Rugby Union, known more simply as rugby, is a team sport that appeared for the first time in England, around two centuries ago. This form of rugby is based on running with the ball in your hand and it is full of great professional competitions that provide both entertainment as well as rugby union betting opportunities. If you enjoy playing or watching rugby union, this guide will tell you everything you need to know about how you can bet on it.

The Basics of Rugby Union

How Rugby Union Differs from Rugby League

Rugby union has a great deal in common with rugby league. For newcomers, the two sports may seem identical. However, they aren’t. Some of the most important differences are the following:

· Rugby union has 15 players per team, not 13

· In rugby union, the maximum number of substitutions is 8, not 10

· In rugby union, a try is worth 5 points, not 4

Other Rugby Union Rules

Just like in rugby league, matches last for 80 minutes. However, long stoppages, such as the ones for injuries or taking disciplinary action, do not count. Therefore, games can be much longer than 80 minutes. It is true, however, that rugby players tend to be very disciplined compared to other athletes.

Players can score in several ways. A touchdown gives you 5 points, a field goal gives you 3 points, and so on. The objective of the two teams is simple: score as many points as you can and defend to the best of your ability, so that the other team cannot score more points than you.

Rugby Union Competitions

Like basketball betting or football betting, rugby union betting has many events to choose from. Some of the most important rugby union tournaments are the following:

Rugby World Cup

The competition features 20 teams. This is the most prestigious event in rugby union. Rugby World Cup betting is very exciting but can only be enjoyed for less than 2 months every 4 years. Rivalry provides numerous Rugby World Cup odds for every match of this tournament.

Six Nations Championship

Six Nations Championship takes place once per year and brings together the representatives of England, France, Italy, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Six Nations betting may not give you as many chances to bet on your favorite teams as other competitions, but it’s still an unmissable event for rugby fans. If you’ve signed up on Rivalry, expect a wide variety of Six Nations Championship odds for every match of this tournament.

The Rugby Championship

The Rugby Championship was inaugurated more than 25 years ago and takes place once per season. It features the representatives of some of the best rugby union countries in the world: Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Argentina. The Rugby Championship’s betting opportunities are well suited for those who don’t have deep knowledge of rugby teams and only follow the world’s best.

Gallagher Premiership Rugby

Gallagher Premiership Rugby betting is for fans who want to watch and bet on rugby every week. The competition lasts for 26 weeks each year and is full of rugby betting opportunities. On Rivalry, Gallagher Premiership Rugby odds are available days in advance and address every type of sports betting preference.

Other Important Rugby Union Events

· British and Irish Lions

· Heineken Champions Cup

· European Rugby Challenge Cup

· Super Rugby

· United Rugby Championship

· Nations Cup

Whenever possible, follow these events if you’d like to learn more about the game. Betting on rugby doesn’t require you to be an expert at it, but it can definitely help to be familiar with its rules, the top competitions, the professional teams, and the prestigious players.

One great quality of rugby is that it’s extremely entertaining. You may not enjoy playing it yourself because it can be brutal, but watching other people play is always fun. And it can get even better if you bet on it live.

Rugby Union Betting Odds and Markets

If you don’t have any experience with rugby union betting, you will be pleased to discover that this form of sports betting is very similar to the rest, in the sense that it includes a wide array of betting markets to choose from. The following list includes many of the most common kinds of rugby union betting markets for which you will find sports betting odds:

Match winner

For each rugby union game, you can predict which team will be the winner. The sports betting odds can vary greatly based on the perceived strength of the competitors, as well as other factors, such as their previous results or the score between them. Since the live betting option is available, you can bet on the winner of a rugby union match almost at any point during its duration.

Match handicap

This rugby union betting market gives you the chance to predict the winner of a particular match under a modified set of conditions. The final score of the match gets adjusted based on your selected handicap. If you wager that team T1 will be the winner if it starts with an advantage or a disadvantage of X points, its final score will be modified by X.

Obviously, the greater the handicap, the bigger the odds difference. If you bet on a team and use a point advantage, your risk will be lower, but your rewards will decrease proportionally. However, if you bet that a team will win while playing with a huge handicap, the rugby union betting odds will be much higher and therefore, your rewards will be much bigger if your prediction proves to be correct.

1st half winner

In rugby union, the first half of the match consists of the first 40 minutes. If you don’t want to bet on the entire game and think that a team has excellent chances of winning the first or the second half, you can simply bet on it alone.

1st half handicap

This type of rugby union gambling market is similar to the one described above, but with one difference: the score gets modified by a handicap. The bigger the advantage that you choose for your favorite, the lower the risk and the lower the rewards. You can also use a negative modifier or a disadvantage, for slightly higher risks and bigger rewards.

Total points over/under

This rugby union betting market allows you to predict how many points will be scored in total during a match. You can wager that there will be over X points scored or under X points scored. The big advantage of this is the following: you no longer care about who wins. All that matters is how many points get scored by both sides.

For highly important games, such as a rugby union Grand Final, the rugby betting options you receive are usually a lot more diverse.

Rugby Union Betting Odds

Rugby union odds are no different from other sports betting odds. They suggest the probability of success of each team and can vary both prior to a game as well as while it is being played. If you wager on a particular game days in advance, you will notice that the rugby union odds don’t change as much from one hour to the next. But if you engage in live betting, the odds will change very frequently.

One advantage of working with rugby union betting odds on the fly during live betting sessions is that you get to see the teams on the pitch. It’s one thing to do some research ahead of a match and it’s a totally different thing to be able to analyze the competitors’ form and then take it into account when making your gambling decisions.

Rugby Union Betting Tips

Always do a bit of research ahead of a match and try to figure out what’s likely to happen based on the previous results. Injuries and recent transfers also play a huge role in determining a team’s real strength.

Betting on Rugby Union with Rivalry

As a sports betting site, Rivalry has high standards of safety and excellence. We are fully regulated and licensed, and have an Isle of Man Gaming License. Everything you do on our website will be 100% secure and your chance of getting scammed is 0.

Apart from rugby union betting, our sportsbook features sports betting odds for a variety of other sports and electronic sports. As a top bookmaker, we always add new titles to our list, on which you can bet with real money.

Upon signing up on Rivalry, you will receive a welcome bonus of up to $100, depending on how much money you deposit initially. The minimum amount is $15 and we’ll double everything up to $100. The bonus money you receive can be used to place bets on all of our sports and esports.

Occasionally, Rivalry provides customers with free bets and other special bonuses for big sporting events.

FAQs

What is the difference between rugby and rugby union?

Rugby union is just another name for rugby. There are no differences between them.

What is the difference between rugby league & union?

In rugby league there are fewer players per team but more substitutions are allowed than in rugby union.

Are there any bonuses for rugby league betting?

Yes, Rivalry offers a generous welcome bonus, so you can bet on your favorite rugby union matches.

Is Six Nations a rugby league tournament or a rugby union tournament?

Six Nations is a rugby union tournament.

Is betting on rugby union online legal?

Yes, online rugby union betting is legal, as long as the site in question is properly regulated and licensed in your country. Rivalry’s Isle of Man gambling license is one of the industry’s gold standards.

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