Common Rugby Betting Mistakes

Thinking about getting into rugby betting?  Rugby is one of the fastest-paced, most electrifying sports ever!  Whereas many other games feature only a small slice of action amid huge chunks of delays, rugby is 80 action-packed minutes of ongoing excitement with very few breaks.

There is a lot of money to be made betting on rugby if you know what you are doing—but there are also a lot of common mistakes you will want to make sure that you avoid.  Here are a few pointers to help you out.

1.  Avoid overblowing the significance of past meetings.

Past meetings between teams (and players) with bitter rivalries can be significant—but they often are not nearly as important as the recent games each team has played against other opponents.  Account for past meetings, but do not let yourself get distracted by them.  Just because something dramatic happened in the past does not mean that you are about to watch a continuation.  A lot may have happened between now and then.  Take a look and see.

2.  Do not neglect to handicap the bench.

Forgetting to handicap the bench is a common newbie mistake, especially among punters who have a lot of experience wagering on other sports.  In many other sports, bench players are understudies who play a relatively minor role.  They may spend almost all their time sitting. 

Rugby is very different.  Injuries are ubiquitous, and most teams will spent the latter part of the season in a weakened state and leaning heavily on bench players.  So the bench is just as important as the starting players.  If you are placing an outright bet on the outcome of a tournament, this is especially vital.

3.  Do not assume that betting on international rugby is the same as betting on domestic rugby.

There are much longer gaps in between international rugby games than there are between domestic rugby games.  That means you have less in the way of reliable recent information to go off of when you are betting on international games.  Do not make the mistake of wagering the same amount of money on matches you know less about; reduce your stakes.

4.  Do not ignore the weather.

Weather plays a far bigger role in rugby than it does in other sports.  A simple change in the wind can literally signal a change in the outcome of an entire match.  Downpours soften grassy turf into mud and quite frequently injure players.  If you ignore the weather when you are wagering in a rugby match, it will be at your peril. 

5.  Never forget to pay close attention to scoring rules and how they may impact outcomes.

Not only are there differences between how Rugby Union and Rugby League matches are played and scored, but each tournament often has its own set of rules for outcomes.  For example, in the Premiership, the winning team usually isn’t the one with the most points—it is actually the one that has conceded the fewest. 

It isn’t just important to know this in order to understand what you are betting on; it is also important because different scoring rules can play to the advantage of different teams, depending on their strengths, weaknesses, and overall tactics. 

6.  Do not forget about the importance of stamina.

A typical game of American football can run up to four hours.  A typical rugby match goes for around 80 minutes.  Which game do you think requires more stamina, more endurance?  Well, despite the fact that American football takes about four hours, the actual amount of action is estimated to take up a chunk of time equating to about 15 minutes.  This isn’t to say that this does not require a lot of endurance and skill—because it does. 

But rugby matches actually feature action for a large percentage of the game—typically between 30-40%.  That can mean around twice as much action as a game of NFL football in terms of sheer minutes of play.  Rugby also significantly outstrips baseball, which features around 18 minutes of action on average. 

Now, if you regularly bet on association football, then you are already in great shape.  Association football games are around 50% action, and actually require more stamina in some ways than rugby games.  Rugby however can be a lot more brutal, so in other ways the endurance and toughness requirements are higher. 

The bottom line is that endurance on the rugby pitch can be just as important as strength and agility. 

7.  Don’t just take the first odds you are offered; shop around for the best values.

Another common newbie mistake with any type of sports betting is not to shop around for the best odds.  Getting a good value can make the difference between a win and a loss.  It is a great idea to join several different UK betting sites for this reason.  You can plan your bets and then choose to wager on the site that will offer you the top value.

Now you are familiar with some of the most common newbie mistakes when it comes to betting on rugby.  Just avoiding these pitfalls will give you a head start on a profitable betting career.  Come up with a great system for handicapping teams and you will have the edge you need to maximise your success!