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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.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.