Originating in the UK and often known simply as rugby, union rugby is one of the most popular sports globally.
The close-contact game also enjoys some of the largest crowds and equally significant attention from betting platforms.
However, with hundreds of events worldwide, not all rugby competitions get the same depth of statistics and betting markets. Here is our selection of the top 5 tournaments with comprehensive markets and exhilarating experiences for punters.
Sponsored by Guinness, the Six Nations Championship is an annual competition involving some of Europe's most prominent rugby-playing countries. It is the most outstanding international rugby competition in the Northern Hemisphere, and some might even argue the most significant in the world.
The tournament has been taking place annually since 1883 and was previously known as the Five Nations before Italy joined in 2000. Other countries participating in the Six Nations are England, France, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
England and Wales have the most wins, although England boasts more outright titles. Since the inclusion of Italy, however, Scotland and Italy have not won any titles. Moreover, France was declared the 2022 champion after winning against England during the finals in Paris, securing their first win in over a decade.
There is also a Women's Six Nations that began in 2001-02 and involves the same six countries, although less popular than the men's version. It often took place alongside the men's Six Nations until 2021, when the two were separated due to COVID-19 restrictions. England took home the 2022 cup.
You can expect well over 50 betting markets under any Six Nations event. However, you will usually only be able to bet on the outright winner when staking months before the tournament begins. This trend is shared across different sports and competitions.
The four highest-ranking rugby-playing countries of the southern hemisphere, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Argentina, contest yearly for the Rugby Championship. The tournament began in 1996 and was called the Tri Nations until Argentina joined in 2012.
New Zealand has the most wins at 19, including the 2022 title. South Africa was the runners up while Argentina came in last. Argentina also has the least number of wins. Still, it has only been in the tournament for ten years, while the others have battled for the title for over two decades.
The Rugby Championship gets about 12 matches and a total attendance of approximately 463,702, which implies about 38,642 spectators per match. You can stream the games live on most of the top rugby union betting sites with live streaming.
Most renowned bookies offer over 50 betting markets for the Rugby Championship events, including the popular ones such as match odds, half-time results, try scorer, winning margin, first-half point range, and point range.
The peak of international union rugby is the Rugby World Cup, a men's tournament that began in 1987 and goes down every four years. It is administered by World Rugby, its international governing body.
This tournament usually involves about 20 nations and 48 matches. However, only 45 were played in the 2019 edition due to typhoon Hagibis, which cancelled three games in Japan.
South Africa took home the 2019 title, whose finals were played at the International Stadium Yokohama, Kanagawa. South Africa is only one of two countries ever to host this tournament and take the crown.
Additionally, although this tournament has been around for over 35 years, played 9 times, and involves more than 20 national teams, only four countries have won, counting up to the 2019 edition. They include New Zealand and South Africa (three times each), Australia (twice), and England (once).
The Rugby World Cup is fascinating for a rugby punter because of the availability of over 40 matches and at least 20 teams in a single tournament. Add about 60 betting markets on any single event from bookies such as William Hill, and you have unlimited punting opportunities.
Not to be confused with the famous English Premier League for football, the English Premiership Rugby tournament is the top division of the rugby union system in Europe. You may also come across this tournament as the Gallagher Premiership, which has been its official name for sponsorship reasons.
The competition began in 1987 and is held every year. It is currently made up of 13 clubs, going head to head across 22 rounds and attracting approximately up to 82,000 stadium attendance and millions of viewers on BT Sport and ITV.
However, the total number of clubs to ever participate in the tournament stands at 28, with Leicester Tigers, Bath, Wasps, and Gloucester having featured in every season since inception.
Leicester Tigers won the 2021/22 cup, taking over from Harlequins. The Leicester Tigers also boast the most titles in the Gallagher Premiership.
You can stream the tournament from popular betting sites such as BetUK. At the same time, Betfair will offer you the broadest selection of betting markets.
This list wouldn't be complete without the World Cup Sevens, a rugby union variant involving seven players on either side. It is a quadrennial world championship, much like the Rugby World Cup. It is also the highest competition level of the sport besides the summer Olympics.
There are usually at least 30 countries participating in the Rugby World Cup Sevens, including England, South Africa, USA, New Zealand, Canada, Fiji, Kenya, China, France, Madagascar, Spain, Uruguay, and others.
The defending champions after the 2022 competitions were Fiji, having claimed the title against former defending champions New Zealand in the finals held in Cape Town.
It is also worth mentioning that the World Cup Sevens includes a women's tournament, which runs parallel to the men's. Australia picked up the women's title in the 2022 finals. Again, New Zealand was the former reigning champion for the women's category.
You can find hundreds of sportsbooks listing the Rugby World Cup Sevens. Still, the most comprehensive lists of betting markets and competitive odds will come from leading betting sites such as Paddy Power, bet365, 888Sport, William Hill, and Ladbrokes.
William Hill and bet 365 each offer over 60 betting markets for the tournament, while 888sport will have at least 30 and Ladbrokes about 20. You can also expect higher percentage payouts of over 96% from these betting sites.
