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Regardless, if you will fancy a punt on Rugby World Cup, Six Nations or any other domestic competition, these are rugby union betting sites as listed in this page that tick all the boxes.

SBO.net offers you an edge against other betters by pointing out online bookmakers with competitive rugby betting odds, handsome welcome bonuses and much more. Sign up at one of our recommended rugby bet sites to place a wager on your favorite team.

Best Betting Sites in Rugby

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The Differences Between Rugby Union and Rugby League

Rugby is divided into two main codes: rugby union and rugby league. After a debate on broken time payments, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) split from the Northern Rugby Union in 1895 which is now known as the Rugby Football League and we ended up with two forms of rugby.

Even though the two codes have numerous similarities, for example both play with oval-shaped balls, games of 80 minutes each and use H-shaped goalposts, the acrimonious schism led to changes being made to rugby league rules hence ending up with two distinct types of this game.

Rugby online betting comes with a few things to know about rugby union and rugby league; these are the main discrepancies we need to talk about:

  • Rugby is all action for 80 minutes. No ad breaks after every play, which is the reason a typical American football game lasts four hours.
  • Rugby is played by two teams of 15 players. American football teams rotate between three groups of players: attack, defence, and special team players.
  • Rugby union players absorb bone-crushing hits with almost no protective gear. American football players wear helmets, shoulder pads, gloves, and other equipment.

Rugby Union

A team in a rugby union consists of 15 players. Unlike the game of rugby league, there are no max tackles that can be made before the ball exchanges possession. If the ball goes out of play a line-out takes place while scrums and mauls occur frequently. In rugby union, one try is worth five points while conversions gain two points each. Three points are scored for both penalty kicks and drop goals.

Rugby League

In rugby league, the teams consist of 13 players each. The rugby ball is oval, smaller in size and heavier than a union ball hence it cannot be kicked as far and does not bounce back predictably. After six tackles the team with the possession has to give away the ball. A tap and go method takes place when the ball goes out of play. A try scores four points while conversions score two. In penalty kicks, two points are scored whereas drop goals score one point each.

Rugby union players competing in scrum

Why Rugby is Better Than American Football

Is rugby better than American football, is what many visitors ask us. Comparing the two favorite contact games of England and the United States has always been a thing, but we would prefer watching and betting on rugby union than anything else.

  • Rugby is all action for 80 minutes. No ad breaks after every play, which is the reason a typical American football game lasts four hours.
  • Rugby is played by two teams of 15 players. American football teams rotate between three groups of players: attack, defence, and special team players.
  • Rugby union players absorb bone-crushing hits with almost no protective gear. American football players wear helmets, shoulder pads, gloves, and other equipment.

With this information, you now understand our choice for rugby union compared with American football. Now, let us compare several teams from each of these sports. We have developed this infographic to examine the 2018 Super Bowl Champions (the Philadelphia Eagles) and England’s national rugby team.

Top 5 Arsenal v Chelsea Head to Head: Trophy Cabinets, Player Profiles, Team Records and More. For more information on how the two clubs compare in terms of trophies won, players’ profiles or their teams’ records click on the matching image below:

Rugby or American football? Click here to discover the superior sport.

NFL v Rugby Union graphic

The Most Popular Rugby Union Betting Markets

To start with, it is important to note that there are different types of bets when it comes to rugby betting.

One must have the knowledge about how to place bets on a game and which bet is best to make. What would be more profitable, betting on a match’s outcome or its points? Here are six of the most famous types of rugby betting markets according to me

Match Result

Most fans of rugby prefer betting on match results. There are three likely outcomes when you decide to bet on match result: win either for the home team, away team or a draw.

In case you bet on one team to win, your wager succeeds only if the team finishes with a higher score than the opponent.

Rugby is always a game where any team can win and that’s why tied matches are almost unheard of, therefore the best rugby betting sites should offer odds of 20.00 or more on the most unlikely results occurring.

Match Handicap

At rugby betting websites, people also love handicap bets. There is usually a great difference existing between two teams, and in the process, small odds are created which are not worth having.

Can you bet that New Zealand will beat Georgia at odds of 1.05? No? What about All Blacks winning with the handicap of -21.5 on 1.90? This value bet would mean that All Blacks must win by 22 points at least.

Total Points

Are you expecting an exciting match with lots of attempts? Or maybe what you are looking forward to is a match characterized by a high number of mistakes in handling and a scarcity of opportunities that lead to scoring? By choosing the total number of points available for betting, you can support your view.

Online bookies on the internet employ advanced computer models for forecasting match outcomes and then they can establish over/under from there. This means that if you bet for over 39.5 points, you require a minimum of 40 points in order to win that bet.

First Scoring Method

Another popular rugby betting market is the first scoring method. In rugby union, points can only be scored in three different manners: any try will do, a penalty or a drop kick.

Nevertheless, drop goals are rare enough that the game is unlikely to start with them as the first scoring play. So you would do better by selecting between a try and penalty for the first score in the match. Therefore, you should consider how each team plays and their tactics.

Try Scorer Markets

Betting on the player who will score a try can be very profitable because there are thirty players in every match. The various try scorer markets are available in Rugby betting sites.

There are bets that can be made on the first try scorer, next try scorer, double scoring player or even hat tricks. Rugby betting odds usually have short odds for backs since they are smaller and faster. The second row players score less tries hence higher rates.

Double Result

Another interesting betting market found at rugby betting sites is the double result. You must correctly predict the halftime and fulltime results of a match.

For instance, you may place a bet on England leading South Africa at half time but the Springboks to finish off well and win the game. Since there are so many possibilities, you can take advantage of good odds including a draw.

Bet on Major Rugby Union Competitions

There are many betting opportunities in rugby union, a sport that has fans everywhere in the world. Our summary of rugby union competitions to bet on provides information on where to place wagers for you who only bet on international games as casual gambler or you as an ardent rugby fan who bets on it every weekend.

International Competitions

Rugby World Cup

For rugby union, the quadrennial Rugby World Cup is the biggest event in its calendar. In 1987, the first edition of the tournament was held and New Zealand won it beating France 29-9 in the final to lift the prestigious Web Ellis Trophy. Every time online bookmakers release their Rugby World Cup betting odds, All Blacks are always considered as clear favourites.

Six Nations

The Six Nations Championship is played by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France and Italy each year. Each of the teams plays with all five opponents once in every tournament and every team has a chance to play at home or away. This is called a Grand Slam for winning all matches and Triple Crown for winning three matches.

The Rugby Championship

Before Argentina made it a quartet, the tournament was recognized as Tri Nations. The rugby championship comprises of New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Pumas which is nicknamed the Six nations of the Southern Hemisphere. It also doubles up as a platform to decide who wins the Bledisloe Cup Freedom Cup Mandela Challenge Plate and Puma Trophy.

British & Irish Lions Tours

Every British and Irish Lions tour is also offered odds by the best rugby union betting sites. Every four years, the best players from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland are selected to play for the British & Irish Lions on a tour to Australia, New Zealand or South Africa. Apart from Tests, Betting markets on any number of warm-up matches that take place during each tour.

Domestic Competitions

Premiership Rugby

This is the highest category in the English rugby system. It consists of twelve groups such as Exeter Chiefs, Saracens and Leicester Tigers. The best sides will qualify for the European Rugby Champions Cup and the European Rugby Challenge Cup while last team on the league table will be relegated to RFU Championship.

Super Rugby

Among the teams that have participated in Super Rugby are those from South Africa, Argentina, and Japan. At present, the league is has ten teams from Australia and New Zealand like Crusaders,Chiefs,Brumbies and Waratahs. There are indications that Moana Pasifka and a Fijian team could be added to the competitive league by 2022 season.

PRO14

PRO14 comprises of 12 teams in Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. It is one amongst three major professional rugby leagues in Europe (together with the English Premiership and French Top 14) where the most successful clubs earn European rugby berths. Leinster are usually strongly backed by bookmakers for the PRO14 title ahead of Scarlets and Ulster.

Top 14

The Premier rugby Union league in France, Top 14, was shaped in 1892. Rugby Pro D2 which is the second tier and Top 14 have promotion and relegation between them. The name of the league implies that there are fourteen teams contending for the title annually. These include Toulouse, La Rochelle, Racing 92, ASM Clermont Auvergne as well as Toulon.

Win More With Our Rugby Betting Tips

Now that you have discovered how to bet on rugby union, let me help you make money out of it.

Check the Weather Forecast

Rugby is a sport that is played in all weather conditions and it is important to check the forecast before starting the match. It is much easier for players to pass and catch the ball when it’s warm and dry.

Whenever it rains, there is going to be many knock-ons and scrums formed. Rain often results in a lot of low scoring matches with lots of scrums. A selection of rugby betting sites furnish players with information on playing conditions.

Analyse Each Team

Not every team can perform these ways, no matter how exciting it is to watch the All Blacks attack and then finish their opponents clinically. Many teams need to keep hold of the ball as much as they can and advance a little at a time until they get close enough to score a try.

In order to make money from your rugby wagers, it is important for you to understand different styles and strategies of playing. Defensive-minded teams often try to force opponents into mistakes and then capitalize on them.

Find the Best Rugby Odds

Why bet on a team at odds of 1.60 while you can lock in 1.75 elsewhere? This may seem like a small difference for one bet, but there is no point in leaving money on the table.

There is a list of some sites here that you can create an account with and see the odds for rugby betting for any match you want to bet on. This ensures that you can get the highest profit margins by playing at such odds all the time.

Take Advantage of Major Events

Major companies in rugby betting invest huge chunks of money on advertising campaigns anytime there are major events such as the Rugby World Cup and Six Nations. As an inducement for new clients, they offer them fascinating giveaways like free bets and sign up bonuses during this time.

By opening an account with online sportsbooks that you have not registered on before and taking advantage of these temporary deals, one can exploit this kindness.

Rugby player placing ball on kicking tee

A Brief History of Rugby

Rugby began during the 19th century as a public school football game. It was initially ball transfer competition where players couldn’t run with it. Sometimes, there were no set limits of the number of people within the field.

The first laws of the game which permitted running with the ball were formulated by Rugby Boys School in 1870. The sport is now played around the globe, and is especially popular in the Commonwealth countries. In 2016, Rio Olympic Games included rugby sevens for the first time as an Olympic sport since 1924.

In recent days, most of the available bookies on the internet offer rugby betting and give odds for nearly all professional rugby games and events happening world over. Rugby is a sport that is among the big leagues in this planet and gambling on it has become a multi million business.

Ready to Bet on Rugby Union?

If you want to wager on who will win the Premiership or back the All Blacks to triumph in the next Rugby World Cup, this is where you can find the greatest odds as well as widest range of betting markets for rugby union that are reviewed below.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best rugby betting sites?

At SBO.net, we have reviewed hundreds of online bookmakers to bring you a list of the best rugby betting sites. Each of these sites offers an array of pre-match and in-play betting markets, competitive rugby betting odds, and generous bonuses for all new and existing customers.

What is the best betting app for rugby?

The best betting apps for rugby allow you to bet on matches with the click of a button. These apps are available on all Android and iOS devices, each boasting user-friendly layouts that make it easy for you to navigate to the rugby section and bet on the latest matches.

How do you bet on rugby union?

Sign up at one of our recommended rugby betting sites and navigate to the banking section. Select one of the payment methods and add funds to your account. Next, you must find the rugby union section. Select an event to bet on, add a selection to your betting slip, and enter how much you want to bet.

What is the best bet in rugby union?

It depends on the quality of the teams involved. If they are evenly matched and their odds are similar, you can make a nice profit by correctly predicting the winner of the match. If one team is a firm favourite, it makes sense to take advantage of the handicap or total points betting markets.
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