Chasing the bonus ball

The following is taken from Tom's column in the multi-award-winning Bath Chronicle. Click here for more.

The idea of giving teams a point for narrowly losing – or giving them an extra point for scoring x number of tries – may have come in for a bit of stick when it was first mooted, but Bath Rugby fans should be proclaiming the virtues of the bonus-point system from the rooftops.
Without bonus points, Bath wouldn't be enjoying such a successful season both domestically and in Europe.
Bath are tied first for the number of bonus points clocked up so far in the Guinness Premiership, and their three bonus points to Toulouse's one in Pool 5 of the Heineken Cup could prove decisive when the French side visits The Rec next month.
Assuming that Bath can defeat the Dragons in Newport in their penultimate Pool 5 match, then victory over Toulouse will – all other things being equal – catapult Bath to the top of the group, and such a position will be due to the English side's healthy crop of bonus points.
Moreover, should Bath fail to top their Heineken Cup group, then the number of bonus points they have accrued could be vital in securing them a runners-up berth in the competition's final eight.
Of course, all this doesn't mean that the bonus-point system is necessarily fair, or accurately reflects performance. It manifestly doesn't – and Bath and their supporters should know this better than anyone following their last two matches.
And that's because figures can deceive.
Bath emerged from their battles with the Glasgow Warriors with the maximum points available – 10 out of 10. If the bonus-point system was a true gauge of performance, then – looking solely at Bath's figures – you'd conclude they had been magnificent.
The truth, however, is that they almost threw away a 35-19 lead in the opening encounter and, in the return match, only secured the win courtesy of a late try.
But rules are rules and for all their shortcomings, particularly in defence in the first match of the double-header, Bath emerged with a full haul of points.
An argument that's often put in favour of the bonus-point system is that it enhances the spectacle for fans, with teams playing right up until the final whistle in order to maximise the number of points they come away with.
And for all its occasional scrappiness and blunders, that's why the opening encounter between Bath and Glasgow was so engrossing. Both sides put their all into crossing the try line four times. It was end-to-end stuff and testament to how the bonus-point system can ensure that supporters get their money's worth.
But this dimension of the bonus- point system only works when both teams are willing to go for the four-try bonus point from the off. If a side wants to keep the play tight and restrict the amount of rugby, then the bonus-point system makes no difference.
For all that, however, it's undeniable that the system has served Bath well thus far this season. But there are some more sobering statistics that are no doubt causing concern at The Rec.
Bath may be third in the Premiership, but if you want to find a side that has conceded more points, then your eyes have to scan down to the team that's third from bottom, Northampton Saints. That's a worrying figure, and only partially sweetened by the fact that – with 201 points for – Bath are the highest scoring team in the league.
Bath will surely only be able to claim the biggest bonus of all – the Guinness Premiership or the Heineken Cup – if they turn that points-against statistic around.