How many bonus points can you get in Rugby Union?


If you are watching a game of Rugby Union. You may wonder what bonus points are and why they are so important. To encourage attacking rugby bonus points were introduced to score more tries. This may lead you to ask how many bonus points can you get in rugby union?

How many bonus points can you get in rugby union? The winning rugby team can get only one bonus point. The losing team can get two bonus points.

Now you have the answer: you may be wondering why the losing team gets more bonus points than the winning team, as well as asking how many points you can get in a rugby game.

What does B mean in rugby?

When watching a game in rugby you may notice a B appear on the scoreboard on the TV. You may be wondering what does this B mean? The B shows that a team on the pitch has a bonus point. The B will be next to the score of the team who has been awarded the bonus point.

Why were bonus points introduced to rugby union?

Bonus points were introduced to the Gallagher Premiership in 2001. Back then it was known as the Zurich premiership. The reason for the introduction of bonus points is to make rugby more attacking. Occasionally, rugby could be a stalemate with a 3-0 or 7-0 win. This could be a little tedious for the fans and as rugby was only recently a professional sport, the league was keen to show off an attacking brand of rugby. By introducing the bonus point system, attacking rugby was guaranteed .

How many tries do you get for two bonus points?

The only way to get two bonus points in rugby union is to be the losing team. As the losing team you will need to score four tries to be awarded with one bonus point. The losing team will need to be within seven points of the winning team in order to be awarded another bonus point.

How many points for a win in rugby?

If you win in rugby union, you receive four points for the win and if you score four tries or more the winning team will receive a bonus point. Therefore, the maximum amount of points awarded for a win is five.

How many points for a draw in rugby?

If a rugby match is drawn and each team has scored less than four tries, each team will be awarded two points. If the teams draw and each team has scored four tries or more, then each team will be awarded a bonus point. This means each team will receive three points.

How many points for a loss in rugby?

If a team loses a game in rugby, they will receive zero points for the loss. However, if a team scores four tries or more they will receive one bonus point. If they are within seven points of the winning team then the losing side will be issued an additional bonus point.

How does the bonus point impact a rugby game?

Bonus points can change throughout a rugby game. The below example of a game I attended was between Harlequins and Bristol.

In the first half Bristol raced into a three try lead and Harlequins only had one try at half time.  If the game was to end at half time, Bristol would have been awarded five points and Harlequins would have received zero points.

In the second half, Harlequins scored seven unanswered tries. This gave Harlequins a 52-24 point lead. As Quins scored more than four tries they received six points, five points for the win and one point for the four plus tries. Bristol received zero points, as they did not score four tries and were not within 7 points of harlequins.



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