The All Blacks have recently slipped down the official rugby world rankings after a couple of losses. The iconic team is not as invincible as it used to be, having suffered several recent defeats to South Africa's Springboks, Argentina's Los Pumas, and Ireland's The Wolfhounds.
The Rugby World Cup in France 2023 is scheduled to commence on September 8th, and it will run until October 28th. The question being asked here is, 'should the All Blacks experiment with their selection before the world cup begins to test new players and teams?' Find out more right here.
Should the All Blacks try something new?
It's unlike the All Blacks to suffer so many defeats in such a relatively short space of time. Therefore, is it time the head coach, Ian Foster, to tinker with the selection and try out new systems, or should he stick with the current system that doesn't seem to be working as well as it used to?
There's still plenty of time before the 2023 Rugby World Cup, so perhaps it's better to start trying new things sooner rather than later. As an aside, online sports betting platforms have been quick to recognise the SUDDEN decline, shown in the longer than normal odds being offered on the All Blacks lifting the trophy, and to be fair they are more often right than wrong.
Where is the Rugby World Cup 2023?
The upcoming Rugby World Cup in 2023 will be held in France, and it will get underway on September 8th. The final is scheduled to take place on October 28th. There will be a total of 20 teams competing against each other, and the New Zealand All Blacks are in band 1 (aka pool A) with France, Italy, Uruguay, and Namibia.
In the opening game of the Rugby World Cup, New Zealand will play host nation France at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis. The All Blacks' next game will be against Namibia at Stadium de Toulouse in Toulouse before playing Italy on September 29th at the OL Stadium in Lyon and then against Uruguay on October 5th at the OL Stadium in Lyon.
It's a little too early at the time of writing for any World Cup betting, but markets should be available soon. In the meantime, it's still possible to place a wager on any Rugby Union or Rugby League match at numerous fully licensed sites. Online sports betting in New Zealand is legal, but you must be at least 20 years old.
In most other countries where online gambling is legal, the minimum legal age to bet online is generally 18. However, in certain countries, states, and provinces, it's 21. If you are going to place a real money wager, remember to gamble responsibly, set deposit limits from the moment you sign up to a site, and never chase your losses.
Recent All Blacks results
The All Blacks recently lost 26-10 to the Springboks at the Mbombela Stadium in South Africa before beating them 35-23 in their next match at the Ellis Park Stadium in South Africa. They lost their next game to Los Pumas 25-18 at the Orangetheory Stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand, but then went on to beat Los Pumas 53-3 in their next match just a week later at the FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand.
More recently, they managed to beat the Wallabies 39-37 at the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, before beating them again in their next match 40-14 at Eden Park in Auckland, Australia.
Can the All Blacks win the 2023 Rugby World Cup?
Based on their current form, it's not yet clear whether the All Blacks can win the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Changes will need to be made from now until the start of the tournament to try out new players, formations, and strategies. They have just under 12 months to prepare, which should be plenty of time, but anything can happen from now until the start of the world cup. They could improve, or they could get worse. Only time will tell.
However, knowing the All Blacks, they will no doubt use the time to build a world cup winning team that will further cement their name into the history books. They are currently positioned at the fourth spot in the official world rankings, which is behind South Africa (#3), France (#2), and Ireland (#1). They certainly have a lot of work to do to improve if they want to start getting results and be the world's number 1 again.
