The Rugby Sevens series moves onto Vancouver this weekend for the Canada leg. It will be played at BC Place Stadium from March 11th-12th and promises to be an exciting event! We break down the top contenders and give our betting tips below.
2018 Rugby Sevens - Vancouver Favourites Preview
South Africa will start as the favourite once again and they’re coming off their first non-medal series so far. So that should be extra motivation to win this one. They lost to Argentina and earned 15 points in Las Vegas. However, they still lead the series with 92 points, 10 ahead of New Zealand. Speaking of NZ, South Africa have been drawn against them in Vancouver which is going to be very interesting. The South Africans have finished second in back to back series in Vancouver so if they get past NZ, they’ll be tough to beat.
Fiji is the second favourite and they dominated through the early stages in Las Vegas but a close loss to the Kenyans seemed to hurt their confidence going forward. They lost the semi-final against the USA. But they did beat the South Africans for the bronze. They finished third in Vancouver in 2017 so they’ll be looking to continue their winnings ways in 2018.
Next in the betting is the Kiwis. New Zealand lost a close quarter-final against the Fijians in Las Vegas and will likely find it tough again in Canada. They’re in the same group as South Africa and will need to pull off a number of upsets to win this series. They haven’t earned a medal in their last three series and they finished outside the top three last year in Vancouver.
Australia had a tough time in Las Vegas with a quarter-final loss against South Africa. They also lost against New Zealand in the 5th place playoff. Their draw is tough with matches against the home side Canada and the winners from last series USA. The Aussies also earned just 10 points in the 2017 series in Canada. So it looks like another tough series for Australia.
After winning in Las Vegas, the USA has been given a comfortable draw in Canada. They play against Australia, Canada and Uruguay. They thrashed Australia in Las Vegas and will have enough points in them against Canada and Uruguay. No country has gone back to back this season but the USA should enjoy more home-field advantage across the border. They are in winning form and rank inside the top 5 for points scored. So I can see them making at least the semi-finals again.
Argentina made the final in Las Vegas and is becoming a team to watch in the outsider markets. They’ve finished second in two of the last four series (also includes a bronze). They have a great draw as well. They should beat Wales and Samoa with their toughest match against England. However, a 28-0 loss in the Las Vegas final could dent their confidence.
England is the reigning champs in Vancouver after they beat South Africa in the final. They looked solid in Las Vegas with easy wins against Canada and Wales. Then they finished off the series with three straight admiral 5 point losses against South Africa, USA and New Zealand. They have finished with 10 points in four straight series so their winning form just isn’t there at the moment.
World Rugby Sevens - Vancouver Outright Betting Tip
It’s tough winning back to back series even though the USA offer great value at $15. Despite being placed in the same Pool as New Zealand, South Africa has been the most consistent side in the last five Rugby 7s. They have finished outside the top three just once and rank 1st for points scored. So I’ll be backing them to win in Vancouver at CrownBet.
TIP: South Africa to win - $2.40 at CrownBet
