Rugby, whether it’s League or Union, might not be a leading sport in the US, but across the rest of the world it’s a hugely popular pastime. In the online sports betting world, a number of European bookmakers offer a selection of rugby options for those with an eye on value. Although the market isn’t nearly as extensive as sports such as football or horse racing, it’s possible to speculate on a variety of domestic and international matches.
In general, the main rugby bets you’ll find in the online world are win bets, which require you to place money on the team that will win. However, if you delve into the market a little further, you’ll find a selection of additional wagers, including: handicap bets, the number of tries scored, winning margin bets and halftime/ fulltime results.
Of course, before you set off and try to score a betting try in the rugby betting world, you need to think about your strategy. Although there are many angles to consider, there are some core skills you need to master before you ante-up and they are as follows:
Adopt a Broad Mindset: If you were betting on a match between Harlequins and London Irish you need to consider a range of factors, including: previous match-ups, home advantage, how each team has fared in the last few games and any relevant team news. Taking into account all these factors will give you far more insight into the likely result of the game and will ultimately increase your chances of success.
Size Your Bets: Once you’ve established who you are going to bet on, it’s important to consider how much you are going to wager. As with all situations where you are betting money, it’s important to never risk more than you can afford to lose. As a general rule you should never risk more than 2% of your bankroll on a single bet.
Look Out for Value: The final skill you need to master if you want to become a profitable rugby bettor is spotting value. In-play betting gives you the ability to risk money during a match and you can often find a lot of value if you’re able to act quickly.
For example, a bookie may put up odds of 3:1 for a losing team to come back and win a match. If you know that this particular team tends to play a more attacking style when they are losing, then this bet would become an extremely inviting proposition.
Rugby betting might not be the first thing you think of when you size up the sports betting market, but it shouldn’t be an option you overlook. Although the number of betting options might be slightly smaller than other sports, there is a lot of value to be had if you take some time to look hard enough.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Rugby Union and Rugby League, often simply referred to as “rugby” and “league”, as the latter is the offshoot of the former, are two modes of rugby play.
Rugby Union has 15 players on the field, infinite tackles, and is more famous internationally.
Rugby League has 13 players, a limited about of tackles, and is predominantly famous in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.
Further, the two types have different methods of counting points, and other small rules specific to each type of rugby.
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Yes, tackling is very commonplace. There are rules against certain types of contact, such as high tackles, neck, or air challenges. Rugby players wear less protective gear than most other athletes, and its not uncommon for a “blood-bin” to be placed along the field.
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The top tournament in rugby, as in most other sports, is the World Cup. In this case, of course, the Rugby World Cup.
A more selective and exclusive, yet still popular, tournament is the Six Nations Championship, but only England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, and Italy are allowed to participate.
As a response to the Six Nations, there is the Americas Rugby Championship, where United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Chile compete.
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The New Zealand team, known as the “All Blacks” for their all black uniforms, is universally recognized as the strongest team. They famously perform the Haka, a Māori war-dance, in their international matches, to intimidate their opponents, and invigorate themselves.
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Rugby is most popular in the English speaking pacific, namely Australia and New Zealand, and the British Isles, namely Great Britain and Ireland. Outside of those regions, rugby sees a lot of play in Canada, South Africa, and a select few countries in South America.