Rugby Betting Sites

Check out our list of the best rugby betting sites in America and learn everything you need to know to win your first wager.

Rugby World Cup Betting

World Cup Rugby betting is all about predicting the winner of matches and or different match statistics. For example, you might bet on France to beat New Zealand or bet on Beauden Barrett to score the first try.

The Rugby World Cup features the 20 best rugby teams from around the world. Despite 20 teams participating, these are the six strongest teams currently:

• France – The French are known for their flair and unorthodox play. They love kicking the ball and have a tremendous defense. Also, when they get the ball inside the opposition’s 22, they hold onto the ball and nearly always come away with points.
• New Zealand – When people think of rugby, they think of the All Blacks. Other teams have caught up to New Zealand in recent years, but they still have the best passing and support play of any team.
• Ireland – The Irish are known for their incredible conditioning, dominating the ruck, and are very efficient in attack, you don’t want the Irish having the ball in your half.
• South Africa – South Africa is the defending Rugby World Cup champion and has a long history of rugby success. They are famous for their brutal and physical play. They always produce incredible forwards, and most teams can’t handle the tackling and ball-running intensity that the Springboks bring.
• England – England are masters at game management, they know how to control the game, keep position, and dominate territory. They always have a very strong tight 5 and dominate set pieces.
• Australia – Australia is known for its fast and explosive backs, which can create linebreaks from nothing. They are also very strong at the breakdown, constantly causing turnovers.

Types of Rugby Bets

In Rugby union betting you need to correctly predict the result of a match or some event taking place within a match, including total points scored or wagering on a player to score a try. Sportsbooks are constantly adding new bet types allowing you to make all sorts of prop bets. Here are the most widespread rugby bet types:

• Match Winner
• Outright Winner
• Total Points
• Handicap Betting
• Parlays
• First Team to Score
• First Half Winner
• First Try Scorer
• Winning Margin

Best Rugby Bets for Beginners

Are you still trying to figure out who the All Blacks are? Then stick to these beginner-friendly rugby bets:

• Match Winner – AKA a moneyline wager. Just place cash on the team you think will win, and if they do, you get a nice payday! For example, bet on Wales to beat England during a 6 Nations match. Before you start match betting it is important to look at the odds. Ideally, you want to find an underdog that the sportsbooks have underestimated. If they can cause an upset, you can triple or double your stake. For example, you would have made a killing if you bet on Italy to beat Australia in Nov 2022.
• Outright Winner – With outright betting, you don’t care about the result of a single game but are trying to predict which team is going to win a competition. For example, place cash on New Zealand to lift the Webb Ellis Cup. A good strategy is to bet a small amount on some underdogs to win the World Cup, like Ireland, Australia, and Wales, and then bet most of your money on New Zealand or South Africa.
• Total Points – With this wager, you need to guess how many points will be scored in total by both teams in a match. Don’t worry, the sportsbook makes it easier by turning into an over/under bet. For example, they might set the line at 36.5 then you have to figure out if the total will be over or under 36.5. Don’t just blindly guess, look up some stats and see how many points on average the two teams score and look at the total score the last few times the teams played each other.

Betting Options for Rugby Experts

Do you remember Johnny Wilkinson breaking the collective hearts of Australian rugby fans back in 2003? Then you can handle these slightly more advanced rugby bet types:

• Handicap – Sportsbooks place an imaginary +/- points handicap on each team. You then need to predict which team will win, taking the handicap into consideration. For example, if you bet on England to beat Scotland with a – 8.5 points handicap, your wager only pays out if England wins by 9 points or more. Handicap betting is a great way to boost your payouts on favorites. For example, the All Blacks might be +300 against New Zealand in the moneyline market but -110 with a -10.5 points handicap.
• Parlays – This is where you combine multiple rugby wagers into one betting slip. For example, you bet on Wales to beat Ireland, take the over on 35.5 points being scored in the match between New Zealand and Scotland and then bet on France to beat Italy by 15 points. Parlays have combined odds, and they only payout if all your individual wagers win. You can win massive amounts from small stakes!
• First Team to Score – Will Ireland score first, or will Wales punish them with a lovely line break down the touchline? Simply predict which rugby team will score the first try to win! You can get good odds on the underdog to score the first try but make sure you look at previous game stats and see how often each team crosses the try line first.

Rugby Live Betting

Rugby live betting allows you to gamble on matches throughout the 80 minutes of on-field action. You can continue betting until the ref blows his final whistle! Here are the best rugby live betting types present on most in-game betting apps and sites:

• First Half Winner – Are you in a hurry? With this bet, you only need to tune into the first half. If your team is up when the ref blows the end of half whistle, you win! A good strategy is to bet on Pacific Islander teams like Samoa, Fiji, and Tonga to be winning at half-time. These teams tend to start fast and then fade going down the stretch.
• First Try Scorer – Bet on your favorite rugby player to score the first try of the match and walk away with a big payout! For example, bet on Michael Hooper to score the first try in Australia’s match against Fiji. Wingers score the most tries by far, so they are a safe bet. Or if you want to chase a long shot, bet on a big prop to stampede over the line for the game’s first try.
• Winning Margin – Will your favorite rugby team win a nail-biter by 3 points, or will it be a blow out as they put up a cricket score? With this wager, you need to predict how many points the winning team will win by. To improve your win percentage, spend the first half watching both teams and pay special close attention to the team’s attacking plays, defensive structure, and the conditioning of the players.