The most popular betting markets ahead of a huge year for rugby league

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2021 is a huge year for rugby league, with the much anticipated World Cup scheduled to take place late in the year in stadiums across England.

On top of that, the Super League and National Rugby League will both be back in action once again. A lot of rugby is set to be played, and that means that the oddsmakers will have their eyes on the big competitions.

Some mobile phone betting sites offer advice on where the value is when it comes to rugby league betting. Sites like Mobile Wins suggest handicap betting on a specific match as a good way to find value; for instance, guessing whether the Leeds Rhinos might win by a certain amount of points in a given league game. Handicap betting isn’t for everyone though, and many of the popular bets in 2021 will relate to the World Cup.

The obvious market to aim for is the outright winner of the World Cup – but only if you fancy an upset. If you believe that Australia will win the title, then we’ve got some news for you – you may as well not bother. With most bookmakers, the Wallabies are red-hot favourites, and odds-on to take the title back to the Southern Hemisphere once again, after claiming the title on home soil last time in a nail-biting encounter with England.

That said, many have speculated whether England or New Zealand could pull off the unthinkable and topple the Aussies. If you are one of those people, then maybe this is the market for you. Odds for either side to win the cup are placed around the 7/1 mark, with slight differences depending on the bookmaker.

If it is club rugby that floats your boat, then the bright lights of the Super League could be the way forward. When looking at betting on the Super League 2021 though, betting on specific games probably isn’t the route to go for – there isn’t too much value there. One popular long-term option would be to bet on who the top try scorer will be in the regular season.

With most bookmakers, there is one clear favourite in this category in Bevan French of Wigan Warriors. He’s streets ahead in the betting, generally being placed at odds of around 8/1 to outscore his opponents.

Similarly, top points scorer in the regular season will be another popular market. St Helens’ magnificent Lachlan Coote is the favourite with most bookies, with odds tending to land at around 2/1. If you are looking for value outside the favourite, Hull FC’s Marc Sneyd is a points monster, and odds of around 6/1 are tempting.

Several betting markets are offering long odds on an upset in either the World Cup or the Super League, but it all depends whether you can actually see one happening. Many in the rugby world would love to see Australia tumble in the World Cup for the sake of variety, if nothing else.

 

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