Rugby may not be well-known in America \u2013 at least, not since the 1920s, when the US Team won back-to-back gold medals at the Olympics \u2013 but it\u2019s a big deal in other parts of the world, especially in Wales, where it\u2019s more than just the national game, but a national cultural symbol.<\/p>\n
Whether Howley\u2019s departure will affect the team on the pitch remains to be seen. Its odds of winning the tournament outright have drifted with some bookmakers following the news, although with most, Wales remains a 10\/1 joint-third favorite with Ireland.<\/p>\n
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New Zealand\u2019s All Blacks are far and away the favorites to win the World Cup, at 5\/4, with South Africa and England joint second, both at 4\/1.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
If you want a slightly longer proposition, you can have Australia at 14\/1 with most bookies. This is certainly not a vintage \u201cWallabies\u201d team, but you can never rule out the Australians. The two-time World Cup winners looked dangerous at times in the recent Bledisloe Cup, which included a victory (followed by defeat seven days later) against the All Blacks.<\/p>\n
And if you like a real outsider, you can have the USA at 1,500\/1 \u2013 although not if you are an assistant rugby coach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Japan Rugby World Cup is just days away from kickoff, and the Wales team is reeling from the news that its long-time assistant coach, Rob Howley, has been sent packing for an alleged betting infringement. The Welsh Rugby Union announced Tuesday that Howley had flown home from Japan to \u201cassist with an investigation in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":115123,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,16],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Wales Coach Howley Booted from Rugby World Cup Over Betting Violation<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n