia 15-6
- 17/09/11 - South Africa defeat Fiji in style while Argentiina defeat Romania in style in Pool B
- 16/09/11 - New Zealand record massive win against Japan scoring 13 tries in the process to top Pool A
- 12/09/11 - If a Number 11 scores the first try in any of the Rugby World Cup Group Matches the bookmaker Paddy Power will refund all losing try scorer bets on that match
The two most dangerous teams from the northern hemisphere look like being England and
France on current form,
England as we know have a great record in the World Cup recently having won in 2003 and reaching the final in 2007 and will be looking to build on that in New Zealand. The French on the other hand have never won the tournament but have shown enough to prove they are more than a match for any team on their day, they will need to improve their consistency but as the betting shows they can never be ignored.
Rugby World Cup Groups 2011
The draw for the tournament has been made and we now know the make up of the four
Rugby World Cup 2011 Groups, they are five teams in each pool with two from each going through to the last eight and into the knock-out stages. There are some fascinating matchs-ups in the early rounds with the big boys taking on the minnows of world rugby with nations liks Japan and Canada hoping to make an impact on the tournament.
It is also well worth noting that we are still awaiting the outcome of the final play-off match between Uruguay and Romania with the winner of the match over two legs being placed into
Pool B alongside England, Argentina, Scotland and Georgia.
Rugby World Cup Fixtures 2011
The Group Fixtures for the 2011 Rugby World Cup has been made and there are some mouth-watering clashes for punters and rugby fans to enjoy, each pool has two seeded teams so there is sure to be some tight affairs as all the teams look to build momentum. Perhaps one of the most exciting of the
Rugby World Cup Fixtures to look forward to is the clash between the All Blacks and France at Eden Park in Pool A. Meanwhile in Group B, England and Scotland will be preparing for their meeting in Auckland with the match potentially crucial to both teams chances of qualification with Argentina also lurking in the group.
While over in Pool D we will see the South Africans take on Wales in what is likely to be the crucial fixture in that section, the defending Champions will want to lay down an early marker against the plucky Welsh who will be out to cause an upset.
One of the best sights in rugby is watching a flying winger take on a couple of defenders before touching down under the posts, at the World Cup we will see plenty of that with the world's best players heading to New Zealand and hoping to have a good tournament. With that in mind the
Rugby World Cup Top Try Scorer Odds will be one of the hottest betting heats around in the build up to the tournament, plenty of value will be on offer here with another of potential contenders to be considered.
The star of the tournament in 2007 was the amazing Bryan Habana of South Africa, who when on top form is simply irresistible. He will be back in 2011 and will be well backed while the All Black wingers of Joe Rokocoko and Sitiveni Sivivatu will be ones to watch for the host nation as they are sure to play their usual attacking style of rugby.
Rugby World Cup Final 2011
The Final is of course the showpiece occasion for any tournament and this year's Final at Eden Park in Auckland will be a huge match, we will see the two best teams face-off for the honour of being crowned the best team in the world. The
Rugby World Cup Final will be a sell-out either way but the home fans will be desperate to see New Zealand in the Final, they are certainly the favourites at this stage to win and it would be no surprise to see the All Blacks in Auckland on the 23rd October.
There will be 20 teams in New Zealand for the 2011 Rugby World Cup and we will see all of the best Nations going up against some of the minnows in the early stages, 12 teams qualified automatically while the remaining eight have been going through various qualifying campaigns to join the
Rugby World Cup Teams. It is always interesting to see some of the emerging nations play on the big stage and this time around we shall be enjoying the performances of the likes of Russia, Georgia and Namibia among many others.
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