With the World Cup due to kick off at the end of the week, there’s plenty of discussion being had around the route to the final for each individual country and how each are expected to fare.
Rugbypass have been at the forefront of the fan conversation thanks to their innovative prediction software which has drawn over 8500 fans to pass along their opinions.
In a surprising turn of events, the existing results of the still-running team picker are not concurrent of the latest World Rankings.
Current leaders of the World Rankings, Ireland, find themselves with just 15% of all fans predicting the side to win the competition for the first time, a surprising figure considering they are currently unbeaten 13 matches, including two victory’s over the All Blacks.
The front three runners are neck, neck and neck, with the 1987, 2011 and 2015 winners New Zealand being given the nod by fans to walk away with their fourth title at the end of October.
New Zealand’s 27.75% of votes leaves them with just over a 1% gap over rivals South Africa in the court of public opinion.
The hosts, France, sit in third place with a 23.79% expectation rate, a result that will surprise many considering the benefits that hosting the tournament can have on performance.
France have appeared in three World Cup finals in the past, coming out second best each time. Both the All Blacks and Springboks have each won the competition three times, whilst Ireland have suffered a quarter final exit every time they’ve reached the knockout stage.
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