Rugby betting explained- How to bet on rugby
Rugby is a growing sport around the world, and it is becoming more popular to bet on. It has tonnes of markets and is a relatively high scoring game, so generally, it is great for betting. Here we will take you through the different codes as well as the rules and the ways to bet on it. With all the information you will ever need to know, by the end of this you will be an expert at betting on rugby.
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Basic Rules of Rugby Union
- To win a match, you outscore your opponent
- A match lasts 80 minutes, two halves of 40 minutes.
- Points can be scored by the following methods, tries (5 points), conversions (2 points), penalty kicks (3 points) and drop goals (3 points).
- Each team is made up of 15 players.
- The ball can only travel backwards while in play, the only exceptions are if a player opts to use the ball with their boot or head.
- In the event of a break of play a scrum can be used to restart play, these are used after knock-ons (losing the ball forward) or forward passes.
- If the ball is out of play, then a line out is used to restart play, this is when the ball is thrown in over arm.
- In all other restart events, a free kick is taken.
Tries are scored when a player applies downward pressure on the ball inside the opponent’s goal area. The goal area is between the try line and the dead-ball line. A player must be deemed to be in control of the ball when a try is scored. Therefore, a try can only be awarded if the player has the ball securely in his hands.
Conversions are awarded after a try is scored and awarded to the team that scored the try. This works in a similar format to a penalty kick in that the player has to kick a dead ball between the opponent’s goalposts and above the crossbar.
Penalties are awarded after a team commits an offence and are scored from a dead ball situation. The penalty must be kicked from where the offence took place and in order to score points be kicked between the opposition’s goalposts and above the crossbar.
Drop goals are scored when a player kicks the ball between the opposition’s goalposts above the crossbar. The ball must hit the floor first before the ball is kicked a drop goal.
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Basic Rules of Rugby League
- To win, you must outscore your opponent
- A match lasts 80 minutes, two halves of 40 minutes.
- Points can be scored by the following methods, tries (4 points), conversions (2 points), penalty kicks (2 points) and drop goals (one point).
- Each team is made up of 13 players.The ball can only travel backwards while in play, the only exceptions are if a player opts to use the ball with their boot or head.
- Each team can only have the ball for a period of 6 plays (tackles). A tackle is when the player in control of the ball is taken to and held on the ground. After a team has completed 6 plays they must then hand over possession to the opponent. It is common for teams to take advantage of kicks when on their 6th phase in order to gain more ground.
- In the event of a break of play, a scrum can be used to restart play, these are used after knock-ons (losing the ball forward) or forward passes.
Rugby Betting Rules – Rugby bets are all settled within the normal 80-minute time frame of a game. That is inclusive of additional time for stoppage and overtime while the ball is still in play.
If a game is abandoned, then all bet’s will be settled void and refunded. If a match is postponed pre-game, your bet can still stand if the game is re-arranged and played within seven days of the original fixture date.
Tries are scored when a player applies downward pressure on the ball inside the opponent’s goal area. The goal area is between the try line and the dead-ball line. A player must be deemed to be in control of the ball when a try is scored. Therefore a try can only be awarded if the player has the ball securely in his hands.
Conversions are awarded after a try is scored and are awarded to the team that scored the try. This works in a similar format to a penalty kick in that the player has to kick a dead ball between the opponent’s goalposts and above the crossbar.
Penalties are awarded after a team commits an offence and are scored from a dead ball situation. The penalty must be kicked from where the offence took place and in order to score points be kicked between the opposition’s goalposts and above the crossbar.
Drop goals are scored when a player kicks the ball between the opposition’s goalposts above the crossbar. The ball must hit the floor first before the ball is kicked for a drop goal.
Handicap
In Rugby, there are 3 possible results, but often one side is much stronger than the other, the betting has to be adjusted to make it attractive, and bookies do this with the handicap. In Rugby the bookies will handicap the team they feel is more likely to win, they do this by starting them on minus points, the other team then has a plus handicap. The idea of this is to even out the chances of the 2 and in theory make betting more even.
A good example of this might be team A – 5. and team B + 5. or draw, so if you bet on team A to win on the handicap, they would have to win by 6 or more points to win your bet. Alternatively, if you bet on team B + 5. your bet would win if they won the match, or if they lost by 4 or less points. However, if the points deficit is 5 points then the game is a draw on the handicap
Most bookmakers will offer alternative handicap markets; this allows you to pick a handicap market which suits you best. As well as this, most bookies will also offer handicaps on each quarter and half meaning you can bet on the handicap winners for each quarter or half.
Handicaps can also be offered in 2-way markets; this is when the teams are handicapped on the half-point line, for example, 5.5. When this is done there is only two possible winners and no draws. This is a much more attractive betting opportunity to the punter.
Total 2-way
A 2-way market which is always an overs and unders market. The bookmaker will set a line for punters to bet under or over a certain total of points to be scored in the game.
Draw-No-Bet
A 2-way market which eliminates the draw and you bet on a team to win the match. If the match ends in a draw, your bet will be void, and your steak will be returned. If your selection wins you make a profit, if the game finishes as a draw, then the bet is a void and refunded, if your selection loses your bet is settled as a loss.
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Total 3-way
A 3-way market where you are betting on a number of points to be scored. The bookmakers will set 3 different lines/margins on how many points will be scored in the game.
Match Result With Draw
A 3-way market in which you bet on a team to either win lose or draw.
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Totals
The total amount of points to be scored in a game, this is a two-way over and under market.
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Race to (points)
The bookmakers set a number of points for this market to bet on. You then place a bet on which team you think will reach that number of points first. Alternatively, if you don’t think either team will reach the amount of points set by the bookmaker you can predict that ‘neither’ will reach the total.
1st Half Handicap 2-way
In Rugby, there are three possible results, but often one side is much stronger than the other, the betting has to be adjusted to make it attractive, and bookies do this with the handicap. In Rugby the bookies will handicap the team they feel is more likely to win, they do this by starting them on minus points, the other team then has a plus handicap. The idea of this is to even out the chances of the 2 and in theory make betting more even.
A good example of this might be team A – 5. and team B + 5. or draw, so if you bet on team A to win on the handicap, they would have to win by 6 or more points in the 1st half to win your bet. Alternatively if you bet on team B + 5. your bet would win if they won the half, or if they lost the half by 4 or fewer points, however, if the points deficit is 5 points then the half is a draw on the handicap.
Most bookmakers will offer alternative handicap markets; this allows you to pick a handicap market which suits you best. As well as this, most bookies will also offer handicaps on each quarter and half meaning you can bet on the handicap winners for each quarter or half.
Handicaps can also be offered in 2-way markets; this is when the teams are handicapped on the half point line, for example, 5.5. When this is done there is only two possible winners and no draws. This is a much more attractive betting opportunity to the punter.
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1st half total 2-way
Similar to the total 2-way market except you are betting on the amount of points to be scored in the first half of the match.
Double Result
This bet is technically a double bet. The first part of the bet is predicting who will have the highest points at half-time in the game; this is a three way market of win-draw-win. The second part of the bet is predicting the outcome at full time; again this is a 3-way market of win-draw-win.
Winning margin
A market used specifically to make betting on rugby more appealable and competitive. This is betting on how much one team will beat an opponent within normal time of a game.
First Scoring Play
For this market, you have three potential outcomes to bet on a penalty, try or a drop goal. This is a bet on how the first points in the match will be scored. Penalty kicks are always at the lowest odds as it is more common for penalties to be scored early on in games. When placing this bet, a useful tip is to wait until kick-off to find out who is kicking off. Take into account a team’s style of play when putting this bet on, teams with stronger packs are more likely to win penalties.
Team To Score First
As the title explains you are placing a bet on which team will score the first points in the game. The punter can gain a slight advantage by waiting to place the bet just before kick off when they know which team will have the kickoff.
Team Scoring First Wins Game
A two-way market in which you are betting on whichever team scores first in the game will then go on to win the game. In this market, the option of ‘yes’ will always be the favourite as whoever scores first will then have an advantage over the opponent.
Number Of Tries
Predicting the numbers of tries within a match. This is a two-way market in which the bookmaker has set a line/number of tries. You can either bet ‘yes’ or ‘no’ in reference to the amount of tries to be scored within the normal time of a match.
Team To Score First Try
A prediction on which team will score the first try in a match. Again a useful tip is to wait until just before the game starts to find out who is kicking off the game.
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Time Of First Try
This is a two-way market where punters will bet on whether a try will be scored within the timeframe set by the bookmaker. You can either say yes you think there will be a try within that time or no there will not be a try scored before the stated time.
Will Any Team Score 3 Unanswered Tries
Either team must score three tries in the game without the opposition scoring a try in between. Penalty tries count.
Highest Scoring Half
A 3-way market which you place a prediction on which half will contain the highest number of points scored. You can bet on the first half, second half or tie. A tie means that there will be the same number of points scored in the first half as the second half.
Team With Highest Scoring Half
Placing a bet on a team to score the highest number of points in either half of the match.
To Win Both Halves
Placing a bet on a team to win both the first half and the second half. This is a two-way market where you can say yes one team will win both halves, or neither team will win both halves.
Team To Score Last
Placing a bet on which team will score the last point in a match, this can be from either a try, penalty or drop kick.
Team Total Points 2-way
This is a 2-way market which means there are two possible outcomes for you to bet on. You are betting on how many points a particular team will score in the game. This is an overs and unders market which the bookmaker will have set a line for punters to bet over or under.
Total Team Tries
The basic point to this bet is to predict a team to score over a certain amount of tries or to score under a certain amount of tries.
Scorecast
Works as a double bet, you must correctly predict the first try scorer in a match and the correct result at half time W-D-W.
Type Of Tournament Bets
Outright Winner – This is placing a bet on a team to win a tournament or championship. You can also place an each-way bet on a team in a particular tournament or championship which means that if your team places you will receive a payout. Most people will back a team to simply win outright if they are at a smaller price. Alternatively, it is commonplace for people to back teams each way at higher odds as they see value in it.
Top Try Scorer Betting – This is a bet on a player to score the most tries in a tournament/championship. When placing this bet, there are many factors to consider such as team form, injuries, player form, suspensions, injuries, and schedule.