Rugby is mainly popular in countries like New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Fiji, Canada, Ireland, England, and Scotland. You may think that football still rules in these countries and that is still true. However, rugby remains the second most popular sport in these countries, especially for the winter team sport. This is easily why betting on rugby is very popular in these places.
Betting on rugby can be profitable when done correctly – it also adds an element of fun and excitement when you are watching rugby on the TV. But when it comes to setting a strategy, there are some important guidelines to consider.
Now, before you place any bets, you always need to know the basics and when it comes to rugby, one of the first things that you should learn is that Rugby Union and Rugby League are different from each other.
Well, both share the same basic rules and principles, but there are distinct differences. First of all, Rugby Union has two teams with fifteen players each, while Rugby League has two teams with only thirteen players each.
For both games, the players or teams can score through trys. For Rugby Union, after a try, the offensive team has the opportunity to score two more points by kicking the ball through the posts that are H in shape. That score is called a conversion. Rugby Union also has the so-called ruck or when the attacker is tackled to the ground, and maul, which is when the attacker stays on his or her feet.
The Rugby League, meanwhile, has no rucks and mauls. Instead, the attacking side can only retain possession by rolling the ball back to their teammate with their foot. The Rugby leagues also only allow the attacking team to be tackled up to six times before they will be required to pas the possession to the other team. This is something that Rugby Union doesn’t have.
Those are just a few things that you should know about the differences between the two types of rugby games that people would wager on. It is important that you know this to avoid any confusion when you are already placing a bet.
After knowing the difference between the two, you should also know that there are a few ways for you to place your bets on a rugby match. Here they are and what they are about.
- Betting on the outright results
This has to be the most common type of bet, not only on rugby but also on most sports. With this type of bet, you will have to choose a team that you think will win. Just remember that you should know how to read odds to effectively place your bets.
- Accumulators
This type of bet is when the profits from a first bet are added to a second bet with the original stakes. This means that if that bet wins, it is added to a third bet or so. A five-bet accumulator or a fivefold means that you placed more than five bets. That is also called permutations.
- Half Time and Full-Time Bets
This sounds as it is. You basically place a bet on who the leading team will be during the half time. There is also the half time/full time bet and this is different from just the half time bet. For this kind of bet, you place the team that will lead at the half time of the match and who then wins at the end of the game. Of course, just because a team is leading during the half time means that they will already win the rest of the game.
- Handicap
This is when a bookmaker will give a team a handicap in a match. This is mainly offered by sportsbooks if a team has a significant chance of winning. The handicap is mainly added so that the betting odds will be more even. The team will not only have to win but they also need to overcome the handicap for you bet to be a winner.
- Try Scorer
This is placing a bet on the player who will score the most trys in the game. There are also instances that you can bet on the player who will first score a try within the match. Basically, betting on a try scorer can depend on different ways and depend on the odds that the bookies are offering.
These are the things that you should know when you are starting out with rugby betting. As with betting on any sport, you need to know how the game works, the rules, and keep yourself updated on the latest news about the teams and players if you really want to take betting seriously.
