Rugby World Cup 2019: who will be top points scorer in Japan? Owen Farrell, Beauden Barrett and Johnny Sexton expected to challenge

Can anyone match Simon Culhane’s 45 points in a single match, a record set in All Blacks’ 1995 World Cup win over Japan

Place kickers for tournament favourites expected to challenge 2015 winner Nicolas Sanchez

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England’s Jonny Wilkinson was a huge point-scorer at the Rugby World Cup. Photo: AFP

Published: 4:36pm, 15 Sep 2019Updated: 4:36pm, 15 Sep 2019

The Rugby World Cup in Japan is likely to be decided by the boot of one player and the odds are he will play for one of the teams expected to go the distance in the tournament.

Jonny Wilkinson won it for England in 2003 and the man who is in the conversation for greatest kicker of all time is certainly the best in World Cups. He played 19 times in World Cups from 1999 to 2011, scoring 277 points.

They came from just one try and the rest from his trusty boot – 28 conversions, 58 penalties and 14 drop goals.

It is also a kicker that has the record for the most points in a single match. New Zealander Simon Culhane’s total of 45 in the All Blacks’ 1995 World Cup thrashing of Japan will be hard to beat this time out. Culhane scored one try in the 145-17 blowout and also kicked 20 conversions.

Betting odds for the highest point-scorere at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

So who are the players most likely to challenge Wilkinson and Culhane in Japan over the next eight weeks?