How do bonus points work in the Six Nations?

It’s Super Saturday in the Six Nations, where the title remains up for grabs in what could be a thrilling finale to the 2025 competition.

Before then, Ireland will be looking to bounce back quickly from that second-half demolition by the French and keep their now slender hopes of a historic third consecutive Six Nations championship alive against Italy at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

It’s over to Cardiff’s Principality Stadium for the middle match, where closest challengers England will look to pile more pressure on France themselves as they hunt a fourth straight victory against a Wales team desperate to avoid a second successive wooden spoon and end their record 16-Test losing run.

The bonus point system in rugby union has been around since being introduced domestically in New Zealand as far back as 1995, while it was first used at the Rugby World Cup during England’s triumphant campaign in Australia in 2003.

It has been commonplace in the sport across the last couple of decades, but the Six Nations did not introduce bonus points until an initial trial run in 2017.

Under the current system that was permanently adopted after that, a team will earn one bonus point by scoring four tries or more in a game, while there is also a bonus point available in defeat if a team loses by seven points or fewer.

Teams can end up with two bonus points from the same match if they score four tries or more in a game and lose by seven points or fewer, as we saw with Wales against Scotland at Murrayfield last weekend.

Bonus points in the Six Nations are on top of the usual points system, which sees four points awarded for a win – up from two points awarded until 2017 – and two for a draw, with none for a defeat.

The idea of introducing bonus points was designed to reward teams for scoring tries and playing an attacking brand of rugby that is more entertaining to fans, as well as giving incentive for losing teams to try and make things as close as possible.