How to Bet on Rugby

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Read this “How to Bet on Rugby” guide for a full overview of rugby betting. We’ll provide our best betting tips, best rugby events, the most popular rugby betting markets and the best Australian bookmakers for betting on rugby.

Continue reading our How to bet on Rugby guide below.

Rugby events to bet on

Read on for an overview of the more popular betting events for rugby:

Rugby World Cup – The most popular rugby betting event is the World Cup. It’s played every four years and has a competition for Men and Women. The Men’s tournament will be next played in Japan, 2019. New Zealand are the current champions (2015) and have won the most titles (3). The next Women’s World Cup will be played in Ireland, 2017.

International matches – During the year, Rugby Union countries will play against each other in tournaments, series or one-off matches.

Bledisloe Cup – The Bledisloe Cup is played between Australia and New Zealand after the Super Rugby season. New Zealand have dominated the series lately as Australia haven’t won the Cup since 2002.

Lions Rugby Union Tour – The Lions team consists of Rugby Union players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They tour Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in four year cycles. In 2017, they toured New Zealand and the next tour will be in South Africa, 2021.

Six Nations Championship – A Rugby Union tournament played between six countries in Europe: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. England have won 38 Six Nations titles.

The Rugby Championship – Played between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa after the Super Rugby season.

Super Rugby – The Super Rugby competition is played between club teams in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan and Argentina. The tournament starts in February and the final is usually played in early-August. The Crusaders have won the most titles (7) and the Hurricanes are the current champions. In 2018, the competition will reduce teams from South Africa and Australia.

Main rugby betting markets

In this section, we’ll review the most popular rugby betting markets available.

Head to Head

Betting on the head to head winner is the most basic form of Rugby Union betting. In general, odds over $1.50 for a head to head market are recommended for a single bet.

Multi betting

Placing a Rugby Union multi-bet is another popular betting method. A multi can include: head to head, line, total points and more. A multi bet is a more recommended option for value odds as each leg will increase the odds.

Handicap / Line

The line or handicap represents the favourite and the underdog by a number of points. The team with minus points is the favourite Rugby Union team to win the match. While, the plus is assigned to the underdog. The plus line is ideal for backing a closer match than expected. The minus handicap would be more suited for a mismatch.

Total points

Rugby Union betting also includes the total points. The number of points is determined by the bookmaker. The total points can reach under or over the total points. The under total points is recommended for an expected low scoring Rugby Union match. While the over points is ideally the best option for a match with two high scoring teams.

Margin betting

Rugby Union betting has two main categories for the margin: 1-12 and 13+. The 1-12 margin usually provides value odds and is an ideal bet for two evenly matched teams. While the 13+ margin is a more recommended bet for a match with a heavily backed favourite.

Futures

Most popular bookmakers will offer betting markets for Rugby Union futures. These can include: Rugby World Cup, Super Rugby winner, Bledisloe Cup winner and more.

Rugby betting strategies

This section will provide the best Rugby betting strategies.

Head to head record – In Rugby Union, the head to head record between two teams is the most popular betting strategy. It’s important for finding any form patterns and a history between each side.

Form – While the head to head record is the most popular betting strategy, the form of each team in a Rugby Union match should also be looked at. A form Rugby Union team will be a better bet as they have more confidence and their players are gelling together on the field.

Venue – The venue record of a Rugby Union team is another betting strategy. If a team has a good or bad record at the venue, this will be a useful guide for Rugby Union betting.

Home Field Advantage – Home Field Advantage is huge in Rugby Union as the home crowd can influence the result. The best example would be playing against the All Blacks in New Zealand as they’re rarely beaten at home. The same can be said for New Zealand Super Rugby teams. They went 27-0 against Australian teams in 2017.

Injuries – Injuries for a Rugby Union team can be another betting method for the underdog. If a more favoured team is missing key players, they’re likely to struggle.

Best Rugby betting sites

The following section will provide our review of the best Rugby betting sites in Australia.

Bet365 – Live in play betting options is the best reason for choosing Bet365 as a Rugby Union bookmaker. They also provide the best live streaming matches in comparison with the competition. As they provide for an International audience, Bet365 are also more recommended for Overseas Rugby Union matches.

Ladbrokes – Ladbrokes is the best option for Rugby betting as they provide the best Rugby promotions. For Super Rugby matches, Ladbrokes will have price boosts and per-match promotions. They also have markets for lower-level Rugby in Australia. Compared to Sportsbet, Ladbrokes generally provide a better line betting value.

Sportsbet – In our review, we found that Sportsbet offer some of the best odds for the underdog in Super Rugby matches. This is especially true for betting on Australian Super Rugby teams. The bookmaker also has a wide range of future markets, including the World Cup two years in advance.