Brumbies aspirations sunk by bonus points
Roar Rookie By nird99, 20 Apr 2009 nird99 is a Roar Rookie
- Tagged:
- ACT Brumbies, Brumbies, Rugby Union, Super Rugby
Let us think back a number of years. It was 2004 and the Brumbies played a style of rugby that was expansive, that resulted in tries and that entertained crowds.
This was the last year that the Brumbies made the Super Rugby finals, and yes they won 8 of 11 games to finish at the top of the table but they scored 55 tries in the season, which was 11 more than any other team (the Blues who had scored 44 and finished in 5th place) and 22 more tries than the Crusaders who finished in 2nd place.
Fast forward a number of years to 2009. The Brumbies are again within reach of the Super 14 finals series.
The problem is they have only scored 22 tries until round 10 and scored only three bonus points.
As a Brumbies supporter I do not like to admit this but I think that the Brumbies will again miss the finals this year because of a lack of bonus points in comparison to the other teams.
Lets have a look at the Brumbies recent history.
In 2007 they finished 5th. Just two competition points behind the team that finished 2nd (the Bulls). They won as many games as the Bulls (2nd) and the Blues (4th) and more than the Crusaders (3rd). The Brumbies scored only four bonus points for the season in comparison to six for the Blues and Bulls and 10 for the Crusaders.
In 2006 they finished 6th. Tied for competition points with the bulls who finished 4th, but had won one more game than the bulls. Again the Brumbies scored only four bonus points and the Bulls scored eight.
I do not want to state the obvious but history shows that teams who score bonus points from tries make and win finals series. I am sure all clubs employ or have available to them the statistics, not just from the current seasons/games but historical stats.
Surely if we can all make this assessment then professional rugby entities should be able to do the same.
Can somebody please explain then why Australian teams are so adamant that kicking away possession for field position is going to win them games and get them to the finals.
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April 20th 2009 @ 10:05am
Sam Taulelei said | April 20th 2009 @ 10:05am | Report comment
Yeah the lack of try scoring has been a malaise for some time and not just for the Brumbies who were my favourite Aussie team to follow.
My only criticism of the bonus 4 try scoring point is that it can also be awarded to a losing team. It should only ever be awarded to the winning team and the bonus point for finishing within 7 points should also be abolished, if you lose you should get nothing. That’s reality and why you strive to win – it means something.
April 20th 2009 @ 10:53am
Brett McKay said | April 20th 2009 @ 10:53am | Report comment
Sam, I’m a fan of the bonus point system, especially for the losing team, because it often prevents blow-outs, and encourages attacking until the end by both teams. I’ve actually thought the NRL could do worse than follow suit in recent years, but with two refs this year, teams are back on the attack anyway. The Bulls walking away with 2 bonus points on Friday night was a fair reward for how they played the game, in my opinion.
Nird, what you’ve slightly overlooked in your analysis is that the Brumbies had two of those three bonus points after round 3 (I think, certainly early on), so they’ve been in a real attacking rut in the last month and a bit. It’ll be interesting how they allign again this week too, with Lealiifano out for three weeks. Do they bring Toomua straight in at 10, or do they play Mortlock back at 13 and shuffle both Smith and Fairbanks in one?? Big decisions…
April 20th 2009 @ 11:32am
Sam Taulelei said | April 20th 2009 @ 11:32am | Report comment
Fair enough Brett, I used to believe that when it was first introduced into Super 12 and Tri Nations but I now prefer the NRL and AFL scoring system where you get points for a win or a draw and nothing for a loss. Those high scoring margins aren’t as common as they were during the Super 12 and less so in the Super 14.
April 20th 2009 @ 11:48am
Brett McKay said | April 20th 2009 @ 11:48am | Report comment
That’s true about the high-scoring margins Sam, and perhaps that’s why I think the bonus points for losers is a good thing. One thing Super rugby has over the NRL is nothing for the bye – I’ve never understood why the NRL bye is worth anything, let alone the same as a win!!
April 20th 2009 @ 12:06pm
Sam Taulelei said | April 20th 2009 @ 12:06pm | Report comment
Yeah good point I always wondered about that with the NRL myself. Anyway I’ve had another shocker with my tipping last week and am no closer to catching up to you.
April 20th 2009 @ 12:48pm
Brett McKay said | April 20th 2009 @ 12:48pm | Report comment
Don’t worry about catching me Sam, I’m just as likely to plummett further down the rankings if I keep picking the Reds and Waratahs!!
April 20th 2009 @ 3:28pm
Jerry said | April 20th 2009 @ 3:28pm | Report comment
Sam – I agree that the 4 try bonus point shouldn’t be awarded for losing teams. Two good (or bad to be precise) examples are the Blues getting thrashed by the Bulls and Chiefs this year – both matches were over as a contest before halftime meaning the team in the lead eases off and the game is about as intense as a trial match – defence goes out the window and a 4 try bonus point results.
I’d disagree that the 7 point bonus point should be scrapped though – I think a team that keeps it close and is in with a chance to win should get some reward – essentially, based on the last round the comparison would be the Bulls (leading until minutes from full time) with the Stormers (game over with 20 minutes to play).
April 20th 2009 @ 3:31pm
Jerry said | April 20th 2009 @ 3:31pm | Report comment
Also, Brett – realistically the bye being worth 2 is the same as it being worth nothing – it all evens out in the end.
April 20th 2009 @ 4:05pm
Brett McKay said | April 20th 2009 @ 4:05pm | Report comment
Jerry, you’re absolutely right, and that’s exactly my point – because it does even out in the end, why make the bye worth anything, let alone the same as a win. In the NRL, the bye is worth the same as a 40-0 win!! So other than higher points scores on the ladder, what’s the point??
It’s perceptions I guess. The NRL seems to be all about being “happy to get the two points”, and with everyone getting 4pts for two byes, it’s easy to have an inflated view of a team’s ladder position (and therefore, success over the season). Contrast that with the Waratahs currently, who after a one-point loss to the Force, could now possibly drop as far as ninth after having the bye!! I believe the S14 method puts more emphasis on number of wins required to make the semis, rather than the number of points, like in the NRL method (where it’s often said “28pts will be the cut-off…” or the like).
It’s a small thing, really, and that’s why we have The Roar!!
Also, on the 4 try BP – don’t you think a team who actively seeks to score tries should be rewarded, regardless of whether they win or lose?? I’d argue that a losing team who puts in to score the fourth try deserves the bonus point more than a team like the ‘Tahs on Sat, who never looked like scoring, but yet got the BP for losing by less than seven..
April 20th 2009 @ 4:19pm
Sam Taulelei said | April 20th 2009 @ 4:19pm | Report comment
Jerry and Brett in a way you’ve both illustrated the folly of awarding any bonus points to the losing team as you’ve tried to argue the merits of scoring 4 tries or finishing within 7 points for the losing team. They’re both subjective arguments and can only be worthwhile in the context of the individual match. I agree my suggestion leaves no room for effort on the part of the losing team but I still maintain that winning is the sole objective and should be the only achievement that bears reward.
I think it’s unfair that a team can potentially secure two bonus point for scoring 4 tries and finishing within 7 points which is the equivalent of a drawn match and on the strength of those “earned bonus points” either scrape into the playoffs or secure a home semifinal ahead of another team that may have won more matches but scored less bonus points during the seaon. That’s wack!!!