Rugby World Cup 2023: Who are the favourites?

Picking a favourite for this year’s Rugby World Cup was a tough call for the former England hooker Brian Moore, a longtime bête noire for the French. Now a sport columnist at the "Daily Telegraph", Moore has predicted a final showdown between old rivals France and New Zealand on October 28, backing the hosts to clinch their first title on home soil.

“I don’t really like saying that,” he quipped with a grin in a video released on Wednesday. “But they do produce some very good wine.” 

Most analysts agree that France’s 2023 vintage is their best yet, striking an almost perfect balance between the “French flair” of old and a tighter, more disciplined style. But the hosts are not the only team to enter the World Cup in fine form.

Ireland, who beat France to the Six Nations title this year, are also tipped to end the Southern Hemisphere’s 16-year hold on the Webb Ellis Cup. Standing in their way are three-time winners New Zealand and South Africa, the current title holders.

Those four four teams have an almost equal chance of clinching the title, according to data analysts Opta, whose latest forecast gives Ireland a 21.7% probability of winning the competition, only marginally ahead of France (21.4%), South Africa (20.5%) and New Zealand (20.2%).

Here's how the final @OptaJonny tournament predictor views percentage likelihood of teams winning RWC.

Recent form, historical success, and fixture difficulty are among factors involved. Opta say they simulated the RWC 10 million times to get these percentages.

What you reckon? pic.twitter.com/WEWv4gF9OM

A quirk in the tournament draw, however, has landed all four teams in the same half of the competition, setting the stage for some tantalising clashes early on in the tournament – and