Rugby prediction: tips & advice for successful betting on rugby

In the shadow of Canadian football, rugby nevertheless, it remains an important sport in Canada. As proof, the Canadian selection has participated in all editions of the World Cup since its creation in 1987! Unfortunately, this will not be the case in 2023...

This section is intended for bettors who wish to bet on rugby. Throughout the season, our experts cover the biggest competitions by offering you advice and prognosis free to help you with your sports betting!

Rugby in a few figures

🏉 Creation date	Mid-nineteenth century
⌛ International federation	World Rugby (formerly IRB)
🥇 Date of the first World Cup	1987
🏆 Number of competitions	+ 500
🔎 Number of licensees	3.2 million in 2016
🗺️ Country with the most licensees	South Africa with 635,000
🥇 Best teams	New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, England, France, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Argentina

Some historians believe that the ancestor of rugby is none other than the soule, a sport very practiced in France during the Middle Ages. However, the original variant saw the light of day in 1823 on the college grounds in the city of Rugby in England. According to legend, a student named William Webb Ellis grabbed the ball in his hand during a football match and put it in the opponent's goal. This gesture very quickly becomes the particularity of the football practiced within the college. A few years later, in 1846, students codified the rules of the new sport.

In 1871 , the English federation is created under the name of Rugby Football Union (RFU). Very quickly, rugby spreads throughout the rest of the United Kingdom and in the Anglo-Saxon countries (New Zealand, Australia, South Africa). France is also seizing on this new phenomenon. Despite the antiquity of rugby, it is necessary to wait until 1987 to attend the first edition of the World Cup . Unlike football, rugby does not represent a universal sport: at present, the International Federation (World Rugby) has 105 member countries of which only a handful have a high level.

The best bookmakers to predict on rugby

Rugby is a sport available on most online bookmakers. If you want to predict on rugby, however, it is preferable to choose a bookmaker specialized in the subject. We have also selected for you the best sports betting sites about rugby. These three operators guarantee you high odds, a catalog that includes many competitions as well as a welcome bonus valid when you register!

What are the rules in rugby?

As in other team sports, the goal of rugby is to score more points than the opposing team. On the other hand, rugby has many specificities to take into account for your sports betting. This means that you need to know the elementary rules of this sport to properly prepare your rugby prognosis!

The rugby field

A rugby field is bigger than a football field. The dimensions must not exceed 100 meters in length and 70 meters in width . The field is delimited by a center line, touchlines, dotted lines corresponding to the put-ins and two goal lines. The in-goal is the area located behind the goal line. Players can access this area, in particular to score tries. Each team consists of 15 players.

The rugby ball

The rugby ball has an oval shape , which makes it difficult to maneuver. Players can play with foot and hand, the goal being to put it in the opponent's end to score a try or to shoot it in the middle of the two posts to transform a try, a drop or a penalty. The players are forced to pass the ball backwards. If a pass does not go in this direction, the referee then whistles forward and gives the ball to the opposing team. Each touch is done by hand.

Duration of the match

Every rugby match lasts 80 minutes with two periods of 40 minutes each. The players have 10 minutes to regain their strength during half-time. Regarding the knockout matches, the extra time lasts 20 minutes with two periods of 10 minutes each. In the youth categories, the duration of the matches is shortened by 10 minutes. Depending on the facts of the game, the referee may give additional time at the end of each half.

Calculate rugby scores

To score points, the players have two options: they can either put the ball in the opponent's goal to score a try, or shoot with their foot between the two posts to convert a try or register a drop/ penalty. The score is calculated as follows :

• 5 points for a trial ;
• 2 points for the transformation of an essay ;
• 3 points for a drop ;
• 3 points for a penalty.

Depending on the area of the test, the place to transform it is more or less difficult. A try between the two posts allows, for example, to attempt a conversion in front of the goal.

Fault

The referee can blow the whistle for many reasons: a forward, an irregular tackle, a poorly executed scrum, etc. Depending on the foul, the call-in can be made on the 22-meter line, on a scrum or on a touch. A player who gets a yellow card must leave the field for 10 minutes while a red card is synonymous with permanent exclusion. Finally, a player is offside when he is in front of a teammate who is carrying the ball.

International rugby competitions

The best national teams compete regularly on the occasion of certain events. If rugby union has not been an Olympic sport since 1924, there is several international competitions some of which are part of the biggest sporting events. Here we will present you the competitions to follow when it comes to making a rugby prediction!

The Rugby League World Cup

The World Cup is the most prestigious competition in rugby. It was created in 1987 and brings together the best teams from the planet every four years. New Zealand and South Africa are the most successful teams with 3 titles each. The 10th edition of the Rugby World Cup will take place next year in France. For the first time in its history, Canada will not participate...

Six Nations Tournament

Created in 1882, the Six Nations Tournament now brings together six European teams : France, England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Italy. This annual competition is traditionally held at the end of winter. England and Wales are the most successful teams with 39 trophies each. We talk about a Grand Slam when a team wins the tournament having won all its matches.

The Rugby Championship

Formerly known as the Tri-Nations, this competition created in 1996 brought together originally the top three teams in the southern Hemisphere : New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. Since 2012, Argentina has been integrated into the Rugby Championship due to its performances achieved in the World Cup. New Zealand is the most successful team with 17 trophies to its name.

The Women's rugby league World Cup

The Women's World Cup was born in 1991, just four years after the creation of its male counterpart. This competition is usually held every four years and is the most important for the women's national teams. New Zealand flies over the competition with 5 wins out of the 8 editions organized by the World Rugby. The Canadian selection reached the second place in 2014.

The World Rugby Sevens Series

Created in 1999, the World Rugby Sevens Series takes the form of a championship bringing together the fifteen best teams from rugby sevens . Each season begins in autumn and ends the following spring. So far, only four teams have already won this competition. Once again, New Zealand is the most successful team and has 12 trophies to its name.

The Pacific Nations Cup

The Pacific Nations Cup was born in 2006 and concerns second-tier national selections , but with a high level all the same: Canada, Japan, the United States, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji. It is the third most important regional competition behind the Nations Tournament and the Rugby Championship. Canada has never won this annual competition before. Fiji has won 5 of the 11 editions of the tournament.

The World Junior rugby union Championship

As the name suggests, the Junior World Championship is reserved for players under the age of 20 . This competition was created in 2008 and pits the best national teams on the planet against each other. The Junior World Championship takes place every year and is organized by the International Federation. This is an opportunity to see the greatest hopes of world rugby. New Zealand has won 6 of the 12 editions of the tournament.

The main professional championships in rugby

If the selection competitions are the most popular on sports betting sites, nothing prevents you from betting on the championships. For example, you can make a France prediction on the Top 14 or wait for the time of the European Cup to bet on the Nations Champions Cup!

The Top 14

The Top 14 is the first division of the French rugby union championship. Every year, this competition pits the 14 elite teams against each other with a qualification phase and a final phase. There are some of the best European teams: Stade Français, Biarritz Olympique, Stade Toulousain, US Carcassonne, ASM Clermont, Racing 92, RC Toulon, etc. The winner of the French rugby championship wins the Brennus Shield. Toulouse is to date the most successful team with 21 trophies.

The English championship

Also known as the Rugby Championship, the English championship brings together the 12 best teams in the country. As in the French championship, the season consists of two distinct phases , with qualifying followed by the playoffs. Among the most famous teams, we find Saracens, Wasps, Exeter Chiefs, Harlequins or Leicester Tigers. The last mentioned team also holds the record of titles (10) of the championship. The final is still being played at Twickenham, south-west London.

The Champions Cup

The Champions Cup is none other than the European rugby Cup the most important one. Each year, this competition brings together 24 teams from the best European championships: France, England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The first edition of the tournament was held in 1995. The Toulouse Stadium is the most successful team, with 6 trophies won over the 26 editions of the Champions Cup. For the clubs that failed to qualify, it is possible to play the European challenge , that is , the second European Cup.

The best rugby players in the world

We don't count anymore the players who have marked the history of rugby : from Jonah Lomu to Johnny Wilkinson via Brian O'Driscoll, Dan Carter, Gareth Edwards or Richie McCaw, this sport has seen great legends pass by. Coming back to the present, we are going to introduce you to the players that we currently consider to be the best in the world :

• 🏉 Antoine Dupont (France) : the scrum-half is the new darling of the French XV and has just won the title of best player of the Six Nations Tournament.
• 🏉 Maro Itoje (England) : being able to evolve in the position of third line wing or second line, the Saracens player is the best player of the XV of the Rose.
• 🏉 Ardie Savea (New Zealand) : the All Blacks player alternated for a long time between rugby union and rugby union before devoting himself exclusively to this second discipline.
• 🏉 Taniela Tupou (Australia) : measuring 1.81 m for 130 kg, the Australian pivot of Tongan origin is intractable during the scrums.
• 🏉 Michael Hooper (Australia) : the third line wing of the Wallabies is distinguished by great mobility and lightning accelerations.
• 🏉 Lukhanyo Am (South Africa) : playing in the center, the native of King William's Town won the 2019 World Cup with the Springboks.
• 🏉 Aaron Smith (New Zealand) : despite being 33 years old, the scrum-half remains one of the best players of New Zealand, with whom he won the 2015 World Cup.
• 🏉 Romain Ntamack (France) : son of the former tricolor international Émile Ntamack, the young scrum-half is confirming all his potential.
• 🏉 Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa) : being able to play at full-back or winger, the South African is one of the sure values of the Top 14 and has won the World Cup.
• 🏉 Tom Curry (England) : the third row of the XV of the Rose is the third youngest scorer in the history of the English championship.

Tips to make your rugby predictions a success

Throughout the season, our experts will offer you free rugby predictions on the biggest events. In parallel, you can create the rugby bet of your choice, provided that you adopt some good reflexes for your predictions. We also have some tips to give you!

Choosing the best bookmaker

First of all, you must choose the most advantageous operator to bet on rugby. In particular, your bookmaker must guarantee you high odds, complete statistics on each match, pronos contests and bonuses designed for rugby, such as free bets offered on the occasion of the World Cup. We advise you to choose one of the bookmakers from our selection!

Find out about international competitions

Compared to other sports, rugby has only a few important international competitions. You can take advantage of this feature by regularly following the news in order to to evaluate the chances of victory from each team. If you want to make a prediction for the French national team, you must, for example, find out about the latest performances of the French XV during the Six Nations Tournament!

Predict on handicap bets

In rugby, the level is quite heterogeneous , especially when it comes to national selections. We distinguish on the one hand the ten teams from the Six Nations Tournament and the Rugby Championship and on the other the teams that figure as outsiders. To increase the odds, you can use the handicap bet in the event that a team is given as the overwhelming favorite. Indeed, the handicap bet is materialized by the addition or withdrawal of points to one of the two teams.

Inform yourself about the state of health of the players

Rugby is a contact sport and players can sometimes leave feathers in it. Each season is trying for the organizations and the absence of a single player significantly changes the situation in some cases. So you need to find out about injuries, suspensions, the latest transfers and the form of the moment. By chance, the best bookmakers put many statistics at your disposal!