Best Rugby Betting Sites in Ireland 2024

Rugby Betting Ireland Facts

How we rank the Best Rugby Betting Sites

It is vital that you find the best rugby betting site in Ireland for all your needs that provides competitive odds, a range of markets and more special features that keep you interested and coming back for more. Here is our important guide of all the factors you should take into account when choosing the best rugby betting site for you.

Licensing and Security	The safest betting sites to use will be licensed by a professional body such as the UK Gambling Commission which not only makes sure players’ personal information is protected and secure, it also means the site commits to fair gaming and will stick to the rules.
Strong Welcome Offer and Regular Promotions	A good welcome offer will entice new customers to sign up and this will mainly consist of free bets, cash back or even a profit boost. For example, place a €10 bet on Ireland to win vs Italy in the Six Nations and receive €30 in free bets. Consistent promotions are also vital to encourage you to keep coming back with amazing offers personalised to your account. Check out the T&Cs.
Wide Range of Tournaments and Events to Bet On	There is such a variety of rugby tournaments throughout the year and many people will want to bet on them. From the huge Rugby World Cup to the lesser known leagues, the best betting sites will provide a market for all events to suit the needs of all rugby fans.
Competitive Rugby Odds	Due to the wide range of betting sites in Ireland, there must be competitive rugby odds available. They have to provide good value for customers to keep you interested for the potential to win big if you are successful. Accumulator bets should also be available and some sites may offer acca insurance to protect your stake.
Selection of Rugby Markets	There should also be a wide range of markets for rugby on offer. You can back the favourite To Win, predict the Try Scorers, Half Time Score and Full Time Score and even try the thrilling Handicaps which give the underdogs a head start by adding or deducting points.
Special Features	There are many special features which will sway your opinion of choosing one rugby betting site over another. Many people love to have a live stream available to watch different matches they have betted on. Other popular features include in-play betting, a statistics section for the teams and players and live updates to keep you interested.
Mobile App	All good betting sites should also have a mobile app that looks good and works well. You can place bets anywhere at all times of the day. The app should be fully responsive with a user friendly interface and offer certain features such as live notifications to improve your betting experience.
Reputation and Reviews	It is beneficial to see what real customers have to say about their experience on various betting sites. Reputable reviewing sites are also worth a look as you can gain an inside look at the services on offer before you commit. A strong reputation and 5* reviews will make you feel more confident when signing up for a high quality betting site.
Payment Methods	A wide range of payment methods are essential for betting sites. This makes customers feel more comfortable knowing a familiar payment option is accepted when depositing and withdrawing money. This includes debit cards, bank transfers, PayPal and many more.
Customer Support	Reliable customer support is essential for betting sites. Live chat, email or by telephone are advisable to ensure you can receive helpful and quick resolutions to any problems.

The best rugby betting site in Ireland should offer a wide range of these features to ensure all customers enjoy betting and keep returning whenever your favourite rugby tournaments are live.

Best Rugby Betting Sites in Ireland

Boylesports

With a variety of rugby league and rugby union betting markets, Boylesports have been praised for being one of the best betting sites for rugby betting odds and offering some of the best value out there . It is one of Ireland’s biggest online bookmakers and considered a good bookie to sign up with if you want price boosts rugby bet and a good selection of in-play rugby betting markets. They also have over 100 selections of pre-match betting and the mobile app is particularly favoured for rugby betters. Alongside this there is also an option for in-play betting for betting, including live scores and live streaming.

Pros	Cons
·       Range of markets ·       Some of the best rugby betting odds and betting experience ·       Quick deposits and withdrawal	·       In play betting has faced some criticism

Ladbrokes

Ladbrokes has been named one the UK’s more premier bookmakers and have often been praised for valuing their customers. Whether this be through their loyalty schemes or through offering a range of promotions or daily odds boostsm they remain a very popular betting option. Rugby fans will be happy to find pre-match offers and rugby markets on the next rugby game then Ladbrokes can offer it, they seemingly offer good price boosts on both the Rugby League and Union. 

They also have a good reputation of being one of the first sites to offer rugby betting odds, especially when it comes to the big games such as the Six Nations. It has been estimated that Ladbrokes offer around 29 different markets.

Pros	Cons
·       Good odds on rugby union and rugby league ·       Pre-match and in-play betting ·       Quick payments	·       Limited customer support

888sport

While 888sport may not be the top rugby betters first choice of sportsbook, it is still one to take note of. Due to their international nature, they may be better for those who prefer larger international rugby tournaments compared to the smaller local games. Furthermore, 888sport offer quality and consistent betting odds and do have a long standing reputation with many years of experience. 888sport also offers the ability to live bet on rugby too if that’s what you wish.

While it should be noted that 888Sport lacks rugby union markets, they do offer match winner markets for Rugby league and overall their league betting is excellent. Otherwise, the site offers the type of markets you would expect when it comes to rugby, such as match winner, handicap or half time and full time bet and when big events occur you can bet on the outright winner.

Pros	Cons
·       Good free bet bonus ·       Various payment options ·       Good odds and markets ·       Live betting	·       Sometimes limits those who win a lot ·       Lack rugby union markets

Tonybet

Tony Bet do not offer many consistent promotions, which may come as a disappointment to many gamblers. Nevertheless, they do offer weekly cashbacks which help return some of a users losses. Tonybet may not be the first choice for rugby betters, as it seems to shine with football fans more.

Pros	Cons
·       Competitive odds ·       Good customer support	·       Live stream ·       Lack of vip or loyalty program

Sadly, none of the above can be seen to offer player or game stats when it comes to rugby. Having stats on the betting site can be particularly useful when it comes to backing up your bet. Both Bet 365 and Coral feature rugby stats on their betting site.

How to bet on Rugby

Rugby is a sport that originated from the UK but is now played around the globe, now easily a very common and well-loved sport.

It is contact sport where the aim is score more than the opposing team within a 80 minute timeframe. Using a ball, players are aiming to score a goal in the opposing team’s goal by either kicking or running with the ball.

Rugby comes with its own set of rules, the main one being players cannot pass the ball forward. Therefore, all ball passes must be thrown sideways or backwards or kicked forward and chased after. The opposing team must try stop the team with the ball by physically tackling them with force to prevent the ball from furthering near their goal.

The physical nature of the game means it can be quite a dangerous sport, and thus comes with it’s own set of rules to help ensure safer play. A players tackle must not be above the neck or around the head and players must also avoid using the bottom of their shoes to tackle due to the studs on their boots.

Teams consist of 15 players and are split into two groups: forwards and backs. The following positions are as followed.

Forward positions	Back positions
–                 Hooker –                 Prop –                 Second row –                 Flanker –                 Number 8	–                 Scrum half –                 Fly half –                 Inside centre –                 Outside centre –                 Wingers –                 Full back

Points in rugby can be scored in four ways:

1. A Try: achieved when a player places the ball in the opposite team’s dead ball area behind the goal, awarded 5 points.
2. A Conversion: free kick awarded to a team after a try to earn 2 bonus points. For a kick to be successful, it needs to pass over the upper posts and the top bar on the goal.
3. A penalty kick: 3 points awarded when the opposing team causes an infringement.
4. A drop goal: when the ball is kicked out of hand but the ball must bounce first, this can earn a team 3 points.

The game is played in two 40 minute halves with a 10 minute rest in the middle and ends on exactly 80 minutes, the high action sport rarely lands on a draw.

Rugby formats

If you are new to rugby you may know the sport has different formats. The main one being the union or the league which are played slightly differently. Understanding the different formats of rugby is essential to placing a good bet sport. Here are the three we recommend you know.

• Rugby Union

Rugby union is of the main formats are often the most common. Over 180,000 clubs are registered to play in the union. A Rugby Union match is one team against the other with 15 players and 7 on substitute. Some primary events that take place in the Rugby Union is the Rugby World Cup, Super Rugby, Gallagher Premiership and The Six Nations Championship.

• Rugby League

A Rugby League match involves only 13 players playing on a rectangular arena over 68 metres long. This type of match is mostly seen throughout Australia and Europe. Events that take place in the League is the Super League and the National Rigby League.

• Rugby Sevens

Sometimes referred to as seven-a side, as the name suggests two team of seven players compete. Games feature seven-minute halves with a 10-15 minute half time in the middle. Due to the competitiveness of the game, it has since become popular in America and parts of Asia and Africa.

Rugby Odds

When it comes to sports betting, it is important to find good, high odds. As usual, odds vary from market to market and sportsbook to sportsbook so it is always good practise to take time comparing. If one sportsbook offer the best odds one time, it is likely these can change so remember to check these frequently.

When it comes to Irish rugby betting sites, here are some of the best sites that have been seen to offer consistent and high odds; Betfair, 888sport, Ladbrokes, William hill, Betaway, Bet365 and Betvictor. However, take this with a pinch of salt since odds vary between rugby league and rugby union games and major and minor events.

Popular Rugby Betting Markets

The below table shows the different types of bets you can place on rugby betting sites.

Type of bet	Description
Match bet	This is where you bet on which team you think will win the match. Notably, the high scoring nature of rugby means it rarely ends of a draw, so some bookmakers may not offer this as an outcome.
Handicap betting (sometimes referred to as spread betting)	This type of betting is when one of the teams is given a hypothetical advantage or disadvantage with points either given or removed. Bookies tend to use this type of betting when the outcome is highly predictable to help level the playing field and make the game more interesting This is seen as a good market to bet within if one team is heavily favoured to win.
Over / Under Bets	These are bets where you bet on variables instead of the match itself. For example, betting on total points scored by two teams. This has become increasing popular in recent markets.
Tournament or seasonal bet	You can also outright bet on who you think will win an overall tournament or be the seasonal winner. Betting on a winner can also give you a team to support throughout the whole competition to make it more exciting. It is worth noting that the odds may change throughout the season or tournament, so it worth waiting to see how a certain team play at the start before making your bet.
Individual player bet	As suggested, this is where you can bet on a particularly player. For instance, there may be the option to bet on which player will be the first try scorer. While this seems straightforward it is a tricky bet to play. Another to bet on a certain player is betting who will be the highest scorer. There is also the chance to bet on disciplinary actions. Since rugby is such a physical game, injuries and yellow cards are more common than not, so some markets offer the chance to bet on the first yellow card of the game. Same applies to the red cards, but these are rarer and more infrequent. Other individual player bets include man of the match or player to score a try at a certain time of the event.
Team bet	Team bets are the same as individual player bet but you would be betting on the team not one singular player. Some examples of this could be betting on the winning margin, the team who will score the last try or the first of the match.

Popular rugby betting events

There are variety of betting options through the many competitions and tournaments for rugby so there is lots of opportunities to gamble.

The Rugby World Cup

The occurs every four years are showcases some of the best rugby players the game has to offer. This is the most popular and biggest rugby event and there is a separate world cup for both men and women. The event is run by World Rugby and funds the game.

The Six Nations Rugby Championship 

This takes annually between England, Ireland, France, Scotland, Wales, and Italy where they compete to the Six Nations title. This is an all male event but there is a women’s Six Nations Championships too between England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland.

Rugby Union in Ireland is Irelands national team and has competed in both the Rugby World Cup and The Six Nations.

Olympic Games Rugby

In 2009 rugby was added to the Olympic Games and has been part of the event ever since. The next Olympic games will take place in 2024 in Paris, where you will be able to watch rugby there too.

Premiership Rugby

Officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby is a professional English competition between 11 clubs. Founded in 1987, the current club with the most wins is the Leicester Tigers.

Strategies and betting tips to possibly increase your chances of winning a rugby bet

Looking to improve your rugby gambling? Here are some useful tips and strategies to consider before placing your next bet.

• Take advantage of online resources

You can find numerous information online that can help you make a smarter, more informed rugby bet. Good resources could include checking rugby tipsters and expert predictions online to help back your bet and increase your confidence in your decision. These resources may help you see alternative betting options that you didn’t notice beforehand and are good option if you find yourself doubting your choice.

• Do your homework

Look into the team’s history and how they have played in the games leading up to this match. Consider whether they play differently at home or away or whether this is a must-win match, taking into account all the things that might impact the teams performance before making your decision.

• Small wins are good wins

Celebrate the mini victories. When it comes to such a high paced sport such as rugby any win no matter the size should be graduated. No profit, no win is guaranteed so enjoy anything you get. Not to mention, multiple small wins could be more profitable than one big win. It is good practice to withdraw every win you make if it is within the sportsbooks limit.

• Keep an eye on the players

As a full contact sport injuries are common as well as unexpected so you never know when the best player could be injured. Therefore, it is good practise to consider the players and their form before the game, keeping a look out for which players have recently been injured or have just returned from recovery. This could include ones who may have mysteriously missed a match or been particularly absence as of late.

Similarly, it can be useful to consider whether any teams have new players. Looking into whether these could give them an advantage with some fresh talent is a good one to consider too.

• Don’t bet on emotions

This one applies to most sports, it is recommended to not be biased with your bet by simply going with your favourite rugby player or team. Having reasons and stats behind your bet is far smarter choice than having an emotional bet.

• Watch the weather

Bad weather will impact the game when it comes such a full-on sport like rugby. Rainy conditions will evidently make the game more different; the ball will be harder to grasp, visibility will be reduced and it can be more difficult to tackle the opposing team. The performance control may reduce, which is good to keep in mind depending on your bet.

• Stay updated on the rules and format of the game

Be aware of what game you are betting on and what rules or the way the game plays may differ. For instance, in the English Premier League, teams can be awarded bonus points after their team scores 4 or more tries. It is common that subtle rules can be introduced throughout the team, so keeping up to date with rugby news could but your betting decisions at an advantage.

FAQ on Rugby Betting: