All four teams could finish on 14 points after the weekend’s final round of fixtures
19 September 2022 - 15:40
by NICK SAID
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South Africa's Siya Kolisi lifts the trophy as he celebrates with teammates after winning the match at Estadio Libertadores de America, Buenos Aires on September 17 2022. Picture: REUTERS/AGUSTIN MARCARIAN
It is conceivable, however unlikely, that all four teams in the Rugby Championship could finish on 14 points after this weekend’s final round of fixtures in the closely fought battle for supremacy in the southern hemisphere.
It is more probable that two sides will lead the log, but either way what are the competition rules for separating teams?
New Zealand and SA sit top of the table with 14 points, followed by Australia (10) and Argentina (9).
The Wallabies travel to Auckland to face New Zealand on Saturday, after which SA host Argentina in Durban, when they will know exactly what is required to lift the trophy.
Should the Springboks and All Blacks both win as expected, it could come down to who can manage a try-scoring bonus point, which is awarded if you manage three or more tries than your opponents.
Assuming they both do or do not, the first tiebreaker is the number of wins in the championship, which will not be helpful in this instance as the permutations, however they pan out, suggest two or more sides would still be level.
The second differentiator is the number of wins between the sides in question, but again this is unlikely to provide any assistance.
New Zealand and SA each won a Test against one another, and if Australia and Argentina rise to the challenge this weekend, that will be the same all round.
The next tiebreaker is points difference through the series and here New Zealand hold the upper hand.
They are on +41 and can only realistically be caught by SA (+28). Australia (-26) and Argentina (-43) are trailing by a huge margin.
Should the results see the Springboks claw level with the All Blacks on that score, the next tiebreaker is points difference in matches between just those sides.
Here the Boks hold the edge as they outscored New Zealand 49-45 across their two fixtures. Australia would also be likely to trump New Zealand with a win having lost 39-37 this past weekend.
A tiebreaker after that should not be needed, but would be the number of tries scored in the series. If that is also equal, the trophy is shared.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Who will lift the Rugby Championship trophy?
All four teams could finish on 14 points after the weekend’s final round of fixtures
It is conceivable, however unlikely, that all four teams in the Rugby Championship could finish on 14 points after this weekend’s final round of fixtures in the closely fought battle for supremacy in the southern hemisphere.
It is more probable that two sides will lead the log, but either way what are the competition rules for separating teams?
New Zealand and SA sit top of the table with 14 points, followed by Australia (10) and Argentina (9).
The Wallabies travel to Auckland to face New Zealand on Saturday, after which SA host Argentina in Durban, when they will know exactly what is required to lift the trophy.
Should the Springboks and All Blacks both win as expected, it could come down to who can manage a try-scoring bonus point, which is awarded if you manage three or more tries than your opponents.
Assuming they both do or do not, the first tiebreaker is the number of wins in the championship, which will not be helpful in this instance as the permutations, however they pan out, suggest two or more sides would still be level.
The second differentiator is the number of wins between the sides in question, but again this is unlikely to provide any assistance.
New Zealand and SA each won a Test against one another, and if Australia and Argentina rise to the challenge this weekend, that will be the same all round.
The next tiebreaker is points difference through the series and here New Zealand hold the upper hand.
They are on +41 and can only realistically be caught by SA (+28). Australia (-26) and Argentina (-43) are trailing by a huge margin.
Should the results see the Springboks claw level with the All Blacks on that score, the next tiebreaker is points difference in matches between just those sides.
Here the Boks hold the edge as they outscored New Zealand 49-45 across their two fixtures. Australia would also be likely to trump New Zealand with a win having lost 39-37 this past weekend.
A tiebreaker after that should not be needed, but would be the number of tries scored in the series. If that is also equal, the trophy is shared.
Reuters
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