Rugby Betting Tips in Ireland

According to a 2023 survey by Energia (the IRFU’s ‘energy partner’), Rugby Union is now Ireland’s most popular sport. In fact, 31% of 1,008 respondents claim that this is their favourite sport, ahead of soccer, Gaelic football, and hurling.

Of course, this means that online rugby betting is popular in Ireland across both Union and League codes. Betiton Ireland certainly cover a broad range of rugby events and markets and deliver competitive odds across the board. I’ll explore this in more detail as well as offer my top rugby union betting tips.

What Types of Rugby Betting Odds Are There?

Odds are presented in different visual formats depending on the bookmaker. Learning how to read odds thanks to our sports guide will help you calculate the implied probability of a particular outcome occurring as well as your potential return in relation to your stake amount. This is the most important step of learning how to bet on rugby.

American Odds

American odds are synonymous with the US market. They combine three digit numbers with a ‘plus’ or ‘minus’ symbol with the plus indicates a betting underdo and the accompanying number relaying how much you’ll win if you stake €100.

Betting favourites carry a minus sign and the accompanying number tells you how much you’ll need to stake to win €100. So, if you backed favourites France to defeat Ireland in the Six Nations at a price of -160, you’ll need to wager €160 to bank a profit of €100.

Backing an Ireland win will unlock American odds of +154, so a winning €100 wager here would pocket a return of €154.

Decimal Odds

Decimal odds are the default at Betiton Ireland, which feature single numbers to two decimal places. This digit lets you know how much you’ll win for every €1 staked, inclusive of your original bet. To provide some context, if England are priced at 1.10 to beat Italy in the Six Nations opener at the Stadio Olimpico, an €100 bet would unlock a return of €111.00.

Decimal odds are the easiest to read, especially when calculating the implied probability of an outcome occurring. Here’s the equation you can use to gauge the statistical probability of a specific event:

(1/ decimal odds) * 100 = implied probability

Using an example of France vs Ireland in the 2024 Six Nations, this equation reveals if France had odds of 1.62 to win, this would imply a 61.72% probability of a victory for Les Bleus. The same calculation shows that if Ireland had odds of 2.66, they have just a 37.59% chance of success.

Fractional Odds

This format, popular at UK bookmakers, features two numbers separated by a slash. The first digit tells you how much you’ll win in relation to your stake amount, which is represented by the second number.

For example, this format prices a draw between France and Ireland in Paris at odds of 25/1. This means that you’ll win €25 for every €1 successfully wagered, exclusive of your initial stake amount. So, a winning €5 wager will see you bank €125 in profit and €130 overall.

What Can Influence the Rugby Betting Odds?

The implied probability of an event occurring has a direct impact on our published odds here at Betiton IE. But what other factors are worthy of consideration? Our rugby betting guide will uncover the details.

• Home Field Advantage: Home advantage is seminal in all iterations of sports betting, including both rugby codes. In the 120 Six Nations matches contested between 2000 and 2007, for example, 61% produced a home win. So, this will always impact directly on odds and pricing.

• Form and Conditions: Similarly, the recent form of teams and players will impact how outcomes are priced. It’s also important to distinguish between home and away form (which may vary wildly), while recent head-to-head records between teams may also be informative.

• Team News and Conditions: Both rugby codes are incredibly physical, so players can regularly pick up injuries (and suspensions) during the course of leagues and tournaments. This affects pre-game odds, as do the prevailing weather conditions which may suit or undermine specific playing styles.

Betting Tips: Rugby Scoring System Explained

Whether you enjoy Rugby Union or Rugby League, there are four ways in which you can score points. These include:

• Try: A try occurs in open play and is scored when the ball is grounded over the opponents’ goal-line in the in-goal area. This is worth five points in Rugby Union and four points in a game of Rugby League.

• Conversion: A conversion automatically follows the scoring of a try and equates to a free kick at goal from a place in line with where the ball was grounded. In both codes, a try conversion is worth two points.

• Penalty Kick: A penalty may be awarded anywhere on the field, following an infringement by an opposing player. When within range, this may result in a kick at goal, whereby a successful conversion yielding three points in Rugby Union and two in Rugby League.

• Drop Goal: During open play, an attacking team can choose to kick at their opponent’s goal when in range. This requires a player to find a pocket of space and strike the ball on the half-volley and is referred to as a ‘drop goal’. This is worth three points in RU, and just one in Rugby League.

🏉 Scoring Action	👉🏻 Rugby Union	👉🏾 Rugby League
✔️ Try	5	4
✔️ Conversion	2	2
✔️ Penalty Kick	3	2
✔️ Drop Goal	3	1

Study the Format of the Rugby Competition

You’ll regularly see rugby predictions published across a large selection of leagues and competitions, from Union’s Guinness Six Nations Championship and Premiership Rugby to the Super League (which represents the top tier of the British Rugby League system). Each tournament has its own unique format, but which are the most popular among bettors?

• The Rugby World Cup: The Rugby World Cup is a men’s Rugby Union tournament that’s contested every four years. It combines a round-robin group stage with three knockout rounds, while the competition will be expanded to 24 teams in 2027. South Africa won the most recent iteration in the autumn of 2023, claiming a record fourth world title in the process.

• The Premiership Rugby: Currently sponsored by Gallagher, this is the top division of the English Rugby Union system and comprises 10 teams. A total of 120 matches are played annually as part of a round-robin format, before the top four teams progress to the playoffs. This follows a straight knockout format, with Saracens triumphing most recently in May 2023.

• The Super League: The Super League is Rugby League’s premier domestic competition in the UK and Europe and was founded 28 years ago in 1996. 12 teams will compete as usual in the 2024 campaign, including 11 from the UK and one from France (the Catalan Dragons). This also comprises a round-robin league format and three knockout rounds, which culminate in a Grand Final that determines the annual champion.

• Men’s Rugby League World Cup: While the Men’s Rugby League World Cup lacks the prestige of the RFU alternative, 16 iterations of the tournament have been hosted since 1954. Historically, Australia have dominated the competition, winning on 12 different occasions (including the most recent in 2021). Great Britain have won three times and New Zealand once (in 2008).

Be Aware of the Different Rugby Rules

The distinction between Rugby Union and Rugby League is clear, with both codes having different rules, scoring systems, and effective styles of play. So, before you analyse and leverage specific rugby betting tips, it’s important to understand such differences and how they may impact your selections.

Rugby Union Betting Tips

Opposing Rugby Union sides field 15 players each, including ‘eight’ forwards and seven ‘backs’. This creates a congested field of play, and an emphasis on competition at the impact phases (such as a ruck, tackle or scrum) and tactical gameplay elements such as kicking for position.

While Rugby Union may be a slightly slower and more tactical game, tries, penalties and drop goals in this code all earn more points than they do in Rugby League. This may lead to higher scoring matches on average, potentially impacting the free Rugby Union betting tips that you access.

Rugby League Betting Tips

Rugby League teams field 13 starting players, although they’re allowed to make more substitutions per game (10 as opposed to eight). Of course, there’s considerably more space on a Rugby League pitch, while the use of six attacking phases encourages running rugby and more open, fast-paced games.

A try and conversion combination scores six points in Rugby League (as opposed to seven in RFU games), while penalties are worth just two points and drop kicks one. This can certainly influence Rugby League betting tips in relation to over/under markets, while it should be noted that the pitches used in this code are noticeably smaller.

Choose the Rugby Betting Market Wisely

Both Rugby Union and Rugby League codes are relatively complex, especially when compared to sports like football. However, each code’s scoring systems and variable phases of gameplay also create a huge array of rugby betting markets, whether you like to wager pre-game or live and as the action unfolds.

The Type of Rugby Bet

Despite the differences between the two codes, you can access many of the same betting markets across each one. Here’s a summary of the most popular rugby bets.

• The Match Winner Bet: Betting on the match result is the most common market in both rugby codes. Typically, you’ll bet on one of the two competing sides to win as a draw only occurs in just 4% of matches on average in Rugby Union and League.

• Handicap Betting: Handicap betting enables you to back heavy favourites at enhanced odds. In this case, we’ll set various hypothetical advantages and disadvantages as betting lines, each of which is expressed as a + or – points value. For example, you could back Ireland to beat France in the Six Nations with a handicap of -10.5 points. Ireland will then have to win by 11 points or more for the wager to pay out.

• Over/Under Betting: With over/under betting, you can wager on whether the actual total points will be over or under a particular threshold.

The Rugby Team You Bet on

Rugby tips will often recommend a particular side to win a match or tournament or highlight the best possible betting markets. You can use this information to inform your selections and individual stake amounts, while underpinning a strategy that’s built on you backing the best outcomes in any given scenario.

This is arguably preferable to backing a team you support or favour, as this can lead to emotive betting and rash decision making. Obviously, betting on your favourite team can be especially fun when you watch them play live, but it’s not a recommended strategy if you want to make the most of your bankroll.

Be sure to consult our Rugby Union betting tips and combine this with your own team and market analysis when choosing which side to back. If you do choose to back a top team and short-priced favourite to win a game, consider creating additional value through handicap or accumulator betting too.

Do Not Underestimate Rugby Betting Predictions

Detailed Rugby Union expert tips and predictions definitely offer huge value, especially here at Betiton Ireland. Our insights come from rugby betting experts and even ex-professionals in some circumstances.

By reading rugby betting predictions, you can access different perspectives on upcoming games and tournaments. You may also be able to uncover detailed tactical and statistical analysis, which breaks down some of the complexity surrounding rugby codes and clarifies your betting selections.

Rugby Betting Offers

Our current welcome offer at Betiton IE comprises a €10 free bet when you wager €15 at minimum odds of 2.00. While deposits made via Skrill, Neteller, PayPal and the Paysafecard are not eligible to receive the bonus, the offer is free from wagering requirements and highly competitive in this regard.

You’ll have 14 days in which to deploy your free bet, while this can be staked on outcomes with odds of 1.80 or higher. These are all highly favourable terms from the perspective of bettors, while the accessible nature of the bonus is also incredibly appealing.

Frequently Asked Questions