How to Bet on the Six Nations Rugby
The Rugby Six Nations is the largest rugby competition in the northern hemisphere. Six countries from Europe take on each other every year for the tournament trophy. It has the format similar to a league, with six nations alternating each year between home and away fixtures. The tournament begins in February each year and carries on into the spring.
Each nation must play each other once and the scoring can be tricky to understand. Teams can gain up to 4 points for a win, 2 points for a draw and 0 points for a loss. This is because the Six Nations has added a bonus points system which means you can now gain a bonus point for scoring four or more tries or a bonus point for losing by 7 points or less.
So, what are the nations that take part? The Six Nations is played between England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy. The Italians were a late addition as it used to be only 5 nations. In this betting guide at BettingTop10, we will guide you through all of the different betting strategies at your disposal for the Six Nations every year.
As well as this extensive article, you can check out our Rugby Union betting pages which should give you some free expert tips and advice. You can check out all the Six Nations free bets there.
Match Betting Two Way
This is very simple as you are betting on which team will win the match, so you are either right or wrong. If the match ends in a draw, your stake will be refunded. However, draws can happen so there's a little edge in placing this bet if it's a tight match.
Match Two Way Handicap Betting
Rugby matches can often be very one-sided, so the odds compilers need to form a handicap to give the outsiders a head start. If one team starts with a plus of 15 points, they must lose by no more than 14 points in order for the bet to be landed, and on the other side of the coin if the team starts with a minus of 15 points they must win by at least 16 points. If it is a handicap tie, then both sides are losers, but you can also bet on a handicap tie. This is probably the most popular bet in rugby as more times than not there is a strong favourite.
Match 3 Way Betting
This bet is the very same as the two way but the odds can be slightly more favourable as they include the draw. Draws in rugby are rare enough but it can be worth going for this bet for the slightly better odds which should work in your favour. If you think the match could be a draw, you can also bet on that at large odds. These markets are also available for the first half and second half markets.
Double Result
One of the value bets you can do in the Six Nations is the double result. This bet is where you can bet on the combined first half and second half results. For example, if you bet on Ireland/Ireland then you will need Ireland to be winning at the end of the first half and the end of the second half. This can increase the odds drastically and can put you well on your way to winning big.
Alternative Handicaps
This is the same as the handicaps markets above except it's a different line, so if you fancy a team to win by a crazy amount of points you can find that bet here.
Race To Points
You're essentially betting on teams reaching a predetermined points threshold ahead of the other. Commonly, it's a race to 10/20/30 points. To win the bet, your chosen team needs to be the first to hit that mark. Alternatively, you can bet on neither team reaching the specified points margin.
Total Points
In this market, you're betting on whether the total points scored by both teams will surpass or fall short of a specified threshold. Betting "over" means the combined score must exceed the set total, while betting "under" means it must stay below that mark. For instance, if you bet on over 47.5 points, the total score must be 48 points or higher to win, and if you bet on under, it needs to be 47 points or fewer.
To Score First
This is a popular bet where you bet on either a team or player to score first. Whether it is a try, a penalty, or a drop goal, it doesn't matter. This is a tactical bet.
Tryscorer market
This is betting on what player will score a try in the game. Punters can bet on the first tryscorer, last try scorer or even an anytime tryscorer. To score a try is to put the ball down beyond the opponents try line.
Winning Margins
In this scenario, you have the option to bet on either the number of points a team will win by or a predetermined points margin. You can place bets on the exact points margin of victory. These types of bets frequently present good value propositions.
Six Nations Tournament Winner
This is where you bet on a nation to win the Six Nations tournament. It is very simple. In order for your bets to land you need to predict the winner of the tournament.
Six Nations To Finish Bottom
This involves betting on a team to conclude at the bottom of the Six Nations standings once the tournament concludes. The team positioned at the bottom accumulates the fewest points.