Rugby Union Betting
Betting on rugby is a great way to get closer to the action and these days you can wager on every kick, conversion and try from matches across the world.
Whether you love Six Nations betting or prefer to follow the Premiership and European Championship odds, there’s a market for everyone at Bet UK when it comes to betting on rugby.
The world’s biggest leagues – The Premiership, Top 14, United Rugby Championship and Super Rugby – feature the sport’s superstars every week and provide punters with ample opportunity to place sport bets.
Rugby union is different to rugby league in that is features two more players per team (15 instead of 13) and the rules for tackling and the breakdown differ greatly. They are different sports and are treated as such – and this page focuses solely on union.
Rugby Union Betting odds
Betting on rugby is a great way to get closer to the action and these days you can wager on every kick, conversion and try from matches across the world.
Whether you love Six Nations betting or prefer to follow the Premiership and European Championship odds, there’s a market for everyone at Bet UK when it comes to betting on rugby.
The world’s biggest leagues – The Premiership, Top 14, United Rugby Championship and Super Rugby – feature the sport’s superstars every week and provide punters with ample opportunity to place sport bets.
Rugby union is different to rugby league in that is features two more players per team (15 instead of 13) and the rules for tackling and the breakdown differ greatly. They are different sports and are treated as such – and this page focuses solely on union.
How to bet on Rugby Union
Rugby Union betting is very straightforward. Like most sports in the Bet UK sportsbook, you can bet on exciting markets such as match winner, correct score, over/unders and even individual players.
Placing a rugby bet is done the same way every time. First create a Bet UK account or sign into your profile, and then head over to the rugby odds. You’ll see all upcoming matches and tournaments, and will be able to wager on thousands of different outcomes.
Simply select the odds you want to back, enter your stake in the bet slip and check the risk and reward before clicking ‘Place Bet’. If you want to create rugby accumulators or build more in-depth bets then this can easily be done on the betslip too!
And remember, the betslip is where you can use your free bets and other offers to reduce your risk or increase your odds.
Rugby Union Betting Markets
There are multiple ways of betting on Rugby Union, firstly these are divided into whether or not you're looking to bet on individual matches or other Rugby Union competitions.
So, outright competition betting, for example if you're betting on Ireland to win the Six Nations, you'll be looking for outright six nations odds. However, if you're looking for Ireland V France and you're backing Ireland to win, you'll want to look for individual matches. When betting on Rugby events, it's worth looking at the most successful team in recent years and see if they're favourites to win the next Grand slam.
Most Rugby Union bets will come in the form of in-play betting markets such as standard betting markets such as the team to win. The main variant on this betting market is Handicap, where you bet on a win with a minimum winning margin, so if we keep the example of Ireland V France, you would back Ireland -4.5 and receive increased odds to see them as the victor.
You can also bet on the total points, try scorers, player specials and match events such as betting on individual halves of the game, the timing of tries and penalties during the game.
Best Rugby Union odds
Finding the best rugby odds isn’t difficult. Bet UK offers some of the best sports odds on the planet and we’re constantly updating our prices to give our community the best chance of winning big.
When it comes to betting on rugby most punters find it beneficial to wager on the team totals markets. These bet types usually focus on points betting, such as +/- a total number of points scored in the match, or by a specific team.
These over/under markets are ideal for punters who believe an upcoming game will feature plenty of tries, or feature very few. In fact, it’s also the best way to bet on rugby when it’s a one-sided game, as wagering on the favourites to simply win would offer very little reward.
Rugby Union betting tips
Rugby betting is slightly different to betting on other team sports such as football or hockey where the points are generally quite low. In rugby – like in NFL and Basketball – the high number of points scored lends itself to wagering on specific points markets.
That’s why over/under score betting is so popular, as well handicaps. Betting on a rugby team to win with a -14.5 handicap, for example, is a great way to back a heavy favourite and inject some life into the odds. This is a popular bet when Six Nations teams play Italy, when the All Blacks host teams in New Zealand, and when the likes of Saracens and Exeter play minnows from the Rugby Championship.
So the next time you see a heavily-weighted fixture, consider why rugby’s low odds on one team can be beneficial. It’s because they are practically a dead-cert to win, and therefore you can play the rugby union handicap betting markets to flesh out the odds.
It’s also worth looking at playing styles and how they impact rugby betting. Teams such as New Zealand, Argentina and Ireland generally prioritise free-flowing rugby, while France and South Africa are more dogmatic in their bruising approach, and rely more on points kicked through penalties, than stylistic tries.
Therefore, betting on few tries being scored but plenty of points nonetheless is probably a good tip when a game involves Les Bleus or the Springboks. Meanwhile, the bar for total tries betting in a match between New Zealand and Australia is likely to be set high.
Biggest Rugby Union tournaments to bet on
The rugby calendar moves in a four-year cycle that is bookended by the Rugby World Cup. Here are the biggest tournaments to keep an eye on:
The Premiership – England’s top domestic division runs from September to June and culminates in the final at Twickenham.
Top 14 – France’s elite domestic league that houses the best players in the world. It also runs from September to June.
Six Nations Championship – An annual event involving England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy that takes place every February and March.
Autumn Internationals – The Southern Hemisphere countries tour Europe every November, setting up some mouthwatering encounters.
Lions Tour – The British & Irish Lions tour one of Australia, New Zealand or South Africa every four years in the summer. They are made up of the best players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
Rugby World Cup – Held every four years, the Rugby World Cup is the sport’s showpiece international tournament. New Zealand and South Africa share the record for three World Cup victories each.
When it comes to betting on rugby, many fans wait until the game gets underway to enjoy live sports betting in action. This is particularly popular during major international tournaments such as the Six Nations and Rugby World Cup betting, where in-play rugby odds are changing all the time.
The speed with which international matches can suddenly change makes them perfect for live betting. Punters are challenged with timing their bets to perfection in order to get the most out of the latest odds, and are rewarded for reading the game well.
Rugby Union betting on Mobile
Remember, you can also download the Bet UK app and bet on rugby on mobile wherever you are. Now there’s no need to log onto your computer to place sports bets, because the Bet UK app features our full range of odds.
This means you can bet while watching rugby in the pub with friends, or even at the game itself! What’s more, the Bet UK app is perfect for storing your account details, meaning you can withdraw and deposit funds with ease.