Rugby Union is one of the two major rugby codes played in Australia. Aussies have a lot of options for where to bet on the sport. It’s usually hard to pick the best rugby union bookmaker, so we decided to list all of the top options.
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After several cross-comparison tests, these bookies have come out on top as the best of the best for Rugby Union online betting. All of them are licensed in Australia and have great safety features. Read on to learn more about what makes these the best and for other general rugby betting advice.
The first thing you should look at when choosing where to bet is the odds quality. Even a minor change in prices can mean a big difference in the potential payout. That’s why it is very important to shop around and cross-compare odds before actually placing a bet. Luckily, even the newest Australian betting sites cover Rugby Union, so you’ll have more than enough options to pick from.
We have compared prices between 3 of the most prominent Rugby Union betting sites, to see which one of them offers the most favourable betting terms.
However, since odds are constantly changing, don’t take our test for granted. It’s crucial to do this yourself before every wager because it’s the only way to always get the highest value for your money.
As you can see from the table below, it can pay to shop around. We looked at the Super Rugby odds ahead of the 2024 season as an example. Bookmakers will never agree on the odds for every single team in every single market. Find who has the best odds and stake your money with them!
| Winner |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crusaders | |||
| Chiefs | |||
| Blues | |||
| Hurricanes | |||
| Brumbies | |||
| Fijian Drua | |||
| Reds | |||
| Waratahs | |||
| Highlanders | |||
| Rebels | |||
| Western Force | |||
| Moana Pasifika |
Modern bettors like to wager on the go, so all of our top-rated bookies have well-optimised native and web-based betting apps. The great thing about today’s bookmakers is that they have the same range of Rugby Union betting markets and odds available on all devices. But when it comes to details, Unibet and bet365 come out on top.
Both of these betting apps are available for Android and iOS devices. Nevertheless, keep in mind that you’ll have to get the Android one directly from the bookmakers’ site since Google Play Store doesn’t allow betting apps in Australia. That’s not the case with the Apple App Store, so all of the punters can download bet365 or Unibet iOS apps directly from Apple’s official website. Check out what Unibet has to offer by scrolling below:
Our betting experts will highlight any rugby union betting tips they spot. These will be based on team form and the latest odds and will cover a wide range of tournaments. We will also cover major rugby union matches on our dedicated free betting tips page too.
Finding a winning bet is always much more challenging than it looks like. There are usually two ways to polish your betting skills. One is to do it all by yourself and eventually figure out how things are working through trial and error. Another option is to listen to more experienced bettors and learn from their mistakes.
We have listed a few quick pro strategies about how to maximise your chances when betting online on Rugby Union. Here they are:
In the following chapters, we will talk more about some of the most popular Rugby Union betting markets, and how to use them for maximal profits. These are not all markets you’ll encounter at the best bookies in Australia, but it should be more than enough to get you started.
Outright or future markets let you bet on the final outcome of a tournament or a league even months before the games have even started. These markets usually come with very high odds. However, don’t let that mislead you.
Futures are usually very risky because it’s hard to predict what is going to happen a few months ahead. Maybe the best player on the team you have backed up gets hurt in the meantime, and because of that the team eventually lose the title. The point is – be very careful when placing outright bets!
Some of the most common outright bets are:
This is the most straightforward Rugby Union betting market, which makes it perfect for beginners. You just back up one of the teams to win the game, and that’s it! Always look to take this bet at moderate odds. If the prices are too high, the selected team probably won’t go on to win. On the other side, super low odds are a safe bet, but with usually meager rewards.
It’s all about finding the sweet spot with head-to-head bets. On the bright side, this market is available at every betting site. However, don’t forget to cross-compare odds before betting!
Over/Under is another simple Rugby Union betting market that opens up numerous possibilities. The basic principle is quite easy to understand. Before the game starts, a bookie will set a total points margin and then youbet whether the final result will be over or under that number. We took total points as an example, but there can be almost any other stat instead.
Over/under let you analyse the game as a whole, regardless of the final outcome. For example, if two defensive teams are playing, always bet under. You’ll get paid as long as the total points score is lower than the bookie’s margin, regardless of which side wins at the end.
Spread betting is one of the most complicated Rugby Union betting markets and we recommend it only to experienced bettors. Here you get to choose one of the spread markets, for example total points spread, and then bet lower or higher than that, or as it is called, ‘buy’ or ‘sell’.
In this case, your winnings or losses are the difference between the actual game result and the spread, multiplied by the stake.
If a total point spread is 40-42 and you ‘buy’ $3 at 42, you’ll get $87 if the game ends up with the result 35-36, because ((35+36)-42)x3)=87. But in case the final result is much lower 18-20, you’ll lose $12, since ((18+20)-42)x3=-12.
This Rugby Union betting market is available across many sports, so in case you have already placed a few sports bets, Handicap betting is probably nothing new to you. A bookie assigns a certain point advantage to an underdog team (or strips points from favourite) to even the odds, in simple words.
For example, if New Zealand is playing against Australia, a bookie may offer a -5.5 handicap on New Zealand, which means that All Blacks have to win with at least 6 points difference for you to get paid. Handicap betting is great because in this way even the most predictable game can become super exciting.
Due to the Interactive Gambling Act of 2001, most Aussie bookmakers are not allowed to accept online in-play bets on any sport, including Rugby Union. However, the operators have quickly found a way around this rule and started to display live odds on their websites, while accepting live bets over the phone. So, if you find a live betting market you would like to back, just pick up the phone and contact your bookie.
Almost all of the operators we have listed at the beginning are offering Rugby Union in-play betting. Still, we believe that Unibet and Betr are the best in this segment. Both of them are offering a plethora of live markets and a user-friendly interface that will make placing in-play bets as effortless as possible.
If live betting online is a dealbreaker then the only place to head is Betfair. This is a betting exchange where you bet against other punters. It means placing in-play wagers can be done in just a few clicks without the need to pick up the phone.
If you’re a punter who would like to watch live Rugby Union games, the easiest way is to use your bookie’s live streaming platform. Luckily, there are a couple of Rugby Union betting sites that have this feature. Two of the best are undoubtedly Unibet and Bet365. All you need to do is register with any of them and make a deposit.
Bet365 streaming platform is super easy to use and works perfectly on all devices. Plus you can place bets while streaming any of the Rugby Union clashes.
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Rugby originated in England somewhere around 1823. It quickly became popular among university students, and by 1845 we have the first set of written rules. The Rugby Football Union was formed in 1871, and at that time, this body governed all rugby clubs and tournaments.
However, in 1895 the game split into two codes, which we have until this day – Rugby Union and Rugby League. The main reason for the split lies in different views on players’ salaries. League wanted to go pro from the very beginning, while the Union stayed an amateur sport up until the 1995 World Cup.
Nowadays, Rugby Union is a professional sport, with almost 19,000 registered clubs worldwide. It’s played all around the world, from England to Japan and South Africa. Even tho it originated in Europe, the most successful teams come from the South Hemisphere. Australia and New Zealand are the most successful Rugby Union nations, both in club and national team competitions.
As we mentioned earlier, Rugby Union is played all around the world with several big leagues and tournaments taking place every season.
We will outline some of the premier Rugby Union events, both domestic and international, with the focus on the ones that are especially popular in Australia.
Super Rugby is the most popular Rugby Union club competition, which gathers teams from Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Japan and South Africa. This relatively young professional Rugby Union league started in 1992 as Super 6. New clubs were joining every few years until the league became Super Rugby with 15 teams we have today.
When it comes to Rugby Union betting, Super Rugby is without any doubt the most popular league. All of the bookies listed at the beginning of this article provide Super Rugby odds, so you won’t have any problems finding where to bet. In case you want to learn more on this subject, check out our dedicated page about online betting on Super Rugby.
Together with Super Rugby, the World Cup is an international event that helped popularise Rugby Union code all around the world. It started in 1987 as a modest, invitation-only tournament, but eventually grew to a prestige competition with 20 teams that come through a set of fearsome qualification rounds. New Zealand is still the most successful team with 3 wins, while Australia lifted the Webb Ellis trophy twice so far.
Rugby World Cup is also widely popular among Aussie punters. It takes place every four years, meaning that there are not so many betting opportunities. But this format makes outright markets even more exciting, so we suggest you to visit bet365 since they are usually the first bookie to have odds on Rugby World Cup. For more details about this tournament, take a look at our page where we reveal everything you should know before placing Rugby World Cup bets.
Bledisloe cup is a 3 game series between the two biggest Rugby Union rivals – Australia and New Zealand. However, if you take a look at the previous clashes, it’s clear that in most cases New Zealand is the dominant side. All Blacks have won almost 4 times more Bledisloe Cups than Wallabies while keeping a near-perfect record on home court.
This may seem like a pretty boring event to bet on, but if you introduce handicap markets, every game will become super exciting! You can find this kind of bets at every bookie from the list above, yet Unibet and Betr are the operators with most options on display. We talk much more about how to bet on the Bledisloe Cup in one of our other articles.
Keep in mind that there are other Rugby Union leagues and tournaments. If you want to learn what other Rugby Union events are taking place, scroll down and check out our list. But be aware that odds on some of these may not be available at every Australian bookmaker.
International Rugby Union Tournaments
Domestic Australian Rugby Union Club Competitions
International Rugby Union Club Competitions
All of the above-mentioned leagues and tournaments are played under the patronage of the main governing body for Rugby Union named World Rugby. It guarantees that all competitions are fair and use the same set of in-game rules.
Rugby Union is a global sport with tens of professional leagues and tournaments around the world. The major Rugby Union league in Australia is Super Rugby, while other notable tournaments are Rugby World Cup and Bledisloe Cup. Check out the full list of Rugby Union events in the article above.
Since Rugby Union is so popular in Australia, many domestic betting sites are offering odds on competitions such as Super Rugby and Rugby World Cup. We have cross-compared all of them and came up with the list of the best Rugby Union betting sites for Aussies, which you can find at the beginning of this article.
Yes, you can. Most of the top Rugby Union betting sites in Australia are offering in-play betting on all major games. Note that you can’t place in-play bets online. All the live odds are displayed on bookie’s site, but you’ll have to give them a call to proceed with your wager. To learn which operators are the best when it comes to Rugby Union in-play betting, take a look at the article above.
Prices are constantly changing, so it’s quite difficult to determine which bookie is always having the highest Rugby Union betting odds. That’s why it’s very important to shop around and do the odds comparison tests before betting to make sure you always end up with the highest value possible.
Our experts manually test and compare every betting site to offer our readers detailed and up-to-date information. We rank bookies based on several important criteria, including apps, markets, odds, special features etc. To learn more about the review process, visit the How we rate page.
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