World Cup 2011

The 2011 Rugby World Cup will be the seventh Rugby Union world cup and will be held in New Zealand between 9th September and 23rd October 2011. It is expected to eclipse all previous major sporting events held in New Zealand such as the 1987 Rugby World Cup, 1990 Commonwealth games and the 1992 Cricket World Cup.

New Zealand was selected to host the World Cup at a meeting of the International Rugby Board (IRB) in November 2005. The other competing nations to host the tournament were Japan and South Africa.

The final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup will be held at Eden Park, Auckland.

The tournament will have 20 participating national teams in four pools. Twelve teams qualified as a result of finishing in the top three of the pools in the previous tournament. The remaining eight teams will be decided in regional qualifying tournaments.

To qualify for the quarter finals a team must finish as runner up or winner of their pool. Quarter final 1 will be played between the winner of Pool C and the runner up of Pool D. Quarter final 2 will be played between the winner of Pool B and runner up of Pool A. The other two quarter finals will be played on the same basis but in reverse order of pool winners and runners up.

The pools are divided as evenly as possible to make sure that one isn’t too much stronger than any of the others. Pool A’s main teams are New Zealand and France, in Pool B there are Argentina, England and Scotland, Pool C contains Australia, Ireland and Italy and Pool D has Wales and current holders South Africa.

Bookmakers in the UK are offering odds on the winner of the tournament. Nearer the beginning of the competition it will be possible to bet on individual games.  Current favourites are hosts New Zealand at 5/4 with many bookies, France are the best priced northern hemisphere hope with prices varying from 12/1 to 8/1. In terms of the home nations England are at 16/1, Ireland at 16/1, Wales are priced at around 20/1 and Scotland are rank outsiders at 125/1.

Rugby World Cup 2011 betting