Bonus point system for the 2017 6N

[Sourdust]

It would make more sense for there to be a bonus point for try difference, say for scoring 2* more tries than the opposition. That would only reward a match well won, rather than a close victory where you happen to have scored 4 tries. And it would keep the teams wanting to score tries throughout the match rather than switching off once the 4th try comes.

Obviously this isn't going to happen, since the 4-try bonus system is the norm.


* maybe 3... but that's probably too hard more most matchups in the 6N.

I certainly think I like that better. Bonus points should be just that - a bonus. Never an expected part of a routine victory over lesser opposition. They should be very hard to get, and reward exceptional performance. But I still think they inevitably, and unacceptably unbalance a five-game tournament.

[Eugene Wrayburn]

Maybe best to move along, everyone, this post gets tedious...

You can only recover bad points difference if you do unexpectedly and disproportionately well against another side. The same applies to bonus points, indeed it's easier to recover because you can deprive your competitors of losing bonus points.

For the sake of argument, lets say Ireland and England go into the final 2 games on 2 from 3, with similar PD and with Scotland and Italy left to play. Ireland beat Scotland 27-19 at Murrayfield (3 tries to 1) then Italy 45-13 at Aviva (5 tries to 1). Under the current system the first result is a slight "underachievement" but the second "corrects" it, giving a combined margin of 40pts over the two games, which is about what might be expected.
Meanwhile England squeak past Italy in Rome by 24-17, then Scotland at Twickenham 25-22, on both occasions scoring 4 tries to 3.
Leaving aside my preference for a shared title, in this scenario Ireland are clearly the more "deserving" team but under BPs they will lose the title. They scored the same number of tries, conceded fewer, and won both games by higher margins, but they lose out because they didn't hammer Scotland hard enough, in Scotland, even though their rivals didn't either, at home. I don't see enterprising play being rewarded, I just see a dissatisfying sense of arbitrary injustice.

I do accept that PD can have that result too but BP will make these situations more frequent IMO.

And as I said, let's hope I'm wrong.

I'd say much less frequent. Also I don't see why you'd ignore the rest of the tournament in your scenario. One of them has clearly beaten the other and had other opportunities to gain or lose bonus points.

Me, I'd prefer shared championships, then 4+ tries with a 2 try margin, then a 3 try margin, then points difference.