Best Rugby Betting Sites in Ireland July 2024
In this guide, we break down the best rugby betting sites. Whether you enjoy the intricate battles of rugby union or high-pace action of rugby league, you can find a site to match your style. We’ll explain what kinds of bets are available for rugby and analyze the key differences between the two codes.
The Best Rugby Betting Sites
Best rugby betting site | bet365 |
Best coverage for rugby union | bet365 |
Best coverage for rugby league | Bet-at-home |
Best rugby odds | Mr Green and Casumo |
Best streaming | bet365 |
Most payment methods | Unibet |
Best support | Spreadex |
Rugby Betting Markets
Match Result Markets
The most basic rugby bets are on match results — picking the winner or loser of a game. Punters can bet on a team to win, cover the handicap spread, or wager on totals like over/under points scored. Draw or tie betting is rare in rugby.
Try Markets
Predicting tries provides a major rugby betting focus. Options include betting on the first try scorer, last try scorer, anytime try scorers, and the total tries scored in a match. Try bets see action especially with dangerous backs and loose forwards.
Player Markets
Wagering on individual player performance is also popular. Punters bet on players to score tries, make metres gained, beat defenders, or record tackles. Kicking markets are available for conversions, penalties, and drop goals.
Half Markets
Bets aren’t limited to full matches either. Offerings exist for first half and second half results, stage of first points, and lead at halftime wagers.
Rugby Union and Rugby League: Differences
Though similar, rugby union and rugby league have distinctions in rules and gameplay. Rugby league focuses on speed and continuity while rugby union emphasizes set pieces and contests. Both deliver exciting gameplay but Union reigns supreme in Ireland. Let’s examine some major differences.
Number of Players
Rugby union has 15 players per team while Rugby league has 13. The reduced numbers allow for more space and faster play.
Number of Tackles
In rugby union, teams can maintain possession as long as they don’t make errors. Rugby league limits teams to just 6 tackles before turning over the ball.
Scoring
While try scoring is essential for both codes, rugby league simplifies the point values. Tries are worth 4 points in League but 5 in Union. Penalty goals are 2 points in League but 3 in Union.
Equipment
Rugby union allows protective gear like pads and helmets. Rugby league has minimal protection or full bans.
Field Size
The maximum field size in rugby union is 100 x 70 meters. For rugby league it’s 100 x 68 meters.
The Major Competitions in Rugby Union
- Six Nations. An annual tournament between England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. The most prestigious competition in the Northern Hemisphere.
- Rugby World Cup. Held every 4 years under the auspices of World Rugby. Features 20 national teams.
- Rugby Championship. An international club competition among teams from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina.
- Premiership Rugby. The top-level rugby union league in England.
The Major Competitions in Rugby League
- Super League. The top-level professional rugby league competition in Europe. Consists of 11 teams from England and one from France.
- NRL. The National Rugby League is the premier rugby league competition in Australia and New Zealand. Features 17 pro clubs.
- State of Origin. Annual best-of-3 series between teams representing Queensland and New South Wales (Australia).
- Rugby League World Cup. Global tournament held every 4 years under the International Rugby League. Crowns the world champions.
Top-5 Rugby Betting Sites
Bet365
Bet365 is one of the best rugby betting sites, offering extensive betting options across sports and leagues.
For rugby union Bet365 provides around 250 markets per match. Rugby league sees about 280 markets per fixture. Margin on rugby mostly from 5.50 to 6.50%, but sometimes it goes up to 9.50% — decent numbers but not the best.
For top football and basketball matches over 800 betting markets are available.
Useful features include bet builder and full, partial and auto cash out.
Bet365 is renowned for its live streaming, covering thousands of events across sports. Frequent price boosts and early payout promotions add further value. Bet365 also leads the industry in Esports markets.
Registration is quick and easy with no documentation needed initially. Their 24/7 live chat provides support even if you don’t have an account.
But contacting support can be tricky at times with no clear email or phone number provided. Average odds are competitive but lag slightly behind some competitors.
Bet365 accepts all major payment methods including Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, bank transfer, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
Unibet
Offering betting on over 30 sports, Unibet provides a wide range of betting options.
For rugby union bets, approximately 140 markets are available per fixture. Rugby league sees around 190 markets per match. Margins on rugby betting average between 5.00 and 7.50% which is very good for this sport to compare with the most of contenders.
For popular sporting events like football, Unibet offers over 1000 betting markets per match. This extensive variety covers pre-match, live and futures betting. Less mainstream sports have fewer markets.
Unibet accepts all major payment methods, including Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Apple Pay, and multiple e-wallets.
Nevertheless, Unibet lacks regular promos and bonuses for existing punters beyond sign-up offers. Their odds are also average rather than highest on the market.
Casumo
Casumo provides a modern online sportsbook with a minimalist design.
For top rugby matches, they offer a decent range of around 130 markets for rugby union and 180 for rugby league. Their margins on rugby average between 5.50 and 6.50% which is really great for this market.
Useful for punters is Casumo’s Bet Builder feature to combine multiple bets on a single game. This allows tailoring wagers to specific scenarios. But Casumo does not offer live streaming for rugby or other sports.
In terms of payment methods, the bookie accepts major options like Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller and paysafecard.
Unfortunately, Casumo lacks some advanced features. Their horse racing section provides a narrow selection of markets. The site is focused more on soccer betting in terms of depth.
Overall, Casumo supplies a solid platform for rugby punters, especially in terms of odds which are among the best.
Mr Green
For top matches, Mr Green offers around 600+ markets, though rugby coverage is less comprehensive.
Approximately 150 markets are available for rugby union bets and 200 for rugby league contests. This includes all major betting types pre-match and in-play. Mr Green’s margins on rugby are rather low, averaging between 5.50 and 6.50%.
Useful features for punters are Mr Green’s Bet Builder for same-game parlays and cash out option to settle bets early. Mr Green also provides extensive statistics for popular sports like football.
The bookmaker accepts several payment methods, including Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller and paysafecard.
As for drawbacks, live streaming is not offered currently on rugby or other events. While Mr Green covers basics for rugby betting, the sport is not their primary focus to compare with casinos. Lastly, navigating the live chat for assistance can be difficult.
Spreadex
Spread betting allows wagering on the outcome of an event based on a points spread set by the bookmaker. The bettor tries to predict whether the final result will be over or under the spread. Spreadex offers both spread betting and fixed odds.
In fixed odds, the bookmaker provides around 70 markets for rugby union bets and 30 for rugby league events. Margins average between 6.50 and 7.00%. While coverage lags rivals, Spreadex focuses on his main product over extensive fixed odds.
Spreadex covers just 20 sports. Payment options are Debit cards, Skrill and Bank Transfer.
Where Spreadex excels is customer support. And the biggest drawbacks are just a few sports and only three payment methods.
FAQ
What is the best rugby betting site in Ireland?
The best site for rugby betting is probably bet365, but it’s not undisputed. While this giant leads in many aspects of betting such as extensive markets, live streams, and features, rugby punters may in some cases prefer other bookmakers. For example, Mr Green offers higher odds on rugby, and Bet-at-home has more expansive markets on NRL matches.
What are the best rugby union betting sites?
In terms of the number of bets, bet365 looks the best, offering over 250 bets per match. However, the margin for rugby union betting can exceed 7%, while several competitors are just above 6%. If you like the exchange, we recommend trying Betfair, which also has a decent fixed odds selection — more than 70 per game. Another good option is 32red with 150 markets on rugby union and a margin of about 6%.