The 2015 Rugby World Cup will be held in England starting on September 18 and will include teams from twenty countries competing to be the best rugby union side in the world. There are a few teams that will be favored to win the big event.
New Zealand Rugby Is a Top Choice
New Zealand is the 7/5 favorite to win the Rugby World Cup. The All Blacks will continue to be led by Richie McCaw. James Parsons, who has been a star hooker for the Blues and North Harbour for the past few years, is expected to be a prominent newcomer for this side.
England Is Close
England has 7/2 betting odds to win the event and will be led once again by Chris Robshaw. England has not been the top-ranked rugby union side in the world for nearly a decade and are looking to try and get back on top.
South Africa Rugby Always Competes
South Africa had a 4/1 line to win the Rugby World Cup and has an assortment of players from many clubs from around the country. Jean de Villiers has been a part of the Springboks since 2002 and continues to be a big star with the Stormers club.
Australia Is In a Tough Group
Australia will be playing in the same group as England. Even with this, the Wallabies have 17/2 odds to win the World Cup. The Wallabies will be coached by Michael Cheika, who has only been with the national team since 2014. He has nearly fifteen years of coaching experience at various levels of play around the country.
Ireland Has a Light Field
Ireland, who has 9/1 odds, have been placed in a relatively easy group that includes France, Italy, Canada and Romania. The IRFU team will be coached by Joe Schmidt, a native of New Zealand who was an assistant coach with the Blues.
These teams are all ones that will be worth checking out as the Rugby World Cup comes along. The potential for these teams to compete will be interesting to watch as everyone comes on out to England for an extended series of thrilling matches.