Rugby Union Betting Guide

What’s the difference between Rugby Union, Rugby League, and Rugby 7’s? How many points is a try worth? WagerTalk’s rugby betting expert Kevin Dolan breaks down the terminology and scoring rules for this popular international sport.

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Rugby Union Betting Terms

Three-Way/Moneyline: Very similar to betting on soccer where you’re simply picking the winner of the match, plus the option of a tie.

Two Way/Handicap: Just like point spread betting in a football or basketball game, this wager eliminates the possibility of a draw by incorporating the final margin of victory into your bet.

Half Time/Full Time: Essentially a parlay of the team that you believe will be winning at half time, and after the final whistle. A popular play for those looking to enhance their odds.

Draw No Bet: Similar to the two-way handicap in soccer, the odds are shifted to eliminate the draw from the equation. If the game ends in a tie, the bettor gets their money back.

Race to 10 Points: A popular prop bet in rugby where the bettor chooses which team will be the first to register ten points.

Scoring: Tries are essentially touchdowns worth five points. A conversion is a kick to award two extra points after a try has been scored. Penalty kicks and drop goals are essentially field goals worth three points, although in the case of drop goals, this kick can be taken directly from play.

Rugby Union vs League vs 7’s: What’s the Difference?

Rugby Union is generally the one most people would have seen if they’ve watched a game of rugby previously. It is the oldest form of rugby and the predominant one played around the world, most notably used in the Rugby World Cup.

Rugby Union

Rugby Union uses 15 players per side (eight forwards and seven backs) and each team has a backup of seven substitutes that can be used also. Each game lasts 80 minutes, with the aim being to get more points than your opponent through a combination of ‘tries’ (effectively touchdowns worth five points), ‘conversions’ (a kick to award two extra points after a try has been scored), and ‘penalty kicks & drop goals’ (effectively field goals worth three points, although in the case of drop goals, this kick can be taken directly from play).

Rugby League

Rugby League was an offshoot of the original form of Rugby Union stemming from a dispute over how players were to be paid all the way back in 1895! Since then, Rugby League, while smaller globally, has attracted hundreds of thousands of fans worldwide as it’s the faster, more attacking game and extremely popular in the UK in particular.

Each team fields 13 players (two less than Union) and has differences from Rugby Union in how tackles and scrums are played out. There are also no Flanker positions in Rugby League as well. Rugby League is centered mainly in Europe, with Australian leagues also being highly popular. However, only 30 member countries currently make up the RLIF, compared to the 118 that make up the IRB, so it is still considered more of a niche sport.

Rugby 7’s

Rugby 7’s is another variation of Rugby Union that is quickly gaining in popularity. It is much faster paced than the other two forms, mainly because of the fact it contains only seven players per side (three forwards and four backs), and lasts just seven minutes per half. Because of that, it is an extremely high-octane sport where games are often frenetic and where explosive scoring runs are considered normal.

The World Rugby Sevens Series is the annual championship played with 16 teams making up a league format, with the winner accumulating the most points over their finishing position in each mini-tournament. Rugby 7’s became an Olympic sport in 2016, and as such, expect the sport to continue to grow in both stature and popularity.

Interested in placing a bet on a Rugby Union competition? DraftKings is offering a $1,000 Deposit Bonus for first-time bettors in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Tennessee, Michigan, Virginia, Wyoming and Arizona.

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Meet the Author

‘The sharpest sports mind in Ireland’ is how one prominent newspaper dubbed Kevin Dolan after he became the first foreigner ever to win the World Series of Handicapping tournament back in 2015. “The Irishman” made his start wagering on GAA, football, soccer and boxing, all to immense success. Since becoming a professional bettor, he has since lit up the sports betting scene in the U.S. and abroad, winning two handicapping awards and writing a best-selling book on sports handicapping named ‘The Complete Guide to Sports Betting’.

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