While it rarely grabs the headlines, rugby is one of the most popular sports in the world. For anybody looking to wager on the outcome of any game, this guide explains how to bet on rugby.
While you are bound to be familiar with the Six Nations, Challenge Cup Final, or World Cup, this alone will not allow you to make an informed choice. So get ready to discover all you need too know, including the markets you can bet on, and the factors affecting how, why, and where you could be placing a wager.
When placing a wager on a rugby match, there is plenty to consider. So you can make an informed choice, this guide takes you through what you need to know. We can’t necessarily tell you
how to bet on rugby
and win, but you’ll find out about the different markets involved and which factors affect the results on the pitch, so you can avoid rookie errors and make your learning curve less steep, especially if you are developing your own strategy.
What Type of Rugby Will You Be Betting On?
When mentioning rugby, two different scenarios might spring to mind, and that might depend on where you are in the UK. Without using too much of a generalisation, if you are in the south, you are probably thinking of rugby union, and in the north, rugby league. These are very different modes of the games, and there are some major differences involved:
Rugby Union
Rugby League
Game time
2 x 40 min halves
2 x 40 min halves
No of players per team
15
13
Tries score
5
4
Conversions
2
2
Drop Goals
3
1
Penalty Kicks
3
2
As you can see, these factors can make a major difference to what types of bets you might want to place and what the outcome might be. Despite all of these differences, many of the available bets are the same for both disciplines.
Which Markets Can You Bet on in Rugby?
As you’ll also see in our guide on
how to bet on cricket, sports betting has plenty of markets based on both team and player performance. Not all of these will feature at every bookmaker for every match, but you need to be aware of the possibilities you have for wagering on the game.
Outrights
– which team will win the game? League or competition
Points scored
– this might be per team or total, by the final whistle, or at half time
Try scorers
– who will score the first try, you can also find markets for who will score the most tries or points
Handicap betting
– when one team is the clear favorite, a handicap can be applied to provide more competitive odds
Spread betting
– wagers on the margin of win against the expected outcome set out by the bookie. This is complicated enough to have its own guide, so we’ve also created
picks against the spread explained
to help you here.
You can, of course, create multiple and accumulators based on these markets, so you could have team X to win with player Y to score the first try to improve any potential winnings , but at an increased risk.
What Factors Affect the Outcome of a Rugby Match?
That’s quite a long list of available betting options – and there are several factors that will affect how a wager on any of them will turn out. These can be separated into on-field and off-field factors, with a few examples of each:
On-field Factors
Team and player form – if a team or player is out of form, of course it will affect how they perform in a game. It might not just affect the overall result, but the number of tries or points, or whether or not a player who would usually be a dead cert to score the first try is mostly anonymous for 80 minutes.
The weather, wind and rain will affect how the ball moves, and can mean that fewer conversions are made and penalty kicks attempted as well as line-outs becoming a potential lottery. Muddy pitches can also affect mobility, the outcomes of scrums and tackles.
Refereeing style – some refs like to let games flow, and might not be so strict when it comes to penalties. Others could blow up regularly and play is restarted with scrum more often, which can be an advantage to the team with the better pack.
Injuries – if a star player is injured halfway through a game. It can affect not only the ability of their team to win, but also their morale.
Off-field Factors
Team morale – it doesn’t matter how good a team is on paper, if they are not ‘up for it’, they are likely to come off second best. The same goes for player performance.
Injuries – as well as on-field injuries, there can be injuries during training or even while warming up. A sudden change in the line-up because a star player is injured right before a game can massively affect the odds.
Head to head record – some teams will have ‘bogey’ teams they never seem to beat, or historically one team has the edge on another in encounters.
Consequences of the result – if a team is fighting for relegation or promotion, they are likely to try harder than a team that has settled for mid-table obscurity. The same goes for players who feel they have something to prove as opposed to those who are confident in their selection each week.
Finding the Right Betting on Rugby Strategy
There are plenty of betting strategies around, but not all of them will be a good fit for you. What works best will depend on a number of factors, which include the amount of time you have, your betting preferences, and, of course, your attitude to risk. Regardless of which one you choose or even develop yourself, the best ones share these common factors:
Sensible bank management – each wager in a strategy does not put undue stress on your overall balance, typically using only 2-5% of your total funds. This stops a losing run from wiping you out, and your wager sizes increase as you become more profitable.
The strategy is based on plenty of data. Noticing a pattern over a single weekend does not make a strategy, you need to look at lots of data before you come up with your plan.
Top 3 Rugby Betting Tips
🏆 Find the right place to bet
There are plenty of bookmakers around with markets for rugby, so use the reviews and ratings on this platform to help you find the one that is the best fit for you, along with the best bonus and rewards.
📈 Always look for the best odds
Regardless of what shape your bets take, you’ll want the best odds possible – look for a bookie with boosts or special deals on multiple bets if that’s your style. It might not seem worth it, but even the smallest difference can have a huge effect on your bank over the course of a season.
🎯 Stick to your strategy if you have one
The weakest point in any betting strategy is normally the person using it. It’s easy to go chasing losses or think you know better or
how to hedge a bet
when you shouldn’t, but for the record following gut instinct rarely works in the long term.
Conclusion – How to Fill in Any Gaps in Your Rugby Betting Knowledge
It’s only a short guide, but now you’ll know at least the basics of how to bet on rugby. You’ll know that there are different factors when betting on rugby union or league matches, as well as the many markets available for wagering on a team result or player performance. Of course, there are factors that influence these results, both on and off the field, so savvy rugby betters look at those as well. Armed with all the knowledge, you can take the first step to placing your first well-informed bet on rugby, you can start building your own strategy, and on this page you’ll find links to the best places to get started.
How to Bet on Rugby FAQs
It can be very easy to bet on rugby as most bookmakers will have plenty of markets to choose from and a simple betting process. However, to make that wager an informed one, you’ll need to do your research into each of those markets and the factors that could affect their outcome.
The best rugby strategy will vary according to your betting style and attitude to risk, but they should all have some factors in common. They have sensible bank management and rely on research not gut instinct and allow you to wager responsibly.
This will depend on your own knowledge and research, so you should place wagers on the one you are more familiar with. In general the best bookmakers will have plenty of markets and competitive odds for both, so you pick the one that you are most comfortable with.
