RWC Betting Firsts


Rugby World Cup Firsts

They say there is a first time for everything and Rugby World Cup betting is no exception. Weather interruptions, huge bets and crushing upsets have all reared their heads to make our list of Rugby World Cup Betting Firsts.

1987: The First Rugby World Cup Ever

The first ever Rugby World Cup was co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand in which 16 countries participated. New Zealand took the first Rugby World Cup in the final against France 29-9.

2019: RWC Matches Cancelled Due to Weather Conditions

Typhoon Hagibis during the current 2019 Rugby World Cup (at time of writing) in Japan have caused the cancellation of three Rugby World Cup fixtures. 10 lives were lost in Typhoon Hagibis so the safety measures put in place were very much necessary. It is said to be the worst typhoon to hit the Tokyo area in 60 years.

The England vs France and the New Zealand vs Italy matches that were scheduled to take place on the 12th of October 2019 were cancelled. The game scheduled to take place on the 13th of October between Namibia and Canada was also cancelled for fear of the wrath of Typhoon Hagibis. This is the first time in history that matches were cancelled during a Rugby World Cup. The cancelled matches were recorded as 0-0 draws and teams were each awarded two points.

All tickets were refunded, but this is not to say Rugby World Cup betting was not affected. Rugby betting and its punters should take this into account when planning where to place their Rugby World Cup bets next.

2015: The First Time No Team Had Their First Rugby World Cup

This was the first time in Rugby World Cup history that no participating team was doing so for the first time. All of the nations participating in the 2015 Rugby World Cup hosted by England had done so before. This was the first time that rugby betting had seen the way each team plays, especially Rugby World Cup betting, because punters had an idea of how all the teams perform under Rugby World Cup conditions and pressure. All the 20 participating countries in 2015 had participated in the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

2003: First Player to Compete in Different Sporting Codes of World Cups

Namibian rugby and cricket professional Rudie van Vuuren was the first player to appear in two world cups when he participated in both the Rugby World Cup and the Cricket World Cup in 2003. Mighty impressive if you ask any rugby or cricket fan, or rugby betting fanatic, for that matter.

2003: First and Highest Winning Margin

The highest (and still uncontested) winning margin in Rugby World Cup history is held by Australia when they played against Namibia in 2003. The final score was a crushing 142 points for Australia to Namibia’s 0. The highest score is held by New Zealand against Japan in 1995 with a winning score of 145 to Japan’s 17. This just goes to show that when it comes to Rugby World Cup betting nothing is impossible and so the odds for the winning margin may be much higher than you think. Place your bets on the Rugby players to go big or go home.

2003: First and Only Northern Hemisphere Country to Win the RWC

The only country in the Northern Hemisphere to ever win the Rugby World Cup is England in 2003 in Australia. New Zealand has won three times, South Africa and Australia have won twice and England once. It is a widely held belief by rugby betting enthusiasts and fans alike that South Africa wins one in every third Rugby World Cup title. By these standards you should place your bets on the Springboks for 2019!

Place your bets at Sunbet and hope the Boks bring home the Rugby World Cup.