How popular is rugby in the UK?
There are different national rugby teams in the UK. England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland each have a national rugby union team.
All teams compete against each other both internationally and domestically.
Rugby is a very popular sport in the UK.
As of 2019, most ticket buyers for the International Rugby World Cup were from England. After them, came the Australian rugby fans and, in third position, Irish fans.
It is not surprising that rugby is so popular in the UK. The sport actually originated in England during the 19th century.
The sport’s history is closely tied to the history of football. At its early beginnings, rugby was a style of football played at Rugby School in England. It is believed to have been invented by William Webb Ellis, a student of the school.
In 1845, the first set of rules was established for this new “rugby” sport. Several decades later, in 1871, the Rugby Football Union was created.
Rugby matches and leagues
There are different matches and leagues that take place for rugby.
There are national and regional matches and leagues. There are also international matches and leagues which are often considered more prestigious and competitive.
There are different domestic competitions in England for male rugby players. These include three national leagues, the RFU Championship and the Gallagher Premiership, among others.
In Ireland, there is the All Ireland League. Created in 1990, this national league includes 50 Irish senior rugby union clubs.
These different rugby clubs compete against each other throughout the year.
Scotland also organises several domestic rugby league competitions. The world’s oldest rugby union league is actually in Scotland and is known as the “Border League” (1901).
Domestically, Wales organises several competitions including the Welsh Rugby Union Challenge Cup, also known as the WRU Challenge Cup. This competition brings together different Welsh rugby union clubs.
International rugby competitions
As for international competitions, the most famous one is the Rugby World Cup which takes place every four years.
There is also the Six Nations Championship, which takes place annually and opposes England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales.
Fans of rugby will also know the Rugby World Cup Sevens and the World Rugby Sevens Series, both sponsored by World Rugby.
Several other competitions in which some UK countries participate include:
• The European Rugby Champions Cup
• The British and Irish Cup
• The Anglo-Welsh Cup
International matches seem to be more popular because of their prestige, competitiveness and the high entrance requirements teams must meet in order to participate.
The popularity of international rugby competitions shows in the number of viewers. In 2019, more than 857 million people worldwide watched the Rugby World Cup, making it the most watched rugby event ever.
As with every international competition, international rugby matches are also popular because they tend to unite the whole country. These feelings of solidarity, unity and community bring citizens together, leading to a national celebration in case of victory.
Sports betting on rugby
The popularity of rugby matches in the UK has also led many fans to place sports bets. Nowadays, there are more and more sportsbooks operating online, allowing fans to place their bets on various rugby matches and tournaments.
Sports betting on rugby matches is somewhat different to betting on other types of matches, like football or horse racing.
For horse racing, bets are ‘pari-mutuel’. This means that the odds are determined by the total amount of money bet on each race and each horse.
Any horse racing bet you place will also be impacted by the percentage that bookies intend to keep.
However, sports bets are different in the sense that your odds are determined by the bookmakers. Your odds will remain unchanged or change very little.
However, not all sports bets are the same. Your odds will depend on the team statistics, player fitness, weather and other criteria specific for each individual sport.
The rugby betting system, for example, includes a more extensive set of markets. Rugby bet types tend to include “the team total, race to X, handicap, winning margin” and more.
Rugby is expected to become more popular in the future.
The ease of access to sports matches and bets, thanks to the internet, could be contributing to the sport’s popularity increase.
Rugby is also becoming more popular now that it is reaching new markets. The Rugby Union is eager to conquer new markets both digitally and physically.
This is one of the reasons why the 2019 Rugby World Cup was hosted in Japan, in the hopes of conquering new markets.
The Union will most likely continue to organise international matches designed to attract old and new fans.
As for countries where rugby is already an established sport, they will most likely continue to consume rugby-related content. The love of rugby is, after all, passed on from generation to generation.
In the UK, rugby is particularly popular in Wales. According to data from Eurostat, search results for “rugby ball” were higher in Wales than in England.
After Wales, Northern Ireland came in second place for its interest in rugby. England came third, followed by Scotland in fourth position.
Rugby is a very popular sport in the U.K. with a strong fanbase.
The sport’s popularity is expected to increase over time, with the love for the sport being passed on from generation to generation. The emergence of new markets is also expected to boost rugby’s popularity worldwide.
