Rugby – What’s the difference between the several rugbies?

Talking about rugby can always become a little confusing but let’s try to crack it. The main confusion between non-rugby aficionados results from the differences between Rugby Union and Rugby League, which both derived from…football.

Rugby Union is the form that you’re most likely to have seen before. It’s a 15-a-side game played in just about every country in the world and generally uses a slightly longer pitch.

Rugby league is only really played at a high level in Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and to a lesser extent…South Africa and France. It’s a 13-a-side game and perhaps the most crucial difference of all is that in League you hand over possession if the team’s players have been tackled six times, unless of course you’ve already scored a try before the six tackles are up. If you haven’t, players generally kick the ball forward before being tackled for the sixth time.

The ball used is very similar in both formats, the method of scoring points is pretty much identical but how many points you’re awarded for tries and drop goals differ. Additionally, though certain positions in both games have the same names, they’re actually very different in terms of what players in those positions do.

Union is the more widely played of the two, the one that generates the most income through TV and sponsorship and the one that attracts the most fans and Media coverage.

There is of course a third type of Ruby…Rugby Sevens. It’s played on a similar-sized pitch but is just seven-a-side which leads to far more tries and high-scoring games. The best known ongoing competition is the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens though it’s now also an Olympic Sport.

Thankfully on Betsson you can bet on all three types of Rugby with all the major games covered and lots of markets including the all-important handicaps.