The four-try bonus point is now a thing of the past after SANZAAR today announced a name change and a new set of law variations for the 2016 Super Rugby season.
Incorporating another ‘A’ to reflect the Argentinean side of the organisation, SANZAAR announced that the bonus point would be awarded to teams that score three more tries than their opponents, to encourage teams to continue playing for the full 80 minutes.
This is the same principle currently used in the National Rugby Championship in Australia.
The other key law variation is that penalty options will change after the whistle has blown, with teams allowed to kick for touch and play the lineout, where previously that would be called full time.
SANZAAR have also announced their team of referees for the season, which will include a 22-person panel, nine of whom are yet to officiate a Super Rugby game.
“The 2016 referee squad contains 22 members, of which nine are in line to make their first appearance at this level, including Federico Anselmi and Shuhei Kubo of Argentina and Japan respectively,” said SANZAAR CEO Andy Marinos.
“These law amendments, while subtle in nature, will help Super Rugby’s continuing evolution as the best provincial competition in the world.”
“The change to the bonus point, which has been widely discussed throughout the past week as one potential innovation, has now been formally approved by the ExCo for the 2016 season.
“By implementing this change, we expect to see more attacking and competitive rugby as teams will be asked to keep their foot down for the full 80 in order to claim the try-scoring bonus point, which we have seen used to great effect in France over the past few years.
“In addition to this, permitting teams to opt for a lineout after time has expired serves to disincentive opponents from infringing and aims to reward sides that are particularly strong set-piece exponents which, when coupled with the previously mentioned changes, encourages more attacking and competitive rugby.”
“It has not gone unnoticed the number of key stakeholders that have felt the need to publicly criticise SANZAAR for initiatives that were floated months ago and heavily canvassed throughout each National Union,” Marinos added.
“We would never impose such fundamental changes to Super Rugby without proper consultation with stakeholders but will nevertheless continue to engage our member unions and franchises and work with all teams to continue striving for Super Rugby’s ongoing improvement.”
“It was also considered whether to adopt pre-2013 television match official protocol whereby the TMO could only rule on try scoring, in-goal and foul play, however following consultation with World Rugby, where we were informed they would be conducting a TMO review this year, we have decided to retain ‘status quo’ for 2016 and will participate fully with the review in an effort to ensure that this area of the game gets the focus and attention it deserves.”
2016 Super Rugby Referees squad
Federico Anselmi (Argentina – 0 Super Rugby, 7 Tests)*
Nic Berry (Australia – 0 Super Rugby, 0 Tests)*
Stuart Berry (South Africa – 21 Super Rugby, 5 Tests)
Nick Briant (New Zealand – 25 Super Rugby, 2 Tests)
Mike Fraser (New Zealand – 23 Super Rugby, 4 Tests)
Angus Gardner (Australia – 26 Super Rugby, 5 Tests)
Rohan Hoffmann (Australia – 26 Super Rugby, 3 Tests)
William Houston (Australia – 0 Super Rugby, 0 Tests)*
Quinton Immelman (South Africa – 0 Super Rugby, 0 Tests)*
Glen Jackson (New Zealand – 41 Super Rugby, 16 Tests)
Craig Joubert (South Africa – 93 Super Rugby, 64 Tests)
Shuhei Kubo (Japan – 0 Super Rugby, 6 Tests)*
Andrew Lees (Australia – 22 Super Rugby, 2 Tests)
Jamie Nutbrown (New Zealand – 0 Super Rugby, 0 Tests)*
Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand – 5 Super Rugby, 0 Tests)
Jaco Peyper (South Africa – 59 Super Rugby, 29 Tests)
Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand – 0 Super Rugby, 0 Tests)*
Chris Pollock (New Zealand – 70 Super Rugby, 22 Tests)
Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa – 0 Super Rugby, 0 Tests)*
Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa – 9 Super Rugby, 1 Test)
Jaco van Heerden (South Africa – 6 Super Rugby, 0 Tests)
Paul Williams (New Zealand – 0 Super Rugby, 0 Tests)*
PeterK
Roar Guru
Charging Rhino - The response has been a raptuous clamour. Probably because this article is older and dropped off the page. I wonder if the people who claimed it was momentum or the decisions fine will own up to being wrong?
Charging Rhino
Roar Guru
See below
Charging Rhino
Roar Guru
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Charging Rhino
Roar Guru
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Charging Rhino
Roar Guru
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Charging Rhino
Roar Guru
Some interesting news .... O'Brien apologised and "had tears in his eyes" when he went through the 2nd half......, Sevens referee Matt O’Brien has apologised to the Springbok Sevens team for his performance in last weekend’s controversial Wellington Sevens final. O’Brien met with Bok Sevens coach Neil Powell on Wednesday in Sydney ahead of this weekend’s Sydney Sevens along with World Rugby Sevens assessor Tappe Henning and delivered a “heartfelt” apology for the way he refereed the final of the tournament. It was little consolation to the Bok sevens side, who led 21-7 before O’Brien put in some of the worst calls on the Sevens circuit, penalising the dominant team with a 9-1 penalty count against them and allowing New Zealand to come back and score three tries in the last three minutes of the game to take the title. O’Brien has since been lambasted across the globe for his performance, as well as the fact he is the son of World Rugby Sevens Referees boss Paddy, grew up in New Zealand and was appointed to referee a final involving the All Blacks as well. While the apology will not do any good in the greater scheme of things, Powell told Supersport.com the team had accepted it and moved on and were now concentrating on this weekend’s tournament and underlying their lead in the HSBC Sevens series. O’Brien will referee this weekend’s Sydney Sevens but will not referee any of the Springbok Sevens’ pool games. Whether this is by design or on purpose isn’t clear, but the Blitzboks could run into him in the Cup knockout rounds if they make it that far. Still, Powell believes the matter is now buried, and accepted the apology, which he believes was heartfelt. “I sat with him and we went through the second half of the game and he explained his decisions. It was really honest and open, and I think he realised at times he had made big mistakes. I think his apologies were sincere and he had tears in his eyes. “He apologised to me for the way he refereed the game.” “I’m obviously still disappointed with what happened and I’m not a guy for records, but it would have been nice to win it, because we’ve only won Wellington once before. We don’t normally concentrate on the result, but in this case we would have really wanted to win the Sevens there. In that aspect we are disappointed in how we lost, but we can’t fault the effort and performance of the players. They really put their hearts and bodies on the line, we couldn’t look at one game and say there was someone who wasn’t up for it. “I’m very proud of the guys and the effort they put in. As I said after the tournament they deserved better than second place.” That being said, Powell now needs to get his side up for this weekend’s pool round on Saturday, where they once again face Scotland and Russia while Kenya are this time the third side in their pool.
RobC
Roar Guru
ASnFART Australian, Samoa, NZ, Fiji, Argentina, RSA, Tonga hm. Not moderated. Oh well...
taylorman
Roar Guru
Using Rennies explanation I don't think NZ teams would say with 20 to go needing one try for a bonus point that they'll shut up shop. They're simply in the same position as if they had three tries with 20 to go with last years rules- they need one try for a bonus point. Assuming in both situations the score is the same with 20 to go...don't see the difference.
PeterK
Roar Guru
the losing team would fight to the end and attack to the end to get within 7 points or score 4 tries under the old system, now they will have little incentive to do so. Under the new system the team with the lead and bonus point do NOT have to keep scoring tries they just have to stop the other team doing so , so they just have to defend well.
colvin
Guest
When Fiji and the US join they could call it FANZASARUS
RobC
Roar Guru
Thanks for the news. Time to rename the SANZAAR. Maybe: - Southern Rugby - Better Rugby ;)
Bakkies
Guest
'However the PURPORTED reason was to keep teams attacking more, IMO that is blatantly not correct.' Really? That makes no sense the team with the lead and the bonus point have to keep their line in tact and keep on scoring tries to keep that bonus point. Play for 80 minutes. Under the old system there were games where the bonus point was picked up before half time.
Nobrain
Guest
Yes
ClarkeG
Guest
Well apparently not - lost for words I mean. Why don't you give some specific time references to the issues you have raised so as we can discuss them individually. I note you conveniently left out the free kick awarded at the 5 metre scrum virtually gifting a try to SA - a free kick which was not taken from the correct mark and it suspiciously looked like the player did not even kick the ball. If the match was a farce as you say then that particular instance should not be excluded.
PeterK
Roar Guru
perhaps but not with the application of penalties against cynical play. Yellow cards are not used enough so too many teams freely give away penalties in their 22.
ClarkeG
Guest
we have balance with the current points system
CUW
Guest
u shud read what Campese had to say about this new format. for once a hell of a lot of people agreed with him :D
CUW
Guest
true unlike Walsh who started in NZ and ended in OZ.
CUW
Guest
im mosre interested in RASTA :) he is a great 7s ref and very quick. Once he managed to keep up with Carlin Isles when he took the outside and scored a try. thay was coooool :D
CUW
Guest
NH media have no effin idea about super rugger. all they care about now is the 6 nations :D