Colloquially known as the ‘sport they play in heaven’, Rugby Union is recognised as one of the great international sporting events in the world.
The Rugby World Cup has been one of the greatest sporting spectacles since its inception, but the Super Rugby – which pits teams from five different nations against each other – is fast becoming one of the most exciting annual competitions on the face of the earth.
The sport of Rugby originated in England back in the first half of the 19th century, and is viewed as a more refined and classier version of rugby compared to Rugby League, which has two less players on the field than Union.
Alongside the Super Rugby and Rugby Union World Cup formats, the newest style of Union that has taken the world by storm is the Rugby 7s.
The Rugby 7s is Union’s answer to Twenty20 cricket, giving teams a restricted amount of players per side to encourage a free-flowing, high scoring style of rugby that the fans love.
The new format has seen the sport re-enter the Olympic Games after a 92 year absence as one of two new sports at the 2016 Rio Olympic Summer Games.
Enough about the history though, let’s get into what you are here to learn, how to bet on the Rugby Union.
We have isolated all the important markets in Union betting and how to go about investing on them, selected the best online bookmakers to utilise
Fun Rugby Union Facts
The earliest reference to rugby football in the Oxford English Dictionary dates back to 1852
Rugby balls were originally plum-shaped as they were made from pig bladders of that shape
Originally a try had no value but it allowed the attacking team to “try” a kick at goal. If successful it converted a try into a goal, hence the name
The reigning Olympic champions at rugby are the USA. They won in the Olympic gold back in 1924
2016 will be the first time since 1924 that the sport is represented at the Olympic Games
The whistle used for the opening match at every World Cup is the one used by Welsh referee Gil Evans for an England-New Zealand match in 1905
Despite existing for well over 100 years, rugby union only became a professional sport officially in 1995
Rugby Union betting markets
Rugby Union World Cup future bet: A Union future bet is as simple as selecting the team you think will win the World Cup. Futures markets are available years in advance of the tournament taking place.
Super Rugby futures markets: Exactly the same as the World Cup futures market, the Super Rugby market is selecting the team you think will win the title. Odds are available all throughout the season and fluctuate depending how the teams fare throughout the campaign.
Rugby 7s Gold Medal betting markets: Identical to the futures markets in the international and Super Rugby markets, the Olympic betting markets is the process of investing on the team you think will go on to win the Gold Medal at the Summer Olympic Games.
Head-to-head markets: Head-to-head betting is one of the easiest markets to bet on – simply pick the team you think will win in a particular match.
Line betting markets: Similar to head-to-head betting, line betting is choosing a particular team to win, but you are offered a bigger or lesser money return depending on whether your team gets a points head start or a deduction.
For example, the Waratahs could go into a match against the Brumbies as the $3.30 outsiders, but if you were to bet on them at the line, you could get $1.92 with a +5.5 line, meaning they can lose by five points or less or win and you will get a winning dividend.
Margin markets: The margin betting markets is simple, pick the team you think will win and the margin in which they will do it.
This can be placed as a more specific point score, or a wider margin – depending on confident you are of selecting the exact point range.
Total score markets: The total score market is placing a bet on the total amount of points you think will be scored in a particular match.
The online bookmaker sets the amount they believe will be scored and you can choose to bet on that amount being exceeded (over) or not being matched (under).
First try scorer markets: The first try scorer market is as easy as placing money on the player you think will cross the line first to score a try.
This bet can be placed as either the first try scorer for the match or the first player to score one for their respective team.
Trusted bookmakers to place a Rugby Union bet
There are plenty of only bookmakers that claim they are the best in the business, but rather than wade through all the empty promises we have complied a list of our favourite bookies that we trust with our own hard earned cash; so you know you can too.
When it comes to punting on the Union, it is in your best interests not to look past Sportsbet.com.au.
Sportsbet has futures markets before the incumbent season is completed, comprehensive markets on all the regular season games and specials throughout the year, as well as the World Cup and Gold Medal markets years in advance of the competition.
Bet365.com.au is a bookmaker based in the UK, so you know they have placed a great emphasis on making sure the game played in heaven is held in the highest steed.
Bet365 has the markets on the regular season games before anyone else, as well as giving punters unprecedented in-game betting markets that most bookies would only dream about
Another English betting giant, WilliamHill.com.au are a go-to destination for those looking to bet on the Rugby Union.
Futures markets, comprehensive game markets and terrific in-play betting which allows punters to track the games play-by-play, William Hill have raised the bar high for punters looking to truly bet with confidence.