$5.8m bet on All Blacks win

Only one person will be sweating more than the All Blacks during the rest of the Rugby World Cup - a mystery gambler who has bet A$5 million ($NZ5.8 million) on the team to win the tournament.

The wager - believed to be one of the largest in sports betting history - was placed with Australian bookmaker Betfair.

At odds of $A1.71 the brassy bettor will reap a cool $A8.55 million if the All Blacks can end a 20-year world cup drought.

Betfair refused to discuss the gambler's identity or nationality, but said it was one of the biggest bets ever placed through the site.

Kiwi gamblers, possibly mindful of their team's past cup calamities, have been much more restrained.

TAB head bookie Paul Lally said the biggest bet received on the All Blacks so far was $100,000 - at the shorter odds of $1.55.

He said the multimillion-dollar punt was almost unheard of for a sporting event. "The biggest I've heard of was 1 million on Brazil to beat France in the 1998 football world cup final. "Brazil lost 3-0."

In New Zealand, strong early performances by South Africa and Australia had seen the TAB's odds on the All Blacks lengthen marginally, now up to $1.60.

The Springboks odds have been slashed, from $7 to $4. The Wallabies are third at $7, host nation France $9, and defending champion England is an outsider at $50.

- © Fairfax NZ News