England overcame the odds to beat Australia 12-10 in Marseille in the quarter-final clash of the Rugby World Cup, but can they now go on to retain their crown?
Pinnacle Sports has England best priced at 222/29 to hold on to their title.
If they do it looks like they will again have to rely on the boot of Jonny Wilkinson who kicked all 12 points against the Wallabies. England will also be the first team to win the World Cup without winning all their matches as they lost a match in their pool.
Pinnacle Sports has England best priced at 222/29 to hold on to their title.
If they do it looks like they will again have to rely on the boot of Jonny Wilkinson who kicked all 12 points against the Wallabies. England will also be the first team to win the World Cup without winning all their matches as they lost a match in their pool.
The crowd could be singing "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" in the final on 20th October in the Stade de France if they beat the French in the semi-final, as English supporters urge their country on to be the first team to win back to back world cups.
However, now with the All Blacks sent packing by the French, the South Africans are favourites to win the World Cup. The Springboks looked in fine form as they topped pool A, winning all their matches including a 36-0 victory over England. They did however, have a tense quarter-final match with Fiji, which they eventually won 37-20. The Springboks are favourites with most bookies with Sportingbet having them best priced at 7/5 to lift the trophy.
The surprise package of this World Cup has been Argentina. They had some great wins over the French and Irish helping them to come first in their pool. It was the first time they had made the quarter-final stage and seemed undaunted as they took on Scotland. The Argentines beat the Scots 19-13 to set up a tough semi-final battle with South Africa. Stan James are offering odds of 3/1 on the Argentines beating the Springboks which could be a good outside bet as the Argentines will have nothing to lose. If your even bolder and think Argentina can win the tournament bet365 has them at 9/1.
The French repeated their great tradition of defeating world cup favourites as they beat New Zealand 20-18 in the Cardiff quarter-final. They have shown a resurgence in form after getting off to a slow start with their opening match defeat against Argentina. Now the hosts have another tough challenge as they face the holders England in Paris. The bookies appear to be on their side as all the major bookmakers put France as favourites to win the semi-final. The best odds for France to beat England are from Sportingbet who price them at 2/5. Meanwhile the English are priced at 5/2 by Betfred to upset the hosts. For France to go on and become the third nation to win the Rugby World Cup on their home soil, the French are second favourites with Betfred having them at 13/8 to lift the William Web Ellis Trophy.
By Clive Twyman
However, now with the All Blacks sent packing by the French, the South Africans are favourites to win the World Cup. The Springboks looked in fine form as they topped pool A, winning all their matches including a 36-0 victory over England. They did however, have a tense quarter-final match with Fiji, which they eventually won 37-20. The Springboks are favourites with most bookies with Sportingbet having them best priced at 7/5 to lift the trophy.
The surprise package of this World Cup has been Argentina. They had some great wins over the French and Irish helping them to come first in their pool. It was the first time they had made the quarter-final stage and seemed undaunted as they took on Scotland. The Argentines beat the Scots 19-13 to set up a tough semi-final battle with South Africa. Stan James are offering odds of 3/1 on the Argentines beating the Springboks which could be a good outside bet as the Argentines will have nothing to lose. If your even bolder and think Argentina can win the tournament bet365 has them at 9/1.
The French repeated their great tradition of defeating world cup favourites as they beat New Zealand 20-18 in the Cardiff quarter-final. They have shown a resurgence in form after getting off to a slow start with their opening match defeat against Argentina. Now the hosts have another tough challenge as they face the holders England in Paris. The bookies appear to be on their side as all the major bookmakers put France as favourites to win the semi-final. The best odds for France to beat England are from Sportingbet who price them at 2/5. Meanwhile the English are priced at 5/2 by Betfred to upset the hosts. For France to go on and become the third nation to win the Rugby World Cup on their home soil, the French are second favourites with Betfred having them at 13/8 to lift the William Web Ellis Trophy.
By Clive Twyman
