Best Rugby Betting Sites in 2025

Tournaments

Generally, there are two types of tournaments;

Rugby Union

Two teams of 15 players each play this type of rugby. It doesn’t put a cap on the tackles in a game.

Whenever the ball is out of play, coaches dictate the use of a lineout. In a lineout, team members line up, and every player tries to catch the ball flying above them (a member of the opposing team throws the ball).

In this type of game, mauls and scrums are expected and part of the game. The line-out is a strategic play.

Rugby League

The Rugby league is played by teams with 13 players. The ball used in rugby union is usually smaller than the one used in Rugby League. Because of this, it can't fly far when kicked, and its bounces are challenging to predict.

After a team completes six tackles, it hands over ball possession to the opposing team. Unlike in Union Rugby, teams use a simple tap-and-go strategy when the ball goes out of play.

In rugby league, there’s minimal scrummaging.

In both types, there are sevens tournaments. A single play lasts 14 minutes (there are two halves), but the two halves last ten minutes in the finals.

There are many union tournament competitions where punters can place bets. These include the Lions Tour, Super 15, Six Nations, the World Cup, and the Guinness Pro 12.

On the flip side, though the league isn’t as popular as Union, it still has many competitions you can bet on. These include the NRL, Challenge Cup, and Super League.

You can also bet on the women’s league in various competitions, including the World Cup (Women’s).

Betting Types

Now that you know the different rugby types and tournaments, let’s look at the markets (types of bets you can place).

Rugby Head-to-Head

This is by far the most straightforward type of rugby bet. With this bet, you are simply predicting the winner of the match (including the extra time).

Most betting sites have dead heat rules for when the teams draw. The bet placed only wins when the team you pick is displayed as the winner on the fixtures.

Match Result

In this bet, punters are simply betting on the match's result. This can either be a draw, win, or loss. The draw bet option always has larger odds.

Rugby Handicap

In this, you bet on a team to exceed specific expectations the bookmaker sets before the match starts. The handicap given can either be plus or minus several points. The bet wins if the team beats the spread.

Double Result in Rugby

This bet splits the outcome of a match into two halves. As such, there are nine possible outcomes of the game. These include Win/Draw, Win/Win, Win/Loss, Draw/Draw, Draw/Win, Draw/Loss, Loss/Win, Loss/Loss, Loss/Draw. To win the bet, you must predict both outcomes correctly.

Winning Margin in Rugby

This is the most challenging rugby bet. To win on this one, you have to guess the difference in points between the two rugby teams at the end of the game. The margins range from 1-5 points and can rise to between 46 and 50. However, these always vary depending on the teams that are playing.

Line Betting in Rugby

Bookmakers use this bet type to try to even the bet. It is used when a specific team is expected to win by a huge margin. The betting site handicaps the stronger team by some points, and then you bet on whether they will win with more points or if the weaker team will complete the game within the set margin.

First Try Scorer in Rugby

This bet works like the first goal scorer in football games. It is only available for high-profile Rugby Union games. Your bet wins if you correctly predict the first player to score.