Best Rugby Betting Sites In Ireland
Rugby is an extremely common sport for watching, playing and betting on in Ireland which is why we have put together this comprehensive guide to all things related to betting on Rugby in Ireland. We will walk you step by step through the best Irish betting sites for Rugby, taking the time to compare them to international bookmakers that welcome Irish punters, as well leading you to some free Rugby bets and bonuses and everything else relevant to betting on this thrilling sport.
- All
- Enhanced Odds
- PayPal
- VIP rewards programme
- cash out
- VIP rewards club
- €20 risk free
- Horse Racing
- Low deposit
- More Filters
Bet €10, Get €30 in Free Bets
Bet €10, Get €30 in Free Bets
- Excellent outright GAA odds
- Live GAA betting markets available
- Variety of ongoing promotions
100% First Deposit Bonus up to €100
100% First Deposit Bonus up to €100
Bet €10 Get €50 Free Bet
Bet €10 Get €50 Free Bet
- 3/1 combined odds for Acca Insurance
- Generous new customer welcome offer
- Daily specials available on many sports
100% First Deposit Bonus up to €100
100% First Deposit Bonus up to €100
Bet €10, Get €50 plus 10 free spins
Bet €10, Get €50 plus 10 free spins
- Live betting free bets available
- Regular GAA live markets
- Appealing in-play odds
Up to €50 Welcome Bonus
Up to €50 Welcome Bonus
- App features modern design
- Top live betting platform
- Available on iOS & Android
5% Deposit Bonus
5% Deposit Bonus
Up To €100 In Extra Winnings
Up To €100 In Extra Winnings
- Unique welcome offer
- Easy to use sportsbook
- Fully licensed and regulated
Bet €20 And Get It Back If It Loses
Bet €20 And Get It Back If It Loses
- Ireland’s leading bookmaker
- Huge number of specials
- Ongoing promotions for existing customers
Bet €5, Get €20 in Free Bets
Bet €5, Get €20 in Free Bets
- Generous welcome offer
- Daily price boosts
- Thousands of daily in-play markets
How We Rank The Best Rugby Betting Sites
- Safety – We prioritise safety when we review a betting site. We know there are other factors, and we will get to those shortly, but first and foremost we need to make sure that all of your sensitive and personal information is safe from any potential harmful threats. Once we know a site is secure and using the highest possible security software, we check for regulation certificates, just as we did with Paddy Power, then and only then do we move on to the more fun part of betting on the Rugby.
- Markets – The absolute best betting sites will all boast a full and thriving sportsbook that’s bursting with Rugby betting markets. A comprehensive Rugby sportsbook will cover all of the world’s leading leagues and competitions from both hemispheres as well as some lesser known, lower league events, just as is the case with QuinnBet.
- Live Streaming – There are times when you are unable to catch the game on TV in which case a great option for punters is to access a betting site’s live streaming service. That way, users and other interested parties have the chance to watch Rugby matches live on their choice of desktop or mobile device. Not only can this heighten the betting experience, but these streams often come with commentary as well, as is the case at Paddy Power.
- Odds – As fun and exciting as betting on Rugby can be, what we are really looking for is value in the odds. That is after all why we bet on the sport in the first place. The prices that the bookies put out there are what determines our profit at the end of the day which is why we rank betting sites on their odds, just as we did with 10Bet.
- Rugby Betting Promos – Betfred sponsor the Super League in England and are heavily invested in Rugby. As such they run regular betting promotions throughout the year which is very important when looking at a side to bet with.
- Deposit Options – Not every banking option is right for every punter as we all have different needs at the end of the day. This is why we look for sites that offer the highest number of banking methods available so that if, for whatever reason, you want to deposit and withdraw through your bank account’s debit card, an e-wallets or by bank transfer, you will be well catered for at these sites.
- Customer Support – The best betting sites will be there for their customers 24/7, offering as many ways to be contacted as possible. It’s not always the case, but ideally sites will offer support right around the clock through live chat, email or telephone. This is how support works at BetVictor which is why we are happy to work with them.
How The Best Irish Rugby Betting Sites Compare
| Sportsbook | Live Betting | Live Streaming | Handicap Betting | Cash Out | Bet Builder | Acca Insurance |
| SportNation |  |
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| Betinia | |
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| Rabona | |
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| QuinnBet | |
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| 10Bet | |
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| Royal Panda | |
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| Paddy Power | |
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| Betfred | |
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Most Popular Rugby Betting Markets
There are a huge number of markets for betting on Rugby out there, some more complicated than others and some that are pretty simple. With matches and tournaments going off most of the year, sometimes all year, there is no shortage of options for any Rugby bettor. Let’s take a look at some of your options for betting on Rugby.
Match Result
This bet is the same as it is in any other team sport where punters bet on a team to win, lose, or draw a match. Let’s say Ireland are hosting Wales in Dublin and you fancy the Shamrocks to win. All you need to do is put your money on them to beat Wales and if they do, you’ll get your money back plus a profit on top based on the odds you agreed on when you placed the wager.
Correct Score
Here, you need to correctly predict the final score in a match of Rugby. Because of the way Rugby is scored, this is much harder to call than, say, Football. However, because Rugby betting predictions are generally harder to make, the odds are normally better.
Total Points
Another way to approach betting on Rugby is by wagering on the total number of points scored during a Rugby match. This bet can work by guessing within a certain range or work as an Over/Under bet.
Half Time/Full Time
Again, you can get similar bets to this in other team sports such as football. If you recognise that some teams start better than others, while others tend to get going in the second half then you could pick up some very nifty odds on a Half Time/Full Time bet. All you need to do is predict which team will be leading at half time on 40 minutes, and who will finish the match on 80 minutes ahead. There are nine available options which are, win/win, win/draw, win/loss, draw/win, draw/draw, draw/loss, loss/win, loss/draw and loss/loss.
Winning Margin
Irish punters are also able to wager on the winning margin of a team. This could be a minimal score such as between 1 and 5 points, or 5 and 10 points. Or it could be by a much larger margin such as 30+ or 40+. You can also bet on a team’s winning margin in a Test series.
First Try Scorer
Working in exactly the same way as a first goal scorer bet, a bet on the first try scorer requires bettors to correctly guess on the player who will score the first try of the match. You can also back no try scorer if you don’t think anyone will make it over the line.
Tournament or Series Bets
This bet works by backing a team to emerge victorious from a nominated tournament or series, be it the World Cup or Six Nations on the international front, or the Pro 14 domestically. So long as the team you backed to win the tourney or Test does win, then your bet is a winner too.
Top Try Or Points Scorer In A Tournament Or Test Series
With this bet, you are backing a player to amass the highest amounts of points, or score the most tries, during a tournament or Test series. If your pick outscores everyone else, either in tries or in points, then you have a winning bet.
To Wear Shirt A Certain Shirt Number
Every four years the British and Irish Lions prepare for a Test series tour of either Australia, New Zealand or South Africa. When they do, bookies will open up markets on which player will wear which number. Numbers are very positionally important in Rugby and one of the newer markets in betting is for punters to wager on who wears what.
Rugby handicap betting explained
What is handicap betting in Rugby and how does handicap betting work in Rugby? Well, handicap betting Rugby matches is a way of levelling up the playing field when two opposing teams or players are considered unequal in skill. This is true for Rugby where if one team is believed to be vastly superior, then they are given a handicap, allowing bettors to back the underdog or enjoy greater quality odds on the favourite. In Rugby, handicap betting works by giving the underdog plus points prior to the match which then falls to the favourite, who will have started on a minus handicap, to win within that range and surpass the handicap gap.
Think of it this way, take a Rugby Union World Cup game between Ireland and Romania. Naturally, Ireland would be considered heavy favourites in this match up. Online bookies could give Ireland a handicap of -13.5 points. For you to win the bet Ireland would need to win the game with more than 14 points to pass the handicap.
Popular Rugby Betting Promotions In Ireland
There are many great ways to bet on Rugby and, because there are so many bookies to choose from, there are a ton of betting promos for you guys to enjoy too. In Ireland we are lucky to be able to access the best betting sites for wagering on the Rugby but don’t forget to take full advantage of all the great offers that the bookies are providing. Below we have listed some of the best and most popular betting promotions on offer right now.
Free Bets
Certain bookmakers, such as Ladbrokes, will on occasions provide their customers with a free bet for no particular reason. In general, this is not uncommon, but other bookies provide daily games that are free to play and where you can win free spins or free bets. Either way, you play while the bookie pays.
Boosted Odds
Most bookmakers will allow users to hit the boost button on their selections, either singles or accumulators, to boost the odds on their bets. Sometimes, these are capped to a certain amount of bet boosts in a day, sometimes they can be an unlimited amount. At other betting sites, like Paddy Power, they offer pre-boosted odds for many events and sometimes for Rugby too making Paddy Power Rugby betting superb.
Acca Insurance
There is nothing more frustrating for bettors than placing an acca and losing it all on one selection. This is why bookies like Coral offer their customers part of their stake back if the accumulator bet loses on one selection.
Get Some Moneyback
All of the leading betting sites in Ireland will offer some form of money back promotion. Take QuinnBet for example, they offer what they call Quinn’s Quarterback. Even though it is named after a position in a completely different sport, it works great for Rugby too and will give you back 25% back of your weekly losses as a free bet up to €50. Pretty cool, huh?
How To Get The Best Rugby Betting Odds
The whole purpose of betting on the Rugby is to turn a profit. Sure, betting on Rugby also enhances the whole experience but it will only lead to disappointment if you backed a team to win for a certain price, only to find out that another leading bookmaker was offering far greater odds and you could have enjoyed a far bigger return on your investment.
To avoid this happening to you and ensure that you are almost always likely to grab the best odds on the Rugby, have as many betting accounts with as many leading bookmakers as possible. Some of these can be Irish while others will accept and welcome punters from Ireland, but this really is the best way to get the best odds on your favoured betting market. Also, just because you have many betting accounts, doesn’t mean you have to bet with them all, all of the time. We have listed some great welcome bonuses below.
- Coral – Bet €5, Get €20 in Free Bets
- Paddy Power – €10 Risk-Free First Bet
- SportNation – 50% Up To €125
Rugby Betting Strategies
Whenever you are betting or even thinking about placing a Rugby bet, there are several smart strategies that you will need to consider if you want to make a success of things. It doesn’t matter which Rugby code you prefer, you must have a strategy as you prepare to take on the bookies for the first time. Here, we have listed some betting strategies for you to factor in to your thinking.
Do Your Homework
You really must understand everything about the sport of Rugby if you are going to stand any chance of making successful predictions. Once you understand the game, do some background research into how teams and players approach matches, how they prepare and how they play. This can be a brutal sport, so find out whether some teams play rougher than others or if they play a kicking game. Are there any injuries to key players? What is the weather likely to be like? Read up on head to head records and study team and player form. There are so many variables that can impact on the result of a Rugby match, and you need to be fully prepared if you are going to bet smart.
Learn The Rules Of Rugby
This is a simple but crucial one. Understand the game of Rugby. It’s similar to the first strategy above, but involves learning everything about the sport, rather than individual teams and players. Remember, there are two codes of Rugby, Union and League, and you need to know the differences between the two if you are considering betting on either. For instance, while there are other differences between the two, in Rugby Union tries are worth 5 points, but they are only worth 4 in League. This is vital information if you are going to be betting on total points scored.
Budget Your Betting
Finally, set yourself a budget and stick to it. Betting sites provide the tools to help you with this. Never bet more than you can afford to lose so consider your disposable income and set a small proportion aside for betting purposes so you can enjoy it safely.
5 Ultimate Rugby Betting Tips
OK, so you have decided you want bet on the Rugby, learnt the rules of the game, prepared a strategy and now you want to go ahead and place the bet. Obviously, you want that bet to stand the best possible chance of being successful. To help you with that, here are 5 top betting tips for Rugby. Some of these will apply to Rugby League, but some of these are better suited to being Rugby Union betting tips.
Tip 1: Pick The Right Betting Offer
There are so many bookies operating online that in order to get your attention and ultimately your custom, these betting sites are always pushing great promotions and offers that are perfect for betting on the Rugby. Some of these are known as welcome offers and are aimed specifically at new customers, but betting sites such as Ladbrokes also realise that it’s important to keep existing customers happy too, meaning there are promotions for everybody. All you need to do is choose the best one.
Tip 2: Take Advantage Of Price Boosts And Enhanced Odds
Maximise your potential returns by taking advantage of some the best betting offers we have listed on this page. Odds boosts, enhanced prices are all ways of achieving better returns. You might even find another great promotion or offer as bookies are always coming up with new and ingenious ways of making betting even better.
Tip 3: Give Lay Betting A Try
Lay betting is where punters back a team or a player to lose, or at least not win. The purpose of this is to get better odds on a match that looks a sure thing. If you back the favourite to win in an uneven contest, the odds can be short, hence why it’s worth trying your luck on alternative outcomes at a betting exchange such as betfair.
Tip 4: System Bets And Rugby Betting Accumulators
While accas are great and can really payout large sums for small stakes, they can be risky. Yes, there are acca insurance promotions at most Irish online bookmakers, but it still only takes one losing selection to scupper a big pay day. That’s why a lot of punters opt for system bets, some of which offer full cover meaning that you can still get some money back even if only one selection wins.
For just five selections, you could place a Canadian bet which is 26 bets when you factor in doubles, trebles, four folds and a five fold. Note, this does not contain singles. If you wish to add in the 5 singles to that same bet, then you will be placing a Lucky 31 which means you only need one of your picks to win to collect a little back from the bookies.
Tip 5: Follow Betting Tipsters
The web is awash with tipsters for all sports from Horse Racing to Football and, of course, Rugby. These guys are professionals and have had a hugely successful career tipping for a price. Sometimes, to tempt you, they will give away their tips for free, but in the main, the best tipsters charge a fee. You can find and follow these guys on social media or search for them online. Either way, they can offer you a more than valuable betting service.
Rugby Live Betting And Live Stream
Live betting on the Rugby is an extremely popular way to bet on the game. Rugby is perfect for live betting and cash out because the game can turn in a second and practically anything can happen. This is why bookies offer odds on events after they have started, so that you can take advantage of what is happening in the game in real time.
One of the best ways to follow a game is through a bookmaker’s live streaming service. Most of the best bookmakers will offer live streaming and all of the major ones will too. To access these services, different bookies have different rules but none are very complicated or expensive so you shouldn’t have any trouble loading up your match on mobile or desktop. Here is just a small selection of the best betting sites with live Rugby streaming in Ireland right now:
| Bookie | Live Stream Qualifying Criteria |
| PaddyPower | Positive account balance |
| Coral | Account must be in credit |
Bet On Rugby’s Leading Tournaments & Leagues
While this page is primarily about Rugby Union betting as that’s the most popular code in Ireland, it is important to remember that between the two codes, there is a lot of Rugby being played annually in Ireland and overseas. And a lot of Rugby being played means a lot of great betting opportunities. Below we have listed some of the bets Rugby events to watch out for.
Pro 14
The Pro 14 or United Rugby Championship takes place each year and incorporates 14 Rugby Union teams drawn collectively from Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Italy and South Africa. The tournament runs from September through May and the most successful teams progress to the European Rugby Champions Cup (below).
European Rugby Champions Cup
The European Rugby Champions Cup is open to teams whose countries’ national teams contest in the Six Nations Championship. The tourney takes place annually and is organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). Qualification is open to teams that do well in the English Premiership, French Top 14, and Pro14 or by winning the European Rugby Challenge Cup. When this tournament gets going, there are lots of great Rugby Champions Cup betting markets that will open up allowing for some great Champions Cup Rugby betting opportunities.
European Rugby Challenge Cup
The European Rugby Challenge Cup is the second-tier competition for European clubs after the European Rugby Champions Cup. Again, it is organised by the European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) and is held annually for 20 teams made up of 18 qualifiers from the English Premiership, the French Top 14, and the Pro14, plus two wild cards, one of which will be from the Italian Top10 and the other from one of the emerging Rugby nations.
The All-Ireland League
The All-Ireland League, which can be shortened to AIL, is the Irish national league system for Rugby Union, and the second highest level for Rugby clubs in Ireland. The League takes in 50 teams from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
World Cup
The Rugby World Cup takes place every four years and is contested by the world’s top Rugby Union playing nations. The event is organised by World Rugby and the winners are awarded the Webb Ellis Cup, which is named after an English public school boy who, it is claimed, invented Rugby when he picked up the ball and ran with it during a Football match. As of yet, Ireland are still to win it. In fact, only four nations have ever won the Rugby World Cup, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and England. Because of the uneven levels of quality in a tourney such as this, Rugby world cup betting can be very profitable which is why betting on Rugby World Cup has become so popular among Rugby fans.
Rugby League World Cup Betting
The Rugby League World Cup is the other world tournament for Rugby’s other code, Rugby League, and is held every four years. This one is brought to you by the International Rugby League and is older than its Union equivalent having first been held in France in 1954. Only three teams have won this event, with Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain being the only sides to have ever lifted the Paul Barrière Trophy. Just as in Union, Rugby League world cup betting can really pack a punch.
Six Nations
The Six Nations Championship gets underway each year in February and is contested by Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, France and Italy. Teams take on each other once per season, either home or away, and all of the points collected go towards a table with the team that finishes top crowned as the winner. 6 nations Rugby betting is one of the most popular wagers in Rugby.
British and Irish Lions Tours
The British & Irish Lions are a rugby union Test team made up of players from Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. The team is drafted every four years when it prepares to tour Rugby playing nations in the Southern Hemisphere. The Test tour works on a rotation basis between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
English Premiership
Across the Irish Sea in England there is the English Premiership, one of only three professional Rugby leagues in Europe, alongside the Pro 14 and the French Top 14. The league is constructed of 12 teams and is the highest ranked competition in the UK.
French Top 14
The French Top 14 is France’s top professional Rugby Union competition. The tournament is organised by the French National Rugby League and is contested by the best 14 teams in France.
Rugby Championship
The Rugby Championship is an international event exclusively held for the top four nations in the Southern hemisphere. The event is held annually in August and September and was formerly known as the Tri-Nations until 2012 when Argentina joined New Zealand, Australia and South Africa in the competition.
Super League
Another English event, the Super League is England’s premier Rugby League competition containing 10 English teams as well as a solitary French side. This event is sponsored by Betfred.
Licensed & Regulated Rugby Betting Sites
One of the main purposes of this page is that we wanted to ensure that when you bet on Rugby, you are betting safely and securely. That’s why at Safebettingsites we only recommend the betting sites that are 100% safe and fully licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission. If they do not fit this criteria, then we will not recommend them. Because of this, our readers have no reason to worry when gambling with a betting site that you have seen on this page.
Bottom Line
By now, you should have a good idea about betting on Rugby in Ireland. We have discussed some the sport’s finer points, its major events as well as how to bet on Rugby and who to bet with. You should know already that we only promote betting sites that are safe and have a wide selection of ways to bet on Rugby. As Rugby continues to grow worldwide, so too will the Rugby betting markets so now is the perfect time to jump in and take advantage of some of the great betting offers and promotions listed on this page.
Bet €10, Get €30 in Free Bets
Bet €10, Get €30 in Free Bets
- Excellent outright GAA odds
- Live GAA betting markets available
- Variety of ongoing promotions
FAQs
Is Rugby Union The Same As Rugby League?
What Is Different About The Two Rugby Codes?
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