Rugby World Cup 2019 Betting Offers
Rugby Union took a long time to sort itself out on the international stage and as a consequence the 2019 tournament is only the 9th ever Rugby World Cup. Take one look at the event however and you would think it has existed forever, such is the passion, emotion and pride elicited by World Cup nations and fans. Football, and many other sports, could do with taking a few pointers.
The 2019 World Cup comes from Japan and is the first time the tournament has been held in an Asian country. Twenty teams will contest 48 ties over a period of 6 weeks culminating in the final on Saturday November 2nd. England have a tough pool again as they did in 2015 and Australia will again face Wales in the same group.
On this page we show you the latest and best free bet, money back and enhanced odds offers both before and during the world cup. You can find information about fixtures, stadiums, format, stats and history further down to.
Rugby World Cup Betting Offers and Specials
New Customer
Promotions Open To Any Customer
Place a £10 win or £5 each way bet on any pre-match Rugby World Cup market and William Hill will give you a £5 free bet to use on any Rugby World Cup market.
The qualifying bet must be placed at odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater before 11:45am on the 20th September 2019. Available for all single line bets, excluding enhanced odds or flash odds.
The £5 free bet will be credited at 15:00 on the 20th and will remain valid for 4 days for use on rugby world cup markets only.
The Coral smart money series is free to play for all customers in the UK and Ireland. Predict 10 questions about The 2019 Rugby World Cup this year and get them all correct to win (or share) a staggering £100,000 in real cash.
Questions are asked on scenarios such as which country will win the world cup, who will be the top tryscorer, England stage of elimination, will Wales in their group, biggest margin of victory in a game, etc.
Once submitted answers can be edited up until 11:45am on Friday 20th Spetember. While the chances of getting all 10 guesses right are not exactly huge this game is pays in cash, making this a very worth while competition to enter, especially considering it won’t cost you anything to do so.
Latest 2019 World Cup Outright Winner Odds
| Site | New Zealand | Ireland | England | Australia | Wales | Scotland | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
5/4 | 8/1 | 9/2 | 14/1 | 8/1 | 40/1 |
T&Cs apply 18+
|
 |
5/4 | 8/1 | 9/2 | 12/1 | 9/1 | 40/1 |
T&Cs apply 18+
|
 |
5/4 | 7/1 | 5/1 | 12/1 | 9/1 | 40/1 |
T&Cs apply 18+
|
 |
5/4 | 8/1 | 9/2 | 14/1 | 7/1 | 40/1 |
T&Cs apply 18+
|
 |
5/4 | 8/1 | 9/2 | 12/1 | 9/1 | 40/1 |
T&Cs apply 18+
|
Odds updated 27/08/2019
World Cup Draw
| Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland (4) | New Zealand (1) | England (2) | Australia (3) |
| Scotland (5) | South Africa (7) | France (6) | Wales (8) |
| Japan (11) | Italy (15) | Argentina (9) | Georgia (12) |
| Russia | Namibia | United States | Figi |
| Samoa | Canada | Tonga | Uruguay |
In May 2017 the draw for the World Cup was made in Tokyo. The 12 teams that finished in the top 3 in their groups at the 2015 world cup qualify automatically. The eight other teams were defined by the end of 2018 through continental and intercontinental play-offs.
Numbers in brackets represent rankings at the time of the draw.
Rugby World Cup 2019 Fixtures
Pool A Fixtures
| Date | Time (UK) | Fixture | Location | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20th September | 11:45 | Japan v Russia | Chōfu | Tokyo Stadium |
| 22nd September | 08:45 | Ireland v Scotland | Yokohama | International Stadium |
| 24th September | 11:15 | Russia v Samoa | Kumagaya | Kumagaya Stadium |
| 28th September | 08:15 | Japan v Ireland | Fukuroi | Shizuoka Stadium |
| 30th September | 11:15 | Scotland v Samoa | Kobe | Kobe Misake Stadium |
| 3rd October | 11:15 | Ireland v Russia | Kobe | Kobe Misake Stadium |
| 5th October | 11:30 | Japan v Samoa | Toyota | City of Toyota Stadium |
| 9th October | 08:15 | Scotland v Rusia | Fukuroi | Shizuoka Stadium |
| 12th October | 11:45 | Ireland v Samoa | Fukuoka | Fukuoka Hakatanomori |
| 13th October | 11:45 | Japan v Scotland | Yokohama | International Stadium |
Pool B Fixtures
| Date | Time (UK) | Fixture | Location | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21st September | 10:45 | New Zealand v South Africa | Yokohama | International Stadium |
| 22nd September | 06:15 | Italy v Namibia | Higashiōsaka | Hanazona Stadium |
| 26th September | 08:45 | Italy v Canada | Fukuoka | Fukuoka Hakatanomori |
| 28th September | 10:45 | South Africa v Namibia | Toyota | City of Toyota Stadium |
| 2nd October | 11:15 | New Zealand v Canada | Ōita | Ōita Stadium |
| 4th October | 10:45 | South Africa v Italy | Fukuroi | Shizuoka Stadium |
| 6th October | 05:45 | New Zealand v Namibia | Chōfu | Tokyo Stadium |
| 8th October | 11:15 | South Africa v Canada | Kobe | Kobe Misake Stadium |
| 12th October | 05:45 | New Zealand v Italy | Toyota | City of Toyota Stadium |
| 13th October | 04:15 | Namibia v Canada | Kamasishi | Kamasishi Recovery Memorial |
Pool C Fixtures
| Date | Time (UK) | Fixture | Location | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21st September | 08:15 | France v Argentina | Chōfu | Tokyo Stadium |
| 22nd September | 11:15 | England v Tonga | Sapporo | Sapporo Dome |
| 26th September | 11:45 | England v USA | Kobe | Kobe Misake Stadium |
| 28th September | 05:45 | Argentina v Tonga | Higashiōsaka | Hanazona Stadium |
| 2nd October | 08:45 | France v USA | Fukuoka | Fukuoka Hakatanomori |
| 5th October | 09:00 | England v Argentina | Chōfu | Tokyo Stadium |
| 6th October | 08:45 | France v Tonga | Kumamoto | Kumamoto Stadium |
| 9th October | 05:45 | Argentina v USA | Kumagaya | Kumagaya Stadium |
| 12th October | 09:15 | England v France | Yokohama | International Stadium |
| 13th October | 06:45 | USA v Tonga | Higashiōsaka | Hanazona Stadium |
Pool D Fixtures
| Date | Time (UK) | Fixture | Location | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21st September | 05:45 | Australia v Fiji | Sapporo | Sapporo Dome |
| 23rd September | 11:15 | Wales v Georgia | Toyota | City of Toyota Stadium |
| 25th September | 06:15 | Figi v Uruguay | Kamasishi | Kamasishi Recovery Memorial |
| 29th September | 06:15 | Georgia v Uruguay | Kumagaya | Kumagaya Stadium |
| 29th September | 08:45 | Australia v Wales | Chōfu | Tokyo Stadium |
| 3rd October | 06:15 | Georgia v Figi | Higashiōsaka | Hanazona Stadium |
| 5th October | 06:15 | Australia v Uruguay | Ōita | Ōita Stadium |
| 9th October | 10:45 | Wales v Figi | Ōita | Ōita Stadium |
| 11th October | 11:15 | Australia v Georgia | Fukuroi | Shizuoka Stadium |
| 13th October | 09:15 | Wales v Uruguay | Kumamoto | Kumamoto Stadium |
Quarter Finals
| Fixture | Date | Time (UK) | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner Pool C v Runner Up Pool D | 19th October | 08:15 | Ōita Stadium |
| Winner Pool B v Runner Up Pool A | 19th October | 11:15 | Tokyo Stadium |
| Winner Pool D v Runner Up Pool C | 20th October | 08:15 | Ōita Stadium |
| Winner Pool A v Runner Up Pool B | 20th October | 11:15 | Tokyo Stadium |
Semi Finals
| Fixture | Date | Time (UK) | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner Q1 v Winner Q2 | 26th October | 09:00 | Yokohama International Stadium |
| Winner Q3 v Winner Q4 | 27th October | 09:00 | Tokyo Stadium |
Third Place Play Off
| Fixture | Date | Time (UK) | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loser S1 v Loser S2 | 1st November | 09:00 | Tokyo Stadium |
World Cup 2019 Final
| Fixture | Date | Time (UK) | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner S1 v Winner S2 | 2nd November | 09:00 | Yokohama International Stadium |
World Cup Format and Venues
The tournament will run from Friday 20th September through to Saturday 2nd November 2019 with 20 teams contesting 48 matches overall. There are 40 pool matches as each team in each pool plays each other once, this means four games per team and ten games per pool, followed by four quarter finals, two semi finals, a third place play-off and the final.
The first fixture will take place in Tokyo Stadium on the opening Friday between hosts Japan and . The final will take place on the final Saturday in Yokohama Stadium in Kangawa.
During the pool stage teams can win 4 points for a win and two points for a draw. In addition to this teams can earn an additional bonus point for achieving four or more tries in a game, this applies to both winning and losing teams should both teams score 4+. Any team that loses by 7 or less points will also receive a bonus point. The possible points scoring is therefore as follows:
| Result | Tries | Losing Margin | Match Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Over 4 | N/A | 5 |
| Win | Less Than 4 | N/A | 4 |
| Draw | Over 4 | N/A | 3 |
| Draw | Less Than 4 | N/A | 2 |
| Lose | Over 4 | 7 or Less | 2 |
| Lose | Less Than 4 | 7 or Less | 1 |
| Lose | Less Than 4 | 8 or More | 0 |
The maximum number of points a team could achieve in four pool matches would be 20. A team could also, in theory, lose all games and achieve 8 points.
Following the group stages the winner and runner-up from the same pool can not meet each other again until the final (see fixtures).
World Cup Stadiums
| Stadium | Opened | Capacity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sapporo Dome | 2001 | 41,410 | Retractable Surface |
| Kamaishi Memorial Stadium | 2018 | 16,187 | Smallest Venue |
| Kumagaya Rugby Stadium | 1991 | 24,000 | Althletic Track |
| Tokyo Stadium | 2000 | 49,970 | Japan National Stadium |
| Yokohama International Stadium | 1997 | 72,327 | World Cup Final Venue |
| Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa | 2001 | 50,889 | Opened for FIFA WC |
| City of Toyota Stadium | 2001 | 45,000 | Retractable Roof |
| Hanazono Rugby Stadium | 1929 | 30,000 | Oldest Rugby Venue |
| Kobe Misaki Stadium | 2001 | 30,132 | Retractable Roof |
| Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium | 1995 | 22,563 | Multi-Purpose Venue |
| Kumamoto Stadium | 1998 | 32,000 | Multi-Purpose Venue |
| Oita Stadium | 2001 | 40,000 | Retractable Roof |
History of the Rugby Union World Cup
International Rugby games have been contested for longer than international Football matches yet it took until 1987 for the sport of Rugby Union to finally organise a World Cup.
The Six Nations, initially called the Home Nations Championship, began in 1883 between Wales, Scotland, Ireland and England; expanding to five nations when France joined in 1910. International Rugby was also played at this time at the Olympic games, first appearing in 1900 it was however discontinued in 1924.
The idea of an international rugby event fell by the wayside for many decades. This was partly to do with political tensions caused by World War II and the dissolution of the British Empire (of which many of the worlds top rugby nations were part of), but mainly due to a lack of appetite for a tournament from World Rugby (then called the International Rugby Board (IRB)).
Despite attempts to create a world rugby competition from the 1950’s onwards these were continually blocked by most unions within the IRB.
Following blocked attempts by Australia in 1983 and New Zealand in 1984, the two nations joined up for a final successful attempt was made 1985. Delegates from France, South Africa, Australia and NZ all voted for a new World Cup, Scotland and Ireland voted against with England and Wales split. The vote passed by 10-6 in favour and the first World Cup was jointly awarded to Australia and New Zealand.
1987 First World Cup
The first World Cup consisted of 32 matches between 16 teams over 4 weeks from 22nd May to 20th June 1987. Seven IRB nations automatically took a spot (except for South Africa who were banned from international sport at this time due to Apartheid). These were England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, New Zealand, Australia and France.
There was no qualifying for the first event, the remaining 9 teams were invited: Argentina, Canada, Fiji, Italy, Japan, Romania, Tonga, USA and Zimbabwe.
Four pools of 4 teams competed in a round-robin group (2 points for win, 1 for a draw) followed by knockout quarter finals, semi finals and the final. New Zealand beat France 29-9 in the final at Eden Park in Aukland to win the first ever Rugby world cup.
1991 to 1999
The 1991 World Cup was jointly held in Britain, France and Ireland and qualifying was introduced for the first time. Eight places were given automatically to the quarter finalists from 1987 with the remaining 8 places were made up from 25 qualifiers. England beat Australia 12-6 in the final at Twickenham watched by 56,208 fans.
South Africa participated in their first world cup in 1995, they also hosted the event. South Africa won the event beating NZ in a final marred by food poisoning controversy by 15 points to 12.
The 1999 World Cup was expanded to 20 teams with 41 matches and was hosted by Wales. Now only the top three teams from the last world cup along with the hosts received automatic entry. No less than 65 nations competed in qualifying for the remaining 16 places. Australia beat France 35-12 in the final following on from France’s shock victory over NZ in the semi-finals.
2003 to 2015
The 2003 World Cup in Australia is fondly remembered by English fans. The final game was due to go to sudden death before Jonny Wilkinson’s drop goal with 21 seconds left won the tournament for England, who became the first team to lift the World Cup twice. 2003 saw the number of teams in each pool increase to 5 and the number of games increase to 48. It has remained the same since.
England were defeated finalists in 2007, with South Africa winning their second title 15-6 in the Stade de France.
Following a long wait the All Blacks finally lived up to their reputation in 2011 winning the tournament as hosts, beating France in a tight low scoring final by 8 points to 7.
New Zealand went on to become the first nation to win consecutive world cups in 2015 beating rivals Australia 34 – 17. The World Cup, hosted by England, became the first event to date in which the hosts have failed to reach the quarter-finals, although I suspect this could happen again in 2019 when Japan host the event.
Japan 2019
Japan are the first non-classical Rugby nation to host the world cup. They have participated in all 8 tournaments so far but have failed to make it out of the pool stages, chalking up just three wins in all that time.
Whether Japan perform or not is unlikely to concern many at the 2019 event. All people really want to know is can New Zealand make it three consecutive titles in a row, will England, Australia or South Africa become the first nation to win three cups or will Ireland, Wales or Scotland win a World Cup for the first time?
Webb Ellis Cup
The world cup trophy is named after William Webb Ellis, the proposed inventor of the modern game of Rugby which he played at Rugby school in the 1820’s.
He supposedly picked up the ball in a game of football and ran with it inaugurating the game of Rugby.
This is most likely a myth and there is no real evidence to support it but it is a good tale and a fair name to use for the World Cup trophy.
It is 38cm tall and is made of silver guilded on top in gold. The cup has two handles with a scroll design, one supporting the head of Satyr and the other the head of a nymph, both from Greek mythology.
Records, Statistics & Trivia
Previous Rugby World Cup Winners
| Year | Winner | Runner Up | Result | Host |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | ? | ? | ? | Japan |
| 2015 | New Zealand | Australia | 34-17 | England |
| 2011 | New Zealand | France | 8-7 | New Zealand |
| 2007 | South Africa | England | 15-6 | France |
| 2003 | England | Australia | 20-17 | Australia |
| 1999 | Australia | France | 35-12 | Wales |
| 1995 | South Africa | New Zealand | 15-12 | South Africa |
| 1991 | Australia | England | 12-6 | Multiple |
| 1987 | New Zealand | France | 29-9 | Australia & NZ |
Team Statistics
| Statistic | Team | Number | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Titles | New Zealand | 3 | 1987, 2011, 2015 |
| Most Wins | New Zealand | 44 (37.5%) | 1987 – 2015 |
| Most Matches | New Zealand | 50 | 1987 – 2015 |
| Highest Points (Overall) | New Zealand | 2302 | 1987 – 2015 |
| Highest Points (Match) | New Zealand | 145 – 17 | 1995 vs Japan |
| Points Conceded (Overall) | Japan | 1259 | 1987 – 2015 |
| Best Points Difference (Overall) | New Zealand | +1621 | 1987 – 2015 |
| Worst Points Difference (Overall) | Namibia | -934 | 1987 – 2015 |
| Biggest Win | Australia | 142 – 0 | 2003 vs Namibia |
| Most Tries (Overall) | New Zealand | 311 | 1987 – 2015 |
| Most Tries (Match) | Australia | 22 | 2003 vs Namibia |
| Most Drop Goals (Overall) | England | 21 | 1987 – 2015 |
| Most Conversions (Overall) | New Zealand | 226 | 1987 – 2015 |
| Most Penalties (Overall) | France | 135 | 1987 – 2015 |
| Most Red Cards (Overall) | Canada & Tonga | 3 | 1987 – 2015 |
| Most Games Without Win | Namibia | 19 | 1999 – 2015 |
| Consecutive Titles | New Zealand | 2 | 2011 & 2015 |
| Most Hat-tricks Scored | New Zealand | 14 | 1987 – 2015 |
| Most Hat-tricks Conceded | Romania | 7 | 1987 – 2015 |
Player Statistics
| Statistic | Player | Number | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points (Tournament) | Grant Fox (New Zealand) | 126 | 1987 |
| Points (Match) | Simon Culhane (New Zealand) | 45 | 1995 |
| Most Points (Overall) | Johnny Wilkinson (England) | 277 | 1999 – 2011 |
| Tries (Tournament) | Jonah Lomu (NZ) & Bryan Habana (SA) | 8 | 1999 & 2007 |
| Tries (Match) | Marc Ellis (New Zealand) | 6 | 1995 |
| Tries (Overall) | Jonah Lomu (NZ) & Bryan Habana (SA) | 15 | 1995 – 1999 & 2007 – 2015 |
| Conversions (Tournament) | Grant Fox (New Zealand) | 30 | 1987 |
| Conversions (Match) | Simon Culhane (New Zealand) | 20 | 1995 |
| Conversions (Overall) | Daniel Carter (New Zealand) | 58 | 2003 – 2015 |
| Penalties (Tournament) | Gonzalo Quesada (Argentina) | 31 | 1999 |
| Penalties (Match) | Multiple (4 Players) | 8 | 1995 & 1994 |
| Penalties (Overall) | Johnny Wilkinson (England) | 58 | 1999 – 2011 |
| Drop Goals (Tournament) | Johnny Wilkinson (England) | 8 | 2003 |
| Drop Goals (Match) | Jannie de Beer (South Africa) | 6 | 1999 |
| Drop Goals (Overall) | Johnny Wilkinson (England) | 14 | 1999 – 2011 |
| Appearances (Overall) | Jason Leonard (Eng) & Richie McCaw (NZ) | 22 | 1991-2003 & 2003-2015 |
| Appearances (Winning) | Richie McCaw (New Zealand) | 20 | 2003 – 2015 |
| Appearances (Losing) | Ovidiu Tonita (Romania) | 12 | 2003 – 2015 |
| Oldest Player | Diego Ormaechea (Uruguay) | 40y 26d | 1999 |
| Oldest to win cup | Brad Thorn (New Zealand) | 36y 262d | 2011 |
| Oldest Tryscorer | Diego Ormaechea (Uruguay) | 40y 13d | 1999 |
| Youngest Player | Vasil Lobzhanidze (Georgia) | 18y 340d | 2015 |
| Youngest to win cup | François Steyn (South Africa) | 20y 159d | 2007 |
| Youngest Tryscorer | George North (Wales) | 19y 166d | 2007 |
Tournament Statistics
| Statistic | Number | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Attendance | England | 2.5 Million | 2015 |
| Average Attendance | England | 51,621 | 2015 |
| Attendance Match | Ireland v Romania (Wembley) | 87,297 | 2015 |