New Zealand rugby fans are less confident the All Blacks will win the World Cup this year than they were in 2003 when it was hosted by Australia, a survey shows.
The UMR survey of 750 people was conducted in March. It shows interest in the game is slightly higher this year, with 69% of respondents saying they are interested, compared with 66% in 2003.
Of those interested, 77% are confident that the All Blacks will win - significantly lower than the 85% who expressed the same view in 2003.
Confidence is lower among men than women.
Of all the teams in the competition, 39% rate South Africa as the All Blacks' most serious opponents, followed by Australia at 32% and England at 10%.
The survey has a margin of error of plus of minus 3.6%.
