Main Rules Of Rugby
Rugby is one of the most popular sports in the world and is increasingly becoming more popular with punters. Whilst it’s entertaining, if you aren’t familiar with the rules,betting on the rugby can seem confusing. To learn how to bet on the rugby you first need to understand the ins and outs of how it’s played. Here’s all you need to know.
The game of rugby has two main forms, rugby union and rugby league. In both codes, the main objective is to score tries by advancing the ball down the length of the pitch. Every rugby match consists of two halves of 40 minutes, equating to 80 minutes in total.
Rugby Union
The first thing to look at is scoring. A team wins the match by scoring more points than the opposing side. In the current format of the game there are multiple ways to score:
- Five points are awarded for a try which is obtained when a player grounds the ball in the in goal area of the opposing teams side of the pitch.
- Two points are awarded if that team can then convert the try. A conversion is a placed kick that is given to a team after a try is scored.
- Three points are awarded for a successful penalty kick, which is another placed kick awarded to a team after the other team commits foul play.
- Three points are also awarded for a successful drop goal. These are scored when a player kicks the ball through the posts after letting it bounce on the ground first.
The main set pieces in rugby are scrums and lineouts. A scrum can be awarded for a number of reasons and consists of the 8 forwards from each team binding together. The ball is then put in by the scrum half and play can continue. A lineout occurs when the ball leaves the field of play via the two side-lines. When the ball is thrown back in it must travel at least 5 metres. Both teams will contest to retrieve the ball from the lineout.
Find out more at Rugby Union Wikipedia
Rugby League
Although the basic skeleton of the game is the same, there are some fundamental differences. In Rugby League, a try is worth 4 points, a conversion or penalty is worth 2 points and a drop goal is worth just one. Scrums will also traditionally consist of 6 people.
League rugby has the ‘six-tackle rule’, meaning each team can only have the ball for a period of 6 plays. In Union rugby, a tackle is usually followed by a ruck but in League the player must be allowed back to his feet where he then plays the ball back to his team.
Find out more at Rugby League Wikipedia
This is only a brief look across the rules of both codes of rugby for more information check out this Ladbrokes Rugby Guide this goes into far greater detail about the rules of rugby for both the League and the Union. They areboth complex games but hopefully this insight can help you on your way to some successful betting on both codes of the nation’s favourite sport.