Super Rugby came to life in 1996 with rugby teams from cities other than those in the east formed league. After the success of the 1995 World Cup, the boards of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa created the Super 12, a tournament that confronted the best of each country’s home clubs.
In 2006 Super 12 became Super 14, with the addition on 2 more clubs and in 2011 it became what it is now today the Super 15. Hence forth the tournament began to be called “The Super Rugby League”, since the plan is to keep adding teams to the tournament.
Super Rugby is split into three conferences representing each of the countries involved. The Australian Conference, the New Zealand Conference and South African Conference. In each conference the national teams face each other and whoever wins the Conference title goes on to qualify to the Super Rugby Final Series along with the best teams of each conference. The final game defines the championship, similar to how the NFL and Super Bowl are played.
When is it Played?
The season goes from February through July 2018. After the end of the season the Test Matches of the “Rugby Championship” begin between Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina kick in.
Where to Bet
For western bettors, the best option is to bet on Rugby Union match today at William Hill, a sportsbook that offers the best markets and a full list of choices for Super Rugby.
Super Rugby betting types
Match Betting – The simplest bet on which team will win the match. Most bookies will simply offer a straight bet on the winner.
Line and Point Betting – The same as the American point spread, in which the underdog or least favorite team to win is awarded a head-start of points by the bookie. The favorite would need to win by that extra amount of points in order to for bets on the winner to hit. A line bet would look like: 1.92 Rebels (+5.5 points).
In points betting it is usual for the oddsmaker to present odds with a decimal .5. This is to avoid draws between the bookmaker and the bettor. As an example, if the Rebels won for exactly 5 points the bet is a loss, the Rebels need to win by at least 6 points to win the bet.
Margin Betting – A very unique type of bet on the South East were the bettor needs to determine if either side will win for a certain margin of points or draw. In the example below the Rebels would need to win by a 13 point margin in order to claim the bet.
Example:
3.75 Rebels 1-12 points
$8.50 Rebels 13+ points
$2.65 Waratahs 1-12 points
$2.75 Waratahs 13+ points
$23.00 draw
Exotic Bets – The exotics are a multitude of bets that focus on game specifics, like who the first try scorer will be. The most popular exotics tend to be the ones of the first stoppage in play, first third match official decision and first try scorer.
This would be an example of different exotics for the first stoppage:
$2.10 lineout/throw in
$3.25 penalty
$3.25 scrum
$21.00 try
$34.00 mark
$34.00 22-metre drop out
$81.00 drop goal
The third match official is the video referee. He takes calls that the field referee didn´t see or cannot take decisions on. The bet is if the third match official will award the score when he is asked on the first ruling. Most of the time the third referee awards the score.
Futures Betting – Bet at the beginning of the season on which team will play the finals conference matches, qualify for the Super Rugby Final Series, and which team will be the winner of the championship.
Betting Strategies
Back the home team – Locals have a huge advantage in Super Rugby due not only to supporter pressure on the referee but also on the travel toll due to long distances.
For future betting back the second best – Every season is very different and it’s hard to determine a clear favorite based on the top teams from last season. Player seeding doesn´t always find its way to the top teams. A good side in a weak conference might be a better value bet than going for the super favorite.
Back the Crusaders when not a clear picture – The Crusaders are the biggest winners in the history of the event and continue to dominate during most seasons. 7 titles in total and always manage to qualify for the final series.
