England heavily favoured to win World Cup

England are red-hot Rugby World Cup favourites with bookmakers after bettering the Black Ferns’ world record winning streak in women’s test rugby.

Last week’s 74-7 rout of Wales in Bristol was England’s 25th win in a row since 2019, beating the Black Ferns’ run of 24 successive test victories between 2002 and 2009.

The Black Ferns were the last team to beat England, 28-13 in San Diego in 2019, but the Red Rose trounced the Kiwis twice on last year’s northern tour (43-12 and 56-15).

With the TAB in New Zealand, England are $1.50 favourites to win this year’s women’s World Cup in New Zealand after their last and only world title in 2014.

The Black Ferns are second at $3.25 and France are third at $6.50, with that trio the clear favourites of the 12 teams to contest the tournament in October and November.

Since Wayne Smith became the Black Ferns coach in April, they have beaten Australia three times, and Canada and the United States, for five successive wins ahead of their final warmup test against Japan at Eden Park on Saturday.

Canada are fourth at $21.00 and the other closest outsider is Australia at $51.00.

The World Cup odds are similar in overseas betting markets.

Several British and Australian bookmakers have England as favourites at about $1.50, with the Black Ferns as low as $2.88 but around $3.00 and France between $9.00 and $12.00.

British bookmaker William Hill has England at $1.53, the Black Ferns at $2.88 and France at $12.00.

The Australian TAB has England as high as $1.60 and the Black Ferns at $3.00, with France at $9.00 and Canada as low as $15.00.

The Black Ferns are reigning world champions, have won five of the seven World Cups since the first in 1991, and are still considered a greater chance than France.

That’s despite France winning in their last four meetings against the Black Ferns since 2018.

France were second to England in this year’s women’s Six Nations but also suffered a shock defeat in their last test to Italy this month, 26-19 in Biella, after beating them 21-0 the previous week in Nice.

The French were playing a more experimental side in their final warmup match before the World Cup, but it was an upset nonetheless.

A gauge of their form will be more clear once they face World Cup favourites England in a blockbuster pool match in Whangārei on October 15.

The World Cup’s 12-team format makes it hard to predict what path each team needs to take to make the final.

The quarterfinal lineup will only start to take shape in the final round of pool matches on October 22 and 23.

The eight progressing to the knockout stages will be seeded from first to eighth from their position in their respective pool and most competition points scored, with first playing eighth, second against seventh, third against sixth and fourth against fifth.

The Black Ferns begin their defence of the World Cup against Australia at Eden Park on October 8.

They take on Wales and Scotland in their other pool matches at Auckland’s Waitākere Stadium and Whangārei’s Northland Events Centre respectively.