Rugby is an exciting sport with an interesting history and many betting options. As with sports betting in general, you need to be well-versed in the respective sport in order to successfully place bets with an online bookmaker. No matter where, a sports bet is always a challenge, an attempt to be one step ahead of the bookmaker. If you have no experience with betting on rugby, please read our guide to rugby.
From the history of rugby
To get a better insight into rugby, you should familiarize yourself a little with the history of this sport. This sport is said to have originated in England in the 19th century based on football. According to history books, a football player once grabbed the ball with his hand in the middle of the game. That is why rugby is primarily a game similar to football. But there are differences in terms of the rules and some other things.
Rugby Rules and Aim of the Game
On a rugby field (100 m×70 m) two teams of 15 players compete against each other. In rugby league (we’ll get to that later) there are 13 players in each team. The ball, which has a different shape than the traditional football ball, can be carried by the players, kicked with their feet or thrown, but only backwards. The ball is also called “the egg”.
If the ball is thrown forwards, it is a violation of the rules. In rugby, “scoring a goal” is defined as crossing the crossbar. The team that manages to score the opponent’s goal with the ball or puts the ball in the opposing team’s end zone (goal zone) wins the game. The game that scores more points wins. The game lasts 80 minutes and is divided into two halves. After a half (40 minutes) there is a ten-minute break.
If you put the ball in the goal zone, it counts as a “try” in rugby. Goals can still be scored with a so-called free kick and drop kick. The team gets five points for a “try” and three points for a free kick or drop kick. At the end of the game, points are counted and the team with the most points wins. But there are a few subtleties: the player without the ball cannot be attacked. If the player has the ball and touches it with the sole of his shoe, he must release the ball. If the player with the ball is pushed while attacking, it is considered a foul.
Differences between rugby and American football
Do you think the games are almost the same? Well, not quite. The playing time is different. The American football team only has 11 players. And the tournament in American football does not last as long as in rugby. And in general, if you look at both sports, rugby is not as wild a game as American football because of the rules. All these rules, such as the one that only allows attacking the player with the ball, make the game less wild and aggressive. This can even be seen in the way the players look. In American football, the protective clothing is much thicker to protect the players from injury.
Rugby Union and Rugby League: Same Sport, Different Rules
Interestingly, there are two forms of rugby, rugby union and rugby league. Rugby union maintains the basic form of the game, and rugby league is a newer form of rugby. The main difference between the two forms is the number of players on the team: the team in rugby league has only 13 players. The scoring and the rules are also slightly different. In rugby union, you can change the ball after each contact.
This was only a rough overview of the rugby rules, but you are welcome to use this information to get started with rugby.