Rugby World Cup 2023: What predictions for Wales?
by Steve Ashfield | by Kevin Richard
Wales Need to Improve and Fast
Wales have never made it to the final of a Rugby World Cup. They have been beaten semi-finalists in two of the last three tournaments but it may be asking a lot of them to repeat that feat in France.
This year has not gone well for Wales with a string of defeats and just one win in the 2023 Six Nations tournament. They head to France to play in Pool C and are the third highest ranked country. Australia and Fiji are both slightly higher in the latest rankings so Wales have to show improved form to get into the knockout stages. Remember to check out Rugby World Cup 2023 Rugby World Cup predictions page throughout the tournament.
Inexperienced Squad Named By Wales
16 of the players named in the Welsh squad will be playing in their first Rugby World Cup. They are missing some key players due to injury and retirement and that's not going to help their chances of reaching the knockout stages.
Wales have named two co-captains for this tournament. Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake have been given that responsibility despite the fact they've played less than 20 internationals between them. Their squad also contains just two specialist scrum halves so they better stay fit for the pool stages and hopefully the knockout rounds. George North (above) has 114 caps and his experience will be important in France.
Warren Gatland is again the coach but his team has been struggling for results. Eight of their last ten matches have ended in defeat. Their most recent match saw them host current world champions South Africa on August 19 and they lost 52-16. Before that they won and lost against England.
The Six Nations was hugely disappointing for Wales this year. Four out of five games were lost and over 30 points conceded in three of them. Their only win came against Italy.
Can they get out of this pool? The highest ranked side are Australia who are eighth, two places ahead of Wales. The Wallabies are also struggling for results with their last four games ending in defeat. Like Wales, they have only won two of their last ten matches. Fiji are ranked ninth and we'll look at their form later on this page.
Georgia are 11th in the rankings after recently winning the European championships and beat Wales last year. Portugal are the weak link in the pool and in their only game against Wales lost 102-11. Wales have their work cut out to make it into the knockout stages where likely opponents are England or Argentina.
2023 Rugby World Cup - Wales Fixture List
Whether Wales can reach the knockout stages of the 2023 Rugby World Cup might be known after their first match. As you can see below, they start with a vital match against Fiji. Australia are their fourth game and the hope will be that by the time they take on Georgia they will still have something to play for.
- Wales v Fiji - September 10th - 20:00 - Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux
- Wales v Portugal - September 16th - 16:45 - Allianz Riviera, Nice
- Wales v Australia - September 24th - 20:00 - Parc Olympique Lyonnais Decines-Charpieu
- Wales v Georgia - October 7th - 14:00 - Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes
You can follow all the action from every single game on our Sportytrader Rugby World Cup Livescore.
What Bets to Make for Wales in the 2023 Rugby World Cup?
Wales are 34.00 at bet365 to return home from France as world champions. We don't recommend you place a bet on them even if you are a dedicated fan of the Welsh team. They aren't in form and have an inexperienced squad. Dan Biggar (above) will be a key player and used to playing in France as his club side is Toulon.
Can they win Pool C? They are 3.5 at Vbet to do so with the same bookmakers offering 1.4 on Australia and 12.00 for Fiji. Wales have had some great battles with Australia in the past and did beat them in the 2019 Rugby World Cup. This is the penultimate pool match for Wales so best to see how they and the out-of-form Wallabies get on in their first two matches.
Their opening game is against Fiji and Wales are 1.4 at Betfair to win with their opponents available at 3.1. Fiji recently won the Pacific Nations Cup but have been beaten by France, Ireland and Scotland. 16 years ago Fiji beat Wales in the Rugby World Cup but in 2011 were beaten 66-0. Two subsequent matches in the last two tournaments have been won by Wales by a combined aggregate of 22 points. Wales can get off to a winning start. To see all the prices, go to our Rugby World Cup odds page.
The game against Portugal is one for handicap bettors with Wales likely to win comfortably. Georgia won't be easy and they did beat Wales last November. It's still a game Wales should be able to win.
When will they be eliminated? 1.66 at William Hill for it to be in the quarter finals looks a good bet to make. The same bookies have them at 5,00 to lose in the last four and that could also be worth a small bet on if they were to find form.
