Rugby Handicap Betting Explained with Examples

This article will explain how Rugby handicap betting works in the context of World Cup, 6 Nations and Rugby League. There’s also a Rugby Extra Time betting offer at the end of the article which I think you’ll find useful from betfred.

About the Rugby World Cup

The Rugby World Cup is now considered to be one of the most important sporting tournaments on the planet. Held every four years, the Rugby World Cup is contested by 20 nations. These are put in 4 groups of 5 teams each. The winner of the competition is awarded the Webb Ellis title. The most successful World Cup nations have been South Africa, Australia and New Zealand who have won two trophies each. England has won only one tournament.

World Cup Rugby Handicap Betting

Rugby betting is definitely a seasonal sport. What this means is that rugby is a game which over times of the year will attract a good amount of bettors. However it doesn’t have that year-long appeal such as football and tennis. It’s easy to look through the majority of bookmakers and notice that rugby doesn’t have the market coverage of a top betting sport. However, there’re times of the year when rugby gambling really flourishes. The Rugby World Cup is the biggest tournament for UK bookmakers and possibly the biggest amount of international appeal for punters. The Tri Nations and Six Nations are the most popular markets for bettors.

World Cup Rugby Handicap Markets

World Cup Rugby Handicap betting markets aren’t always huge, but nevertheless, let’s take a look at some of the most common markets with a little explanation on each.

Match Result:

The match result betting allows you to predict the result of the match with either a win-lose-draw for either team.

Handicap with Tie:

Rugby handicap betting is very common with rugby punters. This option allows bettors to place a handicap bet on one team and also a draw.

Asian Handicap:

This is a straightforward handicap and is available on either team. The draw is usually eliminated.

First Scoring Play:

You can predict how the first-point of the match will be scored and the team that will score. This includes a penalty, try or drop goal.

Team to Score First:

Here, you are placing a bet on the team that you predict will score first.

Rugby League Betting

There is always been a strong Rugby League market in the United Kingdom, even if it’s yet to reach the same levels as football betting. If you are bored of gambling on football or tennis you can try rugby league betting. If you are not familiar with this type of betting, here is a brief guide.

Types of Rugby League Bets

Match Betting:

Match betting is the most popular type of betting and possibly the simplest way to gamble on rugby. You only need to predict the outcome of a match.

Rugby Handicap Betting:

Rugby league handicap betting may only be familiar to those who are used to rugby betting. Essentially it’s a technique used by bookmakers to level up unequally matched fixtures. They do this by offering handicap betting odds. This entails giving the underdog team a head start. For example: Warrington Wolves are playing St Helens.

• The match odds are Warrington Wolves: 8/11, St Helens: 11/10. With a +10 handicap.
• This means 10 points are awarded to St Helen’s total.
• Warrington Wolves must now win the game by more than 10.
• Warrington are now 19/10 to win and St Helen are 2/5.

Rugby handicap betting can benefit bookmakers because it’s usually effective as a generator of money. The process can also increase betting opportunities for bettors.

Outright Bets:

This type of bet is usually placed on the results of an entire rugby league rather than on a single match. Outright odds are usually longer and therefore offer huge returns.

Six Nations Betting

The Six Nations is a yearly Rugby Union tournament held between England, France, Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Italy. It’s seen as the highest level of European international rugby. The six teams in the competition will play each other only once over five different weekends. Some of these weekends will be consecutive, others after a fortnight break. Since there are a total of five games to be played by each team, some teams will play two home games, and others three home games, this is evened out from year to year. The points scoring system in this tournament is somewhat different from most other Rugby Union competitions in that there are just two points for a win, and one point for a draw. There are no bonus points at all. At the end of the event, the team with the most points wins. In the event that there are two teams with the same points, point difference is the first tie breaker, and then tries scored. If this is till level, the Six Nations is shared.

Six Nations Betting Explained

Outright Betting

Several months before the competition begins betting will be available on the outright winner. This betting will be available throughout the event until the final weekend.

Match Betting

Match Odds – This is simply forecasting whether the match will be won by either team or if it will end with a draw. Half Time/Full Time – Here you predict the position of a team at half time as well as the full time result. Handicap Betting – In this betting one team, usually the favourite, will give up some number of points in a match to the underdog team. You are gambling whether either the favourite team will overcome this, or if the underdog team will either win, or loss by less than the handicap. For instance, England play Wales in London, the market will look like this:

• England -20.5 1.91
• Wales +20.5 1.91

Here England have to win by 21-points or more to win the wager, any other score line and Wales win on the handicap. Winning Margin – Here, the odds will be offered about teams to win by certain amounts, for instance, either team to win by more or less than 10.5-points. This wager will pay slightly more than the win market but it’s very difficult to predict. First Scoring Play – Here, you are required to predict the first scoring play and by which team. Examples could be a France Try or an Italy penalty. First Team to Score a Try – You will have 3 options here, both teams and no try.

Where to Bet on the Handicap

By now you should have a better understanding of handicap betting on Rugby Union and Rugby League matches. The 6 Nations Rugby tournamnet began on 06th of February. This will present an excellent opportunity for Rugby bettors to exploit the handicap betting angle and enable a profitable outcome. For UK players we would recommend Betfred and Betfair for a top choice of Rugby betting markets. You can of course use any of the leading online bookmakers as they all offer a good range of Rugby betting markets and all have welcome sign up offers – see our list of UK bookmakers.

Top Crypto Sportsbooks for November 2026

Top Crypto Sportsbooks for November 2026