JSE-listed Phumelela is pleased to announce the launch of an exciting new TAB sports bet, Rugby 5, to coincide with the start of the Rugby World Cup 2011.

Rugby 5 is similar to several other TAB bets, including the Pick 6 and Jackpot on horseracing and TAB’s extremely popular range of pool bets on soccer, namely Soccer 6, Soccer 4 and Soccer 10.

“Rugby is part of our South African culture and we believe Rugby 5 will enhance rugby fans’ enjoyment of the sport, as well as giving them a chance to be rewarded for their rugby knowledge,” said Phumelela Group CEO Rian du Plessis.

“And the wonderful aspect of Rugby 5 is that nobody is betting against the house. It’s a pool bet, quite similar to the informal pools often put together by a company or group of friends, and the payout is determined by dividing the net pool by the number of winning entries. It will be easy for fans to participate because they can utilise telephone betting or take their bets online or on our mobile platform. With all three channels we have made it easy for fans to deposit money and withdraw winnings,” he added.

The first Rugby 5 pool will be held on the weekend of 10 and 11 September and will comprise a mixture of Rugby World Cup and Currie Cup matches. Betting will open on Monday 5 September.

Each Rugby 5 bet or pool comprises five matches, which are labelled M1 to M5 (i.e. match 1 to match 5). In each match one team is shown as Team A and the other as Team B.
The result of all five matches must be predicted correctly to win and there are five results to choose from in each match:

1 = Team A to win by 1 to 12 points
2 = Team A to win by 13 points or more
3 = Draw
4 = Team B to win by 1 to 12 points
5 = Team B to win by 13 points or more

The numbers one to five are utilised by the computerised tote betting system to mark the different result options and players of Rugby 5 must use these numbers to make their choices in each match.

A single R10 bet or multiple bets can be placed. With a single bet, one result option is selected for each of the five matches. More than one result per match can be selected, which is called a permutation bet at a cost of R10 per additional combination.

It’s easy to calculate the cost of a permutation bet. Say two results are selected in match 1, one in match 2, three in match 3, two in match 4 and one in match 5. Take the total number of selections in each match and multiply them out, which in the example is 2x1x3x2x1. That equals 12 so there are 12 combinations at 10 rand each and the total cost of the bet is R120. A fan confident of the outcome of say three matches can take a permutation bet by making one choice in each of the three matches concerned and then selecting all five options on the remaining two matches. This bet would cost R250 (i.e. 1x5x1x5x1 = 25 x R10).

With Rugby 5, the result of the match is the score at the end of the normal 80-minute playing period. The detailed Rugby 5 rules can be found at www.rugby5.co.za

Rugby 5 can be played by phone or online if you open a TAB account. There are several ways to deposit money into and withdraw winnings from the account.

For a phone account or more information, call 0861 444 822. For non-WAP mobiles dial *120*133*59# and for WAP-enabled phones sms RUG9 to 31744. Go to the Rugby 5 website for an online account. If you bet at a TAB branch, the bet must be called to a teller.

More information, contact TAB Customer Care on 0861 444 822 .