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The seventh Rugby World Cup begins this week in New Zealand and all eyes are on the hosts to see if they can make their dominance show and go all the way to claiming their second title?

The 2011 rugby world cup gets under way on September 9 and concludes on October 23, during which time the teams will compete for supremacy from the initial group phase all the way through to the final in Eden Park, Auckland. Every nation from the four pools of five teams will play each other once and the top two from each group will advance to the sudden-death elimination rounds.
The World Cup is returning to New Zealand for the first time since the inaugural tournament was held there in 1987, and this will be the seventh one in total to take place.

South Africa's Springboks are the reigning champions and they certainly won't be easy to overcome, but early indications have the hosts as outright favourites, with neighbours Australia second favourites and the defending champs third.

Vital Statistics

New Zealand hosted and won the initial World Cup in 1987 and are still looking for that elusive second title. Only South Africa and Australia have won it more than once.

Hosts New Zealand are in Pool A along with France and the world of sports betting has these two as front runners to advance from this pool.

Grouped with England and Argentina, Scotland are a popular outside bid to progress from Pool B and make it through to the quarter-finals.

In Pool C, Australia, Ireland and Italy will be fighting it out for just two available spots in the next round

Samoa will be on a high after their recent defeat of Australia and so fancy themselves to emerge from Pool D. Which two from Samoa, South Africa and Wales will it be?

Russia are the only country making their debut at the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

No defending champion has ever retained the title.

Apart from France, every other side to have lost in a final has also won one.

England are the only northern-hemisphere side to have won the title and did so the last time it was held in the Southern hemisphere

The Rugby World Cup is one of the biggest sporting events in the world. The colour, passion and drama of it combine to create a sporting event full of excitement, enjoyed by fans the world over. Hosts New Zealand will be hoping that the colour of this particular tournament is all black!

Don't miss a moment of the excitement of this year's competition, and be sure to do all of your World Cup betting right here at Titan Bet.