With Ireland ready to face off against Japan in their next meeting tomorrow (8th November 2025), it’s irrefutable that Rugby Union fans from both countries – and beyond – have been anxiously watching the teams’ recent performance to see which might be the most likely candidate. And, of the two, there’s one team in particular that stands out as the likely candidate to bring home the win, with certain bookies offering odds so short that it hardly seems worth betting in many cases.
But is this really the reality, or could a surprise win come out of the bag? Let’s take a look!
What are the Current Odds on Ireland vs Japan?
At present, there’s a very strong divide in the odds between Ireland and Japan to win their upcoming Rugby Union match tomorrow, with the former being the favourite by far. In fact, while Japan’s odds are sitting at around 28/1 (29.0) with most bookies, Ireland’s odds are far shorter, with odds of around 1/200 () being the average for most bookmakers like Ladbrokes. Meanwhile, a few bookies in particular seem especially confident in Ireland’s chances of winning, such as Sporting Index and BoyleSports, offering 1/750 and 1/1000 respectively. Those sorts of odds are very rarely seen indeed, and indicate just how confident the bookies are in Ireland’s ability to play on top form.
With that being said, things aren’t all that clear cut. Indeed, given the bookies are so confident in Ireland’s abilities, it seems likely they’d be far less confident in Japan winning. Ironically, though, bookies odds on Japan are consistently shorter than the odds of a draw! For example, BoyleSports is currently offering odds of 28/1 for Japan to win, but a far longer offer of 50/1 (51.0) for a draw. Perhaps an indication that the bookmakers are confident both teams will be playing to the best of their abilities and unlikely to settle for a tied result?
Could Japan Seize a Lucky Win in their Rugby Union Match?
As the odds show us, the bookmakers seem pretty confident that the match will end in a win for one team or other, with Ireland definitely being the clear pick. With that being said, though, they were annihilated during their recent match against New Zealand, so it’s not a given they’ll necessarily be able to pull off the win. Still, Japan’s three-streak of losses don’t exactly paint a particularly bright picture, so the match tomorrow is undoubtedly swinging in one direction for now.
That said, there’s everything to play for, and it would definitely make for an incredible match if Japan were able to hold their own (or even clinch the win).
Final Thoughts
While Ireland are the clear favourites to win their match against Japan in the Rugby Union, we’d be remiss to say Japan have no chance whatsoever – although they’ll naturally need to bring their A-game. Indeed, given their recent form, Japan would definitely be pushing their luck to win, but it’s far from impossible, especially if Ireland’s recent loss is any sort of indication.