Bristol’s Premiership play-off chase has been thrown into sharper relief by a points system that has been in place for more than 20 years. After two straight losses left them sixth and five points adrift of the top four, the gap now looks even harsher when measured against France’s Top 14 rules.
Under the Gallagher Prem’s current format, teams earn a try bonus point for scoring four tries whether they win or lose, while a losing bonus point goes to sides beaten by seven points or fewer. In France’s Top 14, the try bonus point only goes to the winner if it scores three or more tries than the opposition, and a losing bonus point is available only to a team that finishes within five points.
The difference matters because Bristol were already clinging to the edges of the race after last weekend’s 94-33 defeat at home to Northampton, followed by a 41-26 home loss to Saracens. They did at least collect try bonus points in each of those two rounds, but the returns still left them in sixth place, with a home game against Bath and a trip to Sale still to come. Northampton, Bath and Leicester have already secured their place in the play-offs.
The same table under the French system would have looked very different. Bristol would have been level on points with Exeter and three points ahead of Saracens, and would have been placed fourth because they had won more games. Exeter and Saracens would each have been 10 points worse off than Bristol are now, with Exeter losing both a try bonus point and a losing bonus point in the same game twice.
The comparison became more pointed after Leicester beat Sale 47-33 yesterday, even though Leicester led the try count 7-5. Sale scored five tries in defeat, a reminder of how much weight the current Premiership bonus rules put on chasing points and crossing the line, not just on the final result.
That is why the system itself has become part of the story. Charlie Morgan has argued that the current bonus point system is no longer fit for purpose, and the comparison with the Top 14 is being used as a test case for what different incentives can do to a league table. The comparison is hypothetical, because teams might have played differently under different rules, but it exposes how much the structure can shape the standings.
The next step is not in England’s top flight but just below it: the Champ is set to adopt the French-style system next season, according to Morgan. For Bristol, the immediate question is simpler and more urgent. They have a route to the play-offs, but the prem table now asks them to do it the hard way.
