It’s nice to hear that a team has “earned an offensive bonus point”, but you still have to understand what it is! Linternaute.com deciphers this particular rule which can prove decisive in the group stage of the World Cup.
In rugby and for the World Cup, a bonus point is awarded to teams based on their performance during a match. There are two types of bonus points in rugby: the offensive bonus point and the defensive bonus point. Both allow teams to make a difference in the rankings. There are two, offensive and defensive and here are the explanations:
Offensive and defensive bonuses are cumulative. For example, imagine that during this World Cup, France loses against New Zealand by 4 points (35 to 31) but that it registers 4 tries or more: it will then take the offensive bonus and the defensive one. In this case, France would collect two points. While the defeat without a bonus would have earned him zero points in the standings.
