Compare Rugby betting from the top bookies below, including Gallagher Premiership rugby odds, European Challenge Cup, Heineken & Rugby World Cup betting. You can also claim free bets from the bookies. Click here for Rugby League odds.
Gallagher Premiership Odds – Outright Winner
To Lift Grand Final Trophy; best odds bold; Each-Way Place Terms: 1/3 odds 1,2.
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European Challenge Cup Rugby Odds – Outright Winner
To win European Champions Cup; best odds bold; Each-Way Place Terms: Win Only.
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Heineken Cup Rugby Odds – Outright Winner
To win Heineken Cup; best odds bold; Each-Way Place Terms: 1/2 odds 1,2.
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Betting on Rugby World Cup rugby odds all the rage
It is not just the Internationals, Six Nations, Premiership and World Cup matches that attract all the rugby betting odds volume. Throughout the year, serious amounts are wagered on the relatively low profile rugby matches too.
The 2011 Rugby World Cup, hosted by New Zealand, evoked considerable betting interest. For UK punters, one of the many appealing factors is that it is one of the very few sports in which England, Scotland and Wales can hold their own on a world stage. Ultimately it was New Zealand who went into a final against the French as 1/10 red-hot favourites. The All Blacks prevailed by a hard fought solitary point.
UK football fans who like to have a bet on their own team have experienced over forty years of dismal disappointment since England’s victory in the ’66 World Cup. Unlike with the football, bookmakers have not been the beneficiaries of patriotic rugby betting. In 2003, England’s dramatic World Cup victory thanks to Jonny Wilkinson’s drop goal in extra time against Australia, saw a serious dent in UK bookmakers’ profits. Since the Rugby World Cup was inaugurated in 1987, England has made it to the final nearly 50% of the time and has only thrice been out of the first four.
Whilst England’s relatively short starting price for football World Cups often seems fuelled by over optimistic patriotic gambling rather than a realistic reflection of their chances of victory, the same is not true for rugby. Past performances suggest that England’s position as pre-tournament finals fourth favourite in the betting prior to the 2011 Rugby World Cup is not ridiculously optimistic. Yes, the weight of local money means that England are probably priced slightly shorter than they should be but there is still much more value than you would find in a Football World Cup market because, when it comes to rugby, England actually do stand a chance.
Whatever the outcome of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, rugby betting volumes are likely to reach record breaking highs in 2015 when England hosts the World Cup.
The rugby betting odds options
Online bookmakers provide betting markets for rugby league and union matches so you do not have to wait for high profile international matches. If you have extensive knowledge of the less well known rugby teams, you can put it to particularly good use by punting on lower profile matches that may even provide especially good value as markets are not shaped by high volumes of less well informed money.
When it comes to international matches, online bookmakers provide rugby betting markets on an extensive range of options to fulfil every punter’s needs. Not only will prices be available for the usual outright win or tie but there will usually be quite a number of handicaps to make it interesting.
To give an example of the types of bets available, prior to England’s rugby match with Samoa in November 2010, England were odds of 1/50 to win, with Samoa being offered at 12/1. One online bookmaker provided odds subject to a 22 point handicap resulting in England being offered at 10/11. That means that England needed to win by a margin of 23 points for the bet to pay out. The same bookmaker also provided a choice of other levels of handicap based markets to help boost their turnover.
On the same match, there were also extensive options on the winning margin. Prices were quoted for a 1-5 point winning margin (14/1) and for every feasible outcome up to a winning margin of 76-80 points (150/1).
For those who like to gamble on something other than the actual result of the rugby match, opportunities on each match include:
- Who will be the first team to score a try.
- Will the first try be converted.
- Who will be the first team to score ten points.
- Which half will yield the highest score.
You could also bet on whether the total number of points scored in the match would be odd or even. It is a sign of the maturity of the rugby betting market that options exist that rely purely on chance rather the skill of punters.
Advice worth heeding when playing the Rugby odds
Whether you like to bet on the team you regularly support or take a more general approach, make sure you do your research. You are probably up to date with all the news likely to affect your favourite team’s performance, but make sure you know as much as you can about their opponents too before placing a bet on them.
A general rule that applies to this as much as any other sport is that if you do not believe the prices available for a particular match offer reasonable value, keep your money in your pocket for another day. The most successful gamblers do not have a bet every time their favourite team plays. There will be many other matches that offer great opportunities for you to profit from rugby betting.
What do you think?