Ireland World Cup Rugby betting preview

Ireland’s stocks for the Rugby World Cup 2019 have plummeted of late, with international bookmakers offering as much as 10-1 about their chances in Japan.

Late last year the men from the Emerald Isle were being talked up as potential world champions after beating the All Blacks for a second time as well as sweeping through the Six Nations unbeaten.

But their form has tapered off somewhat and it would take a staggering turnaround for the men in green to challenge the likes of New Zealand, South Africa, Wales and England.

Of course, it is a massive frustration for Ireland that they are yet to advance past the quarter-finals at any rugby World Cup.

But it must be remembered Ireland coach Joe Schmidt still has some of the world’s best players at his disposal and if they can’t lift for a World Cup, they can’t get up for anything.

ALSO READ:

Where Ireland will finish in the 2019 Rugby World Cup

WGL prediction: Quarter-finals. Unfortunately for the Irish, they have landed on an extremely tough side of the draw with a likely quarter-final match-up against the All Blacks or the Springboks. It’s crucial for them to win Pool A and avoid the likely winners of Pool B, the Kiwis. Having said that, the South Africans are only slightly less daunting opposition.

Previous best World Cup result: Quarter-finals in seven of the eight previous World Cups

Ireland’s remaining pre-World Cup fixtures

August 31: Wales v Ireland, Ireland tour, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
September 7: Ireland v Wales, Wales tour, Lansdowne Road, Dublin

Ireland’s Rugby World Cup draw

Match 6: Ireland v Scotland, Sunday, Sep 22, Pool A, International Stadium Yokohama
Match 14: Japan v Ireland, Saturday, Sep 28, Pool A, Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa
Match 22: Ireland v Russia, Thursday, Oct 3, Pool A, Kobe Misaki Stadium
Match 36: Ireland v Samoa, Saturday, Oct 12, Pool A, Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium

Ireland’s most recent results

February 2: England 32 d Ireland 20, Six Nations, Lansdowne Road, Dublin
February 9: Ireland 22 d Scotland 13, Six Nations, Murrayfield, Edinburgh
February 24: Ireland 26 d Italy 16, Six Nations, Rome
March 10: Ireland 26 d France 14, Six Nations, Lansdowne Road, Dublin
March 16: Wales 25 d Ireland 7, Six Nations, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
August 10: Ireland 29 d Italy 10, Italy tour, Lansdowne Road, Dublin
August 24: England 57 d Ireland 15, Ireland tour, Twickenham, London

Ireland’s record against Pool A rivals

Scotland: Played 136: won 64, lost 67, drawn 5. Points for: 1547, Points against: 1428
Japan: Played 7: won 7, lost 0. Points for: 336, Points against: 114
Russia: Played 2: won 2, lost 0. Points for: 97, Points against: 15
Samoa: Played 6: won 5, lost 1. Points for: 209, Points against: 103

Ireland squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup

Coach: Joe Schmidt

Forwards: Cian Healy, Dave Kilcoyne, Rory Best, Niall Scannell, Sean Cronin, Tadhg Furlong, Andrew Porter, John Ryan, James Ryan, Iain Henderson, Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne, CJ Stander, Peter O’Mahony, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan, Rhys Ruddock.

Backs: Rob Kearney, Jordan Larmour, Keith Earls, Jacob Stockdale, Andrew Conway, Chris Farrell, Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki, Garry Ringrose, Jonathan Sexton, Joey Carbery, Jack Carty, Conor Murray, Luke McGrath.

Leading try-scorer prediction for Ireland

Jacob Stockdale: He has made a phenomenal start to his career on the wing but his chances of being the leading try-scorer overall have declined with the slump in Ireland’s form. If the Irish can turn it around and get past a likely tough quarter-final match against New Zealand or South Africa, Stockdale could easily top the charts overall. A deadly finisher.

Ireland predictions – can they turn the tide?

In the Six Nations earlier this year, Ireland were expected to contend but were handled a little too easily for our liking by northern hemisphere powerhouses England and Wales. Their final lead-up matches could bring rapid improvement but they would want to. Just seem to have lost the killer pressure they brought to matches during their previous stunning run in the Six Nations. While our prediction is that Ireland will bow out in the quarter finals, keep an eye on their early games, and if there is a spike in form jump on.

Relevant news