Rugby union bonus points system
Bonus points are group tournament points awarded in rugby union tournaments in addition to the standard points for winning or drawing a match. Bonus points were implemented in order to encourage attacking play throughout a match, to discourage repetitive goal-kicking, and to reward teams for "coming close" in losing efforts. The most common system is:
- 4 points for winning a match
- 2 points for drawing a match
- 0 points for losing a match
- 1 losing bonus point for losing by 7 points (or fewer)
- 1 try bonus point for scoring 4 tries (or more)
In this system, winning teams get 4 or 5 points; drawing teams 2 or 3 points; and losing teams 0, 1, or 2 points.
Variant systems
The French professional league, Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR), uses a similar system in its two competitions, the Top 14 and Rugby Pro D2. After trialling the system in 2007-08, LNR adopted the new system permanently after that season.[1]
The French system awards points in this manner:
- 4 points for a win.
- 2 points for a draw.
- 1 "bonus" point for winning while scoring at least 3 more tries than the opponent.
- 1 "bonus" point for losing by no more than a specified margin. Through the 2013–14 season, the margin was 7 points; starting in 2014–15, the margin was reduced to 5.[2]
This system prevents a losing team from picking up two bonus points in the same match, as is possible under the normal system.[3] It also means that neither team earns a bonus point in a drawn match.
The National Rugby Championship of Australia uses a system somewhat similar to that of France:
- 4 points for a win.
- 2 points for a draw.
- 1 "bonus" point for winning while scoring at least 3 more tries than the opponent.
- 1 "bonus" point for losing by no more than 8 points (instead of 7 in the standard system, or 5 in the current French system).
The 2017 Six Nations Championship will use bonus points on a trial basis. A team that wins the Grand Slam will get three bonus points.[4]
Tables
Bonus points are typically listed in the group standings table, as for example the BP column in 2015 Rugby World Cup Pool B:
Team |
Pld | W | D | L | TF | PF | PA | +/− | BP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 South Africa |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 176 | 56 | +120 | 4 | 16 |
 Scotland |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 136 | 93 | +43 | 2 | 14 |
 Japan |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 98 | 100 | –2 | 0 | 12 |
 Samoa |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 69 | 124 | –55 | 2 | 6 |
 United States |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 50 | 156 | –106 | 0 | 0 |
More detailed tables may list losing-bonus points and tries-bonus points separately, as respectively the TB and LB columns in the 2015–16 European Rugby Champions Cup Pool 2 table:
Team |
P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Exeter Chiefs (5) |
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 148 | 151 | –3 | 18 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 16 |
 Bordeaux Bègles |
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 149 | 163 | –14 | 18 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 16 |
 Ospreys |
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 138 | 142 | –4 | 12 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 16 |
| Clermont |
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 159 | 138 | +21 | 19 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
Details
This format was created for New Zealand's domestic competition, the National Provincial Championship, in 1995 and subsequently adopted in the inaugural Super 12 in 1996.[5] It was first used at the Rugby World Cup in 2003, and has been the staple for international and club competition since, with the notable exception of the Six Nations Championship. If the Six Nations used the bonus point system, England would have won in 2002 despite France winning the Grand Slam.[5]
Other forms of rugby
Rugby Sevens, while still under the rugby union banner, does not use this system, and instead gives points for wins and draws. Sevens is a faster, more try-friendly game with a shorter time limit and a tendency to have runaway results. Sevens competitions are also usually one- or two-day affairs with an emphasis on the final bracket. All of this means there is little reason in using the Bonus Point System for the 7-a-side game.
Rugby league has tried out similar bonus point systems in some competitions, but most competitions only give points for wins and draws. However, since the 2007 season, the Championship and League 1 (the two levels below Super League), primarily in England with one team in France, give 3 points for a win, 2 for a draw, and 1 for a loss by 12 points or fewer (this amounts to two converted tries in rugby league, which gives 4 points for a try instead of 5 in union). This is set to change in the 2015 season when the points system will be brought into line with the Super League, thereby standardising the system across the 3 professional Rugby League divisions, abandoning the bonus points system [6]
Notes and references
- ↑ "Article 330, Section 3.2. Points "terrain"" (PDF). Reglements de la Ligue Nationale de Rugby 2008/2009, Chapitre 2 : Règlement sportif du Championnat de France Professionnel (in French). Ligue Nationale de Rugby. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
- ↑ "Article 330, Section 3.2. Points "terrain" et points de bonus" (PDF). Statuts et Reglements de la Ligue Nationale de Rugby 2014/2015, Chapitre 2 : Règlement sportif des championnats profesionnels (in French). Ligue Nationale de Rugby. p. 166. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
- ↑ "French try out new bonus point system". Planet-Rugby.com. 2007-06-27. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
- ↑ "Bonus points system to be trialled in Six Nations". BreakingNews.ie. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- 1 2 Kavanagh, Peter (2013-01-29). "Points of Contention". Action 81. Archived from the original on 2015-01-20.
- ↑ "RFL scraps championship bonus points system". Sky Sports.