New bonus point system for Rugby Championship

23 June 2016 - 12:30 By Craig Ray

South Africa‚ New Zealand‚ Australia and Argentina Rugby (SANZAAR) announced on Thursday that the body’s flagship tournament‚ the Rugby Championship‚ would adopt a new bonus points’ scoring system. The four nations series‚ which features the All Blacks‚ Wallabies‚ Springboks and Pumas‚ will adopt the same system used in the current Super Rugby tournament. Instead of being awarded a bonus point for scoring four tries‚ a team will need to score three more tries than their opponents to earn a try-scoring bonus point.Securing a bonus point for losing by seven or fewer points remains the same. It’s a system that SANZAAR claims has been successful in ensuring more competitive matches in Super Rugby in 2016. Anecdotal evidence bears this assertion out. “The SANZAAR executive committee reviewed the bonus point system implemented into Super Rugby this year and believed it had a significant impact in rewarding the more dominant teams‚” chief executive Andy Marinos said. “It has created competition for the full 80 minutes and is providing a reward system that recognises both attack and defence. “Having witnessed some of the most exciting and complete 80-minute games in the history of the competition this season‚ spurred on by the introduction of the new bonus point system‚ we believe that across the SANZAAR tournaments‚ for the sake of the players‚ broadcasters and the fans‚ we should have consistency in terms of the tournament points system.” In Super Rugby 2016‚ after 108 matches so far this season‚ 669 tries have been scored at an average of 6.2 tries per game. At the same stage in 2015 after 92 Super Rugby matches (there were only 15 teams last season therefore fewer matches) 443 tries were scored at an average per game of 4.8 tries. This season has seen an increase of 1.4 tries per match‚ but this is a simplistic comparison because it doesn’t consider variables such as the diluted strength of the competition. The introduction of the Sunwolves‚ Jaguares and Kings has thinned out playing resources and created more one-sided matches. SANZAAR also confirmed that Twickenham in London would host a Rugby Championship game for the first time. This is a nominated home match for Argentina. The Pumas will play its other home matches in Salta and Buenos Aires. The Twickenham match will be the final game of the Championship and could have a huge bearing on the outcome of the tournament. - TMG Digital..

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