They’re a feature of nearly every other rugby tournament as it stands and it seems as if bonus points could finally be introduced into the Six Nations in the near future.
The bonus point system (an extra point for scoring four or more tries or losing by seven points or less), already applies in the World Cup, the Rugby Championship and all major club tournaments but has so far been resisted by the Six Nations on the basis that change is unnecessary because of the history and success of the tournament to date.
According to a report in The Guardian, however, participating nations are considering changes to the existing system, which currently awards two points for a win and one for a draw, with teams who finish level at the end of the tournament separated by points difference.
Ireland, of course, know this only too well from our experience in the 2007 tournament, when we lost out on points difference to the French by a margin of a measly four points.
While it is something of a futile exercise to focus on how the system would have affected past tournaments – surely if the system had existed, the approach of the teams would have changed – the introduction of the bonus point system would certainly spice up the competition and wouldn’t result in much of a change in mindset as everyone involved in the tournament would be familiar with how it works at club level.
One point made by those against the system is that, with the bonus point system in place, it would be possible for a team finishing in second place to finish ahead of a team that won the Grand Slam if the runners-up achieved bonus points in all of their games and the winners achieved none. Similarly that would apply where a team could win no games and achieve five bonus points and finish ahead of a team who win one game without any bonus points to supplement those four points.
This year’s tournament will likely come too soon for any changes to be made, but it looks likely that the Six Nations will fall into line with the rest of the sport in the near future, certainly if one member of the English RFU quoted by The Guardian is to be believed.
“We have resisted the change for the past 10 years, but there is pressure to join the mainstream, not least from commercial partners, because it would potentially increase permutations in the table at the end of the season, but the bottom line is that it is the system that people have become used to,” the RFU member said.
Watch this space.
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