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:

In this system, winning teams get 4 or 5 points; drawing teams 2 or 3 points; and losing teams 0, 1, or 2 points.

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.

The French system awards points in this manner:

This system prevents a losing team from picking up two bonus points in the same match, as is possible under the normal system. 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:

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.

Bonus points are typically listed in the group standings table, as for example the BP column in 2015 Rugby World Cup Pool B:

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:

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. It was first used at the Rugby World Cup in 2015, and has been the staple for international and club competition since.

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