RUGBY

Rugby is a team sport that emerged as a variation of football in 19th-century England. Today, rugby is an umbrella term for a family of team sports — rugby union and rugby league, as well as earlier forms of football from which the two games evolved. Rugby officially split into two sports in 1895, when 21 clubs separated from the Rugby Football Union to form the Rugby Football League; the RFU turned professional a century later, shortly after the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Rugby league and rugby union may appear similar, but the two sports differ in playing styles, game management, rules and tactics. At LV BET, we offer prematch and in-play rugby betting markets with competitive odds on the biggest rugby union and rugby league tournaments. Let’s cover the basics of rugby betting to get you started!

HOW TO BET ON RUGBY

To bet on rugby, head to our Sportsbook and browse through available betting markets on upcoming or ongoing rugby union and rugby league matches. You can wager on Match Winner, Total Points, Points Handicap and other betting markets, like First Tryscorer, Tries Handicap and Last Team to Score. The odds will be displayed next to each selection, and you can add multiple selections to the same betslip. When ready, choose your stake and confirm your bets. Before you get started, you’ll need a bit more information! Here are the main differences between the two codes of rugby football and which tournaments you should look out for:

Rugby Union — Rugby union, governed by World Rugby, is a close-contact team sport played between two teams of 15 players. Only eight substitutions are permitted, and tries, penalties and drop goals give more points than in rugby league. Rugby sevens is a variation of rugby union, in which teams of seven play seven-minute halves. Keep an eye on the Rugby World Cup, Super Rugby, Shute Shield and the Six Nations Championship.

Rugby League — Rugby league football, governed by the Rugby League Federation, is a full-contact sport played between two teams of 13 players on a rectangular pitch that is smaller than rugby union fields. Up to 10 substitutions are allowed, there are no rucks, and a scrum occurs when the ball is kicked off the field. Look out for the World Cup, National Rugby League, Queensland Cup, Super League and the Challenge Cup.

BET ON RUGBY WITH LV BET!

Squeeze through the ruck and make your way to the LV BET Sportsbook — your one-stop destination for the latest rugby odds on the biggest rugby league and rugby union matches of the year. You can bet on Most Tries, First Team to Score, First-Half Winner and dozens of other rugby betting markets. Have a look and explore an unparalleled variety of betting markets for rugby, other sports, esports and entertainment events!

IRELAND VS WALES: BETTING TIPS

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The 2022 Six Nations is upon us! The tournament gets underway with 2021 champions Wales heading to the Aviva Stadium …

Rugby Betting

Blindside your opponents with a fantastic sports betting experience at LV BET. Our Sportsbook never leaves you sitting on the sidelines — we give you the inside scoop to all things rugby betting. Enjoy extensive betting markets and unbeatable rugby odds as you cheer on all your favourite rugby teams in the hottest matches of the season. Our Sportsbook bonuses will definitely earn us some bonus points too! Join us as we take you through the basics of rugby betting and teach you everything you need to know.

History of Rugby

Rugby’s origins date back to 1823. The most widely accepted version of the beginnings of rugby describes how a student, William Webb Ellis, invented the game when he picked up a football and ran towards the opposition’s goal. It wasn’t long before rugby became a popular and widespread sport, leading to its first set of rules being established in 1839. The rugby governing body, the Rugby Football Union (RFU), was formed in 1871.

However, the end of one unified rugby code came when a group of clubs broke away from the RFU in 1895. These clubs wanted to compensate their players for the time taken off work because of tournament-related commitments. The RFU refused, stating that if men couldn’t afford to play, then they simply shouldn’t. This gave birth to two rugby rivals — the rugby union and the rugby league.

The game of rugby underwent quite a few changes with the rugby league. The number of players in a team, for instance, was reduced from 15 players to 13. Nevertheless, rugby league competitions were a raging success, as the sport set attendance records in England and became one of the most-watched sporting events on television in Australia — and its success did not end there. Rugby league officially became a professional sport in 1922, and rugby union went professional and began compensating the players in 1995.

Over the years, the popularity of rugby union and rugby league continued to grow. Today, the sport is played across multiple major leagues, and thousands of fans tune in to watch these hot events all year round. Rugby league and rugby union continued their rivalry as they made their way to sportsbooks at online casinos as two of the most prominent sports events.

Rugby Betting Leagues

If you want to take your first steps to become a pro rugby player, you’ll need to know which leagues you can bet on. Rugby league and rugby union host some truly action-packed events throughout the year. To help get you started, we have compiled a list of some of the most popular rugby events.

Rugby Union World Cup

Similar to the FIFA World Cup, the Rugby Union World Cup is a massive men’s rugby tournament held every four years. The first iteration of the championship was co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand in 1987. Top national teams go head to head for a chance to snatch the Webb Ellis Cup, named after William Webb Ellis — the inventor of the game.

Six Nations Championship

Also referred to as the Guinness Six Nations, the Six Nations Championship is another massive professional tournament organised by the rugby union. It is an annual competition that invites top teams from England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France and Italy. The Six Nations Championship is the oldest rugby tournament in the world, with its first iteration dating back to the late 1800s. It features matches across men’s, women’s and under-20s rugby.

Queensland Cup

The Queensland Cup is a pro rugby championship organised by the Queensland Rugby League (QRL). It is held in Queensland, Australia, and features 14 teams — 12 based in Queensland, one in New South Wales and one in Central Province, Papua New Guinea. This is quite fitting, considering rugby league is the national sport of Papua New Guinea. The Queensland Cup operates as a single-group system with no divisions.

Super League

The Super League, officially known as Super League Europe, is a top-level rugby league competition sponsored by Betfred. The Super League is a British rugby tournament featuring 12 teams — 11 from northern England and one from southern France. Each team plays 29 games, 11 home games and 11 away, as well as the Magic Weekend and six additional loop fixtures. The top six teams face off in the play-offs and then the Grand Final to crown the champion. Super League champions go on to play in the World Cup Challenge against the National Rugby League winners.

Betting Options

Moving on from rugby betting leagues, the next step to becoming a champion punter is knowing your betting options. Below, you’ll find a list of some of the most common types of bets you may encounter along your rugby betting journey. Bear in mind that not all sportsbooks offer the same set of choices, but you should find no trouble kicking things off.

Moneyline Bet

It is recommended that beginner punters get the ball rolling with moneyline bets. It is a very simple bet to understand and easy to place while also scoring high on the entertainment scale, so it’s a great starting point. All it requires is wagering on the team you think will win the match.

Half-Time Result Bet

The half-time result wager is another standard bet perfect for beginners. It may not be the most straightforward bet, but still good to be on the lookout for. The half-time bet requires players to predict the half-time score or result. Half-time score bets will often be over/under propositions, and half-time results are simply predictions of which team is in the lead when the first half concludes.

Over/Under Bet

If predicting scores sounds interesting, you might want to take a gander at other over/under bets. The over/under bet is one of the most popular types of bets across sportsbooks, so you’ll likely run into this wager no matter which sport you choose to bet on. Before the start of a match, bookmakers set a total score for the game. Your job will be to predict whether the actual score will fall above or below the score set by the bookmakers. Over/under bets can be found in many propositions, including Total Points, First Half Score, Total Tries, Team Total Points and other betting options.

Handicap Bet

You will often come across games featuring two teams with widely adverse skill levels. To help level the playing field, bookmakers add a hypothetic advantage to the underdogs, expressed as a point spread. The favourites (listed as ‘-’) must win by the spread, while the underdogs (listed as ‘+’) must either win outright, draw or lose by less than the spread.

First and Last Try Scorer Bets

The try scorer bets are a great way to amp up your betting. They are simple yet tricky to hit, perfect for players looking to get into more complex wagers. As ithe name suggests, the first and last try scorer bets involve wagering on the player you think will score the first or last try in a match. While it sounds simple enough, a bet like this requires familiarity with the teams and individual players. It has a great margin of error, so it can be pretty risky.

Future Bet

To take things a step further, the future bet is another high-risk bet on this list to help spice up your betting experience. Similar to the moneyline, the future bet also involves betting on the winning team. The only difference is, while players bet on an individual match with the moneyline, the future bet requires players to predict the outright winner of a whole tournament. Placing a bet so far into the future is very unpredictable, so it is easy to understand why this wager is so risky. It implies that you’ll have a much larger selection of teams to choose from, so doing some research will go a long way.

Rugby Betting at LV BET

Rugby betting events are packed with hair-raising moments and highly anticipated matches. You deserve a sportsbook experience to match this level of greatness! Tackle your opponents at the LV BET Sportsbook — a place where you will undoubtedly have an unforgettable betting experience. Place bets and defy the odds as you sprint towards the goal. Who knows, you might find a few Sportsbook bonuses along the way too!

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