Wales v Australia  Prediction, Preview & Odds – Rugby World Cup

We have a Wales v Australia prediction for you along with the betting odds ahead of a massive clash in Rugby World Cup Pool C this Sunday.

Wales v Australia Match Info

When? 8.00 pm, Sunday, September 24^th

Where? Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu, Lyon.

TV Channel? ITV 1/ Virgin Media One

Wales v Australia Betting Odds

The betting market in this one is tight, Australia are the marginal favourites at 5/6. On the other hand, Wales are Evens while the draw could prove value at big odds of 28/1.

Handicap Betting

Wales: +1 @ 10/11

Australia: -1 @ 10/11

Handicap Draw: -1 @ 10/11

Click Below For The LIVE Wales v Australia Odds

Wales v Australia Preview

Wales’s Form

Wales opened their 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign with an opening weekend thrilling 32-26 victory against Fiji. However, had it not been for a Fijian fumble in the 81^st minute they would have lost the game assuming the conversion went over.

Next up for Wales was an easier game against Portugal. They beat the Portuguese 28-8 and a victory here would secure their qualification from Pool C. That game probably didn’t tell us much about this Wales team but the performance against Fiji indicates that there is very little separating them from the other two top teams in this pool.

The Welsh are the number 7 ranked side. Their best-ever finish at a Rugby World Cup came in 1987 when they finished 3rd.

At the most recent World Cup, they won their Pool which is almost identical to this year’s Pool having included Australia, Fiji and Georgia, while Uruguay were the other side.

Wales won their Quarter-Final 20-19 against France before a narrow 16-19 defeat in the Semi-Final against eventual winners South Africa sent them to the third-place playoff. They would lost that game 40-17 to New Zealand.

Head Coach Warren Gatland is amidst his second spell in charge of the nation after replacing Wayne Pivac. Depending on performance at this competition he has an option of a four-year contract.

Gatland’s second spell hasn’t yielded much in the way of success to date. In the 2023 Six Nations, his Welsh side won one game against Italy and lost their other four matches.

Wales started their summer World Cup warm-up games well with a 20-9 win over England. However, the wheels fell off in the remaining two games as they then lost 19-17 to England and 16-52 to South Africa.

Welcome To The BoyleSports Blog

Let’s reward you with some Free Bets!

Sign up to BoyleSports in Ireland & GET €40 FREE BETS WHEN YOU BET €10! T&Cs apply

Sign up to BoyleSports in the UK & GET £20 FREE BETS WHEN YOU BET £10! T&Cs apply

Australia’s Form

Australia kicked off their 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign by beating Georgia in rather comfortable fashion, 35-15. That victory ended a five game losing streak for the Aussies.

However, in the next game, they had a shock 15-22 loss to Fiji meaning they must win here or their qualification hopes will be in massive jeopardy.

The Wallabies are the 9th ranked nation in world rugby. This is a proud rugby nation having won two Rugby World Cup titles, the first in 1991, the second being in 1999.

At the last World Cup, Australia came second in their pool to Wales before being defeated 40-16 against England in the Quarter-Final.

Eddie Jones, who first managed his native country from 2001-2005, is back for his second stint in charge since being re-appointed this year

The form line coming into this year’s World Cup didn’t make for pretty reading. The Wallabies lost all three of their outings in the Rugby Championship. Those losses were: South Africa 43-12 Australia, Australia 31-34 Argentina, and Australia 7-38 New Zealand.

Results didn’t improve in World Cup warm-ups either. The Aussies lost their two warm-up matches for the tournament with a 23-20 defeat against New Zealand and a 41-17 loss to France.

Key Players To Watch

Josh Adams

The Welsh wing wizard loves a Rugby World Cup having been top Tryscorer at the 2019 tournament. He started this year’s tournament in a similar try scoring vein by scoring one try in their opening 32-26 win over Fiji.

Adams was rested for the Portugal game although he would come on in the 70^th minute. You can expect the Cardiff wing to be the primary try threat for Wales again against Australia.

Mark Nawaqanitawase

Australian Rugby may be in the doldrums at the moment, but the Waratahs Winger (23) is already of one the country’s bright lights. What is even more remarkable is he only switched to Rugby Union from Rugby League at fourteen years of age.

In 2022, following a successful campaign with both Australia A and the Waratahs, Nawaqanitawase was named in the Australian squad for the 2022 Autumn Internationals series. The 23-year-old has been arguably one of Australia’s best performers at the tournament so far with a try to his name in their loss against Fiji.

A star performer for Australia at the weekend

Happy birthday to #RWC2023 try-scorer Mark Nawaqanitawase 💪 pic.twitter.com/ajMfI4tK5R

— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) September 11, 2023

Wales v Australia Rugby History

Since 1908 Australia and Wales have competed against each other in rugby union in 45 matches. Australia have won 31, Wales 13 while there has been 1 draw.

In the Rugby World Cup, they have faced off seven times with Australia leading that record 4-3. However, Wales have won three of the last four in all competitions.

Wales v Australia Prediction & Best Bet

Prediction: Wales 15-24 Australia

This is a tough call with two sides in very poor form and quite fragile. Australia need to win this one though so there is more pressure on them to perform.

It will be a tight affair but I think the Aussies pull it out of the bag to open up this group even further.

Best Bet: Winning Margin Australia 6-10 points @ 11/2

The other big game this weekend at the Rugby World Cup is South Africa v Ireland and you can find our preview of that game here.

Click Below For All Our Wales v Australia Odds

*Prices subject to fluctuation

Remember, always gamble responsibly. Here’s our Safer Gambling Guide.