Online Rugby betting

Rugby’s great and good will attempt to create their own little slice of history next year. Amongst them is Canada, who will travel to New Zealand as rank outsiders for the Rugby World Cup, but rugby betting is as much about following the head as it is the heart.

According to the current odds and most rugby betting tips, New Zealand are favourites for a place in the final (at least). It is a sport which controls the nation like no other, but the fact is the All Blacks have only won the greatest of rugby competitions once.

Australia, South Africa and England have been the dominant forces of the game and should be well backed in rugby bets next year when the predictions matter most.

In the meantime, the southern hemisphere's finest are taking on the best Europe has to offer throughout the autumn, matches which offer great guides to the punter in Canada looking for online rugby betting tips ahead of the showdown in New Zealand next year.

Then comes the small matter of the six nations tournament where England, Scotland, France, Ireland, Wales and Italy lock horns in a series of ferocious fixtures which have traditionally been one of the highlights of the sporting calendar.

Betting on rugby is simple and varied. Aside from picking a winning team, punters have the opportunity to select the margin of victory, leading points-scorer, number of tries, number of players sent to the sin-bin or penalty count, all of which extend the “volume of value” on offer in rugby sports betting markets. Furthermore, the continued rise of live rugby betting, where games and prices can be followed on the internet, is proving enormously popular with gamblers in Canada.

The enormous number of free bets on offer from internet bookmakers also presents the punter with great scope for combining rugby betting selections. Take, for example, a three team bet during a six nations weekend, or even rugby betting odds on selected matches in the leading European leagues. Both are a source of great value.

The odds are Canada will not reach the rugby world cup final in 2011, but that doesn’t mean punters cannot enjoy their rugby betting. Picking group winners and runners-up for the eight quarter-final places is a popular ploy – in fact, some Canadians may feel their side has a chance of finishing second in the group standings, depending upon the draw.

As one experienced rugby writer observed: "The world cup might only rumble around once every four years, but it's a great chance to score big with your rugby betting odds.

"Live rugby betting on the six nations is also worth a closer look. No one team is stand-out favourite this year, and although Scotland and Italy have normally taken a place at the bottom of the standings, a predictor will do well to pick a series winner.

"The fixtures are played across a weekend and a treble rugby bet maintains interest and can be very profitable. Like the game’s tackling, rugby betting tips will be flying in fast and furious, but the fact is the leading nations put the world cup ahead of the six nations and you might see that reflected in team selections, all of which adds to the fun of rugby sports betting.

"If you cannot wait that long to place your rugby bet, then punters should look at the fixtures and standings in the French, English and Celtic leagues. The range of matches you can bet on highlights how early season results affects your bet on rugby, as well as offering good tips for rugby betting when the international matches come around.

"If I was looking at rugby betting on the world cup, especially if I had a ‘spare’ free bet from an online bookmaker, then I would be looking to New Zealand. But the All Blacks have had a history of making a mess of the biggest matches, so rugby bets on France as dark horses might offer value, while Australia cannot be ignored in any rugby betting markets.”

IT is the greatest sporting rivalry on the earth. When England and Australia meet head on in an Ashes Test series the drama never ends and the cricket betting will be equally as intense.