I heard people talking about introducing the four try and close loss bonus point system for the Six Nations.
I am going to tell you why this is a ridiculous suggestion.
It opens the possibility of winning a grand slam and not the Six Nations title. That does not make sense does it? Philippe Saint-Andre appropriately pointed this out and England would have won in 2002 even though France did the Grand Slam.
It could also open up the possibility of collusion among countries.
Hypothetically, Nation A could get 20 points and the Grand Slam. Nation B collude with Nation C and agree to tank the final game to ensure that Nation C get 21 points (4 4-try wins and a close loss) and deny Nation A the six nations.
I honestly don’t think it would actually happen. It is just a hypothetical and I am saying it might become a possibility.
I think that bonus points should not be used in the World Cup either. It makes no difference to the final tally. If you win all your games you top the pool, if you win three lose two you finish second.
The points system from the 1991-99 World Cups was worse when you had three for a win, two for a draw and one for a loss.
I believe all future World Cups should use the 1987 system, two for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss.
Now for domestic competitions, Heineken Cup and Super Rugby.
In this case, I think that the four-try bonus point is fantastic.
It encourages positive play and if you are ahead by 12 points with five minutes to go, scored three tries and just had a penalty.
You are more likely to turn down the three points to get that fourth try. Though I do not like the close loss point.
These are grown men not under 10s, so why should you give a standing ovation for effort? It is unfair that a draw without scoring four tries is the same as a four try close loss.
Please Six Nations, stick with the points system you have. It is not to do with tradition, but with logical reasoning and fairness.
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