We take a look at 3 of the 4 matches taking place in the Rugby World Cup on Friday and Saturday and suggest a bet in each game
Note: South Africa v Ireland is the final game on Saturday and it has its own preview – click here to read South Africa v Ireland.
Let’s start with a look at the Outright Winner betting which sees France and South Africa joint favourites at 3/1 with New Zealand and Ireland both at 4/1 at the time of writing. England are 12/1 and you can get 33/1 Australia and 40/1 Argentina.
Click here for all of the long-term betting markets
FRIDAY
ARGENTINA v SAMOA – Click here to bet
Argentina
Much was expected of Argentina coming in to this Tournament and they were backed in from 9 point underdogs to narrow favourites against England in their first game. Unfortunately they turned in one of their worst performances in some time and despite been up a man for most of the game were beaten 27-10 by the English.
They had put up some decent performances in the lead up to the World Cup including a 1 point loss in South Africa and a 3 point win against Australia on the road.
Samoa
Samoa were 33 point favourites against Chile in their first World Cup game and the bookies proved spot on with Samoa winning 43-10. They had shown signs of what they were capable of in the warm-ups running Ireland within 4 points on the road in their final preparation game and they beat Tonga and Japan while losing to Fiji in the Pacific Nations Cup.
Head-to-Head
Argentina and Samoa played 4 times over the years with Argentina winning once and Samoa 3 times. They met in the 1991, 1995 and 1999 World Cups with Samoa winning twice and Argentina once.
Handicap: Argentina -13.5
A vital game and whilst Argentina may well come out on top Samoa will give this everything and they can stay within the handicap.
Suggested Bet: Handicap Samoa +13,5 points at 17/20
Get your money back if SA loses by 3 points or less
Place a win bet on South Africa to beat Ireland, and if the Boks lose by 3 points or less, we will refund your stake in Free Bet vouchers
T’s & C’s apply. Refund/Payout limited to R2000.
Valid for bets taken before the start of the match on Sat 23rd Sep
Simply email promotions@wsb.co.za with Subject ‘SA v IRE’
SATURDAY
GEORGIA v PORTUGAL – Click here to bet
Georgia
Georgia also came into this Tournament with many talking about them as possible contenders for the quarter-finals, but they were well beaten by Australia in their opener going down by 20 points which was very close to where the bookmakers had set the handicap.
Portugal
Portugal won many fans in their World Cup opener against Wales eventually losing by 20 points to comfortably beat the handicap. They came out playing with very positive intent and will fancy themselves to score a major upset here.
Head-to-Head
These sides have met a number of times in the European International Championships in past years and in March of this year it was Georgia who won 38-11 at home and while Portugal had never beaten Georgia they did manage a draw in February of 2022.
Handicap: Georgia -15.5
Portugal have been more competitive than many people expected and if they are to get a victory this looks like their most realistic opportunity. We go with the plus handicap
Suggested Bet: Handicap Portugal +15,5 points at 17/20
ENGLAND v CHILE – Click here to bet
England
England play their 3rd match of Rugby World Cup 2023 and they turned in perhaps the performance of the opening weekend when they beat Argentina 27-10 despite going a man down early. They were then 21.5 favourites to beat Japan and they made hard work of it before breaking the Japanese down late on to win by 22 points.
Chile
Chili also play their 3rd game of the Tournament and in their opener they went down by 30 points to Japan, fading in the final 20 minutes after giving Japan something to think about in the early stages. They were then 33 point underdogs against Samoa and similarly competed well before the Samoans took control to win 43-10 right on the handicap.
Head-to-Head
This will be England and Chili’s first meeting at International level.
Handicap: England -50.5
This should be straight forward for England and although the main handicap line is a big number they get the vote to cover it.
Suggested Bet: Handicap England -50,5 points at 9/10
Note: All prices correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
