How do rugby bonus points work and is rule used in the Six Nations this year?

THE World Cup is here and England are chasing a first triumph in 16 years.

We all remember that magic night back in 2003, but first the Red Rose must negotiate their Pool – where bonus points might prove crucial.

How do you get a bonus point?

THE tournament uses a league system where the five competing nations in each pool are ranked in a table.

They receive four points for a win, two points for a draw and nothing for a defeat by more than eight points.

A team will receive ONE extra point if they score four or more tries in a single match, and ONE extra point if they lose by eight or less.

The system is similar to the one used in the Six Nations, which saw Wales record the Grand Slam earlier this year.

In a Six Nations first, bonus points were awarded in 2017 in what was designed to be a three-year trial run.

But due to its overwhelming success in encouraging attacking, engaging rugby, that trial has now been scrapped and the system brought in permanently.

What if there's a tie?

REACHING the knockout stage and negotiating through the pool's is the goal for all 20 nations in the World Cup.

But even with bonus points, things can get tight at the top of the groups.

The following criteria will be followed in order to separate two teams if they finish on the same points after their pool matches:

  1. The winner of the match between the two teams
  2. Difference between points scored for and points scored against in all pool matches
  3. Difference between tries scored for and tries scored against in all pool matches
  4. Points scored in all pool matches
  5. Most tries scored in all pool matches
  6. Official World Rugby Rankings as of 14 October 2019

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