Varsity Cup places emphasis on tries
18 Nov 2011
The Varsity Cup will be trialing a new points-scoring system in 2012 in an attempt to force teams to play a more attacking style.
Conversions will be worth three points and penalties and drop-goals will be worth just two points in the 2012 competition. The organisers have received the backing of the IRB, and hope that the changes will result in more tries and ultimately a more free-flowing brand of rugby.
South African Referees Manager André Watson has also endorsed the move, although he admits there are no guarantees that it will have the desired effect.
‘We have a great relationship with the Varsity Cup when it comes to trialing and experimenting with good ideas,’ said Watson, ‘but, as usual, this trial involves plenty of hard work. We will be keeping dedicated statistics and monitor the results as the tournament goes along.
‘There is a possibility that we could pay a price somewhere along the line in a bid to create more tries, but we will be having a briefing with the various Varsity Cup Rugby coaches and referees in late January and we will have to upskill everyone and we aware of the potential pitfalls.
‘The key, however, is that you’ll never know something until you try it. One would think this experiment would definitely lead to more tries… but you’d also imagine that a few more penalties will be conceded on purpose… the exciting part is that we’ll soon see for ourselves how this works out.’
The 2012 Varsity Cup and Varsity Shield competitions start on 30 January.
21 Comments
18 Nov 2011, 09:11 am
great idea
18 Nov 2011, 10:31 am
I would also like to see an extra bonus point for teams scoring 6 tries and another bonus point for teams scoring 8 tries in a game.
18 Nov 2011, 10:45 am
It will also encourage teams to concede penalties when the defense is scrambling.
In which case ref’s should be given more freedom to punish professional foulers, and not just after the third transgression, but after the first.
18 Nov 2011, 11:05 am
interesting, 4 penalties=1try and conversion, weigthing seems a bit off. Biggest problem: every year we have to re-explain the rules to our loyal female Maties fans, luckily their more concerned with the music and the black label.
18 Nov 2011, 11:25 am
I would have suggested an extra point for the actual try… there are a few reasons:
1. A conversion from the sideline is not easy and you are still rewarding the try with that extra point.
2. A penalty doesn’t lose it’s significance – as 2 pts vs 3 pts for a handful of penalties against a team that continually infringes gives them a lot of reason to keep going…
3. Drop the points for a drop-goal to 2 which puts sides off not attempting to score a try when the opportunity arises.
Good Idea overall, just not sure they have considered the points weightings properly. Keep it up VC – great competition that continues to improve.
18 Nov 2011, 11:46 am
@NicG(NicG)-5:
agree with you…
this will see sides throwing defensive penalties in their 22 because it will be worth not conceding 8 points…
@ShaunMichaels(ShaunMichaels)-2:
like that too…
have said in the past i believe, in all rugby, sides should get bonus points for every four tries scored in a game…
would keep sides hammering away for the full 80 if they could get additional log points…
18 Nov 2011, 13:07 pm
great idee dink net die skaal is bietjie verkeerd, strafskop moet nog 3 tel hulle kon dalk n drie , ses laat tel . en laat alle skoppe pale toe reg voor die pale geneem word tussen 10 tree en kwart lyn,
18 Nov 2011, 14:05 pm
Man I can’t wait for the Varsity cup to get going again. I’m all for the new point scoring system …. apply the same system for the CC in 2012 and then in Super Rugby 2013.
18 Nov 2011, 14:25 pm
I don’t agree with this – in my view, this will have the opposite outcome than the desired one.
The defense will simply infringe more on the floor and with defensive running lines.
In addition, I am a rugby fan who enjoys every dimension the game has on offer – be it a try, penalty, drop goal, etc. A long-distance penalty creates the same exitement from me as an intercept try, for instance.
And I can also enjoy a tough, grinding 12-9 victory as much as I enjoy a basketball feast of 72-65, if not more.
18 Nov 2011, 15:31 pm
I think they should also award points for good defence i.e. try saving tackles could be awarded points on a sliding scale e.g.:
5 meters from tryline = 0.5 points
4 meters = 1 point
3 meters = 1.5 points
2 meters = 2 points
1 meter = 2.5 points
Similarly, if a try is almost scored, points could be allocated as follows:
Tackled 5 meters out = 0.5 point
4 meters out = 1 point
3 meters out = 1.5 points
2 meters out = 2 points
1 meter out = 2.5 points
Therefore, the attack and defence will earn equal points even if no try is scored.
Also, if the non-try is converted, points could be given in the following manner:
Over: 0.5 point
Hit the pole, but ball bounces back into play: 0.25 points
If the ball is hooked and > 15 meters away from poles: – 0.5 points
If missed by < 15 meters: – 0.25 points
Comments?
19 Nov 2011, 03:01 am
More razzle-dazzle and less grunt up front?
19 Nov 2011, 13:05 pm
This is ridiculous, why is everyone so obsessed with scoring tries? I watch rugby because the whole game is enjoyable not just the try scoring part. Sports like soccer have very few goals but remain hugely popular, why. A better rule might be that you may only go for a penalty inside the opposition half/ ten meter line 22 etc etc or maybe increase the value of points earned from penalties conceded in the 22, this way defenses will be less likely to infringe close to the goal line
19 Nov 2011, 14:22 pm
Nothing wrong with the current scoring system. The main reason why the Aussies and Kiwis give away so few tries is that Reechie and PoCOCK are happy to give away penalties in their 22 whenever it seems there defense will be stretched in any way.
So what you need is the exact opposite of what they’re trying out here. Make a penalty count 7 points and you’ll suddenly see tries galore being scored.
19 Nov 2011, 14:33 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-13:
Make a penalty worth 7.
Wouldn’t SA and England love that.
This is the attitude that allowed Rugby League to bourgeon and flourish.
19 Nov 2011, 18:17 pm
Paving the way for the perpetual cheaters, the All Blacks, to get away with murder in the future if this gets sanctioned.
19 Nov 2011, 20:16 pm
Should stick with the 3 points for a penalty. Otherwise we will see far too many penalties. If a penalty is only worth 2 points, then teams not gonna worry too much giving a penalty away to stop a try being scored. So can’t see it work. Should be the other way round really. Give 4 points for a penalty that way it will make teams think twice before giving a penalty away.
Like the idea of 2 points for a drop kick though. I would stick with 2 points for a conversion 3 points seems a bit much.
20 Nov 2011, 02:21 am
Originally a try was worth 1 and a conversion 2. The two combined, collectively worth 3, was called a goal. (The dot-down allowed you to TRY to CONVERT your score into a proper three-point goal.)
20 Nov 2011, 08:22 am
Originally a try was worth zero. It allowed a team to try to convert their effort into a goal. No conversion – no points.
20 Nov 2011, 19:33 pm
As strafskoppe net 2 punte tel dan gaan negatiewe floreer soos nog nooit vantevore. En ‘n skepskop in ‘n druk situasie, hoekom dit wil probeer uitskakel? Hoekom kyk hulle nie byvoorbeeld liewer daarna om die reels so aan te pas dat die geelkaart situsie wat toeskouers so irriteer, op ‘n beter manier opgelos kan word nie.
21 Nov 2011, 06:51 am
@stormer in a teacup(stormer in a teacup)-18: Nope. A try was always worth 1. Never zero. (And a dropped-goal was worth 4. (Because a super-heavy sodden-wet eight-panel leather ball weighed about as much as a fat piglet and heroically booting it flat-out was very likely to break your ankle.)
21 Nov 2011, 07:24 am
I suggest a two tier penalty system where technical penalties like line out and scrum infringements count 2 points, but professional fouls like slowing the ball down at the ruck or collapsing the maul count 4 points.
That should make the perpetual cheats think twice.
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