5. Who’s Going to Win the 2023 Rugby World Cup?
This is the world’s most difficult question that is stumping rugby fans, pundits and reporters alike. New Zealand, France, Ireland and South Africa are the main contenders, as we believe a winner will arise from either Pool A or B. The quartet are likely to meet in some variation in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals, with Les Bleus and All Blacks progressing from Pool A, whilst the Springboks and Andy Farrell’s men look poised to move on from Pool B.
From there on, it’s incredibly hard to say, but we will give it a go. We give the All Blacks the top spot in Pool A, with France set for runners-up. We also think Ireland will finish top of Pool B, with the Springbok’s in-tow for second place. This sets us up for New Zealand vs South Africa and France vs Ireland in two blockbuster quarter final match-ups.
What then follows are two exhausting arm-wrestles between World Rugby’s top four ranked nations, and we can see the All Blacks toppling the Springboks, in a repeat of their latest Rugby Championship encounter. Tomorrow’s clash at Twickenham will set the tone for this potential fixture, with both side’s fielding fully stacked squads, in what ‘Bok’s hard-hitter Eben Etzebeth rightly coined; ‘it’s not a warm-up match’.
Despite the home field advantage, we predict that Ireland will once again get the better of France in their respective semi-final. In what was the decisive contest for the 2023 Six Nations, the men from the Emerald Isle recorded a resounding 32-19 victory in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium. We can see Ireland once again beating Les Bleus, this time on their home turf, and sending them packing from the competition in the final eight.
Then it’s time for the semi-final, in what will put the best team’s from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres against one-another, for a generational clash. After what will undoubtedly be a phenomenal game of rugby, we think the Rugby World Cup winning experience that makes up the foundation of the All Blacks squad, will prevail over Ireland and send Andy Farrell’s side out of the competition.
Again, this is one of the most difficult Rugby World Cups to predict, yet when the All Blacks hit top form on the pinnacle stage, they are near-bye unstoppable. A run in with Argentina with the Web Ellis Trophy title on the line would be a celebration of Southern Hemisphere rugby, and New Zealand are our pick to win it all, before they walk away from France with a record-setting fourth Rugby World Cup title.
RUCK Predicts: New Zealand win the 2023 Rugby World Cup