Key candidates for the RWC

With just over a month until the 2015 Rugby World Cup gets underway, anticipation for the event – which will be held in England and Wales – is growing across the globe.

Four years ago, New Zealand defeated France to emerge victorious and the All Blacks will be tough to beat as they look to retain their title.

Meanwhile, Stuart Lancaster’s England and Six Nations champions Ireland are also looking strong and could challenge the Southern Hemisphere’s dominance in the competition. While there are other potential candidates to lift the trophy on October 31st, these three sides are looking sharp ahead of the tournament’s opening fixture on September 18th.

New Zealand are the current holders and will be desperate to defend their title as they stake their claim as the best rugby union side of all-time. Since victory in the 2011 final, the All Blacks have been incredible and have lost just a handful of matches throughout the period.

With the experienced Richie McCaw and Dan Carter in their side, they have leaders both on and off the field and their knowledge will come in handy as the business end of the tournament approaches.

 They are exceptionally quick in attack and have the world’s best winger, Julian Savea, in their ranks. Savea is expected to impress at the tournament and New Zealand have lost just once in matches that the 24-year-old has scored in.

England, on the other hand, have struggled throughout the past few years but showed their quality to beat New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium back in 2012. That match was played three years ago yet many rugby union supporters and pundits have suggested that there could be a repeat of that clash in the final of the World Cup on October 31st.

Lancaster’s side were unlucky to finish runners up in the 2015 Six Nations for the fourth consecutive year. England were depleted ahead of the tournament and suffered a number of injuries throughout the competition. However, the majority of their squad have recovered and the 2003 World Cup winners will be much stronger with the likes of Owen Farrell in the squad. You can visit Betway for more news and odds on the Rugby World Cup ahead of England’s opening fixture with Fiji.

Ireland have been crowned Six Nations champions in each of the last two years and will head into the World Cup as one of the favourites for the crown. They have an exceptionally strong side and, on their day, are capable of beating the best teams on the planet.

Johnny Sexton is one of the world’s top players and controls matches with his incredible kicking game, vision and ability to exploit gaps in the defensive line. While Ireland are a talented side, Sexton is the key to their World Cup hopes – that’s how influential he is. It wouldn’t be a massive surprise to see Ireland progress to the latter stages of the competition and, with a bit of luck, could find themselves facing England in the final of the tournament on October 31st