You get a bonus point in Super Rugby in two main ways, both designed to reward attacking rugby and close contests.

Quick Scoop – Super Rugby Bonus Points

  • 1 bonus point for scoring at least 3 more tries than your opponent in a match (this replaces the old “score 4 tries” rule).
  • 1 bonus point for losing by 7 points or fewer (a converted try or less).
  • You can only earn one of these in a single game for each type:
    • A winning team can get the “3 more tries” bonus.
    • A losing team can get the “within 7 points” bonus.

So in simple terms:

  • Smash the opposition with tries (3 more than them) → attacking bonus point.
  • Or, if you lose but keep the score tight (7 or fewer) → losing bonus point.

How the points table works

In Super Rugby’s current system:

  • Win = 4 points.
  • Draw = 2 points.
  • Loss = 0 points.
  • Try bonus = 1 point for finishing with 3 more tries than the opposition.
  • Losing bonus = 1 point for losing by 7 or fewer.

That means a team can end a game with:

  • 5 points (win + try bonus).
  • 4 points (win, no bonus).
  • 2 points (draw, no try margin).
  • 3 points (draw and also 3 more tries than opponent – rare but possible).
  • 1 point (close loss by 7 or less, or sometimes structures can allow a try-margin bonus, depending on competition settings).

Mini example

Imagine Team A vs Team B:

  • Score: Team A 35 – 20 Team B.
  • Tries: Team A 5 tries, Team B 2 tries (A scored 3 more tries).

Outcome:

  • Team A: 4 points for the win + 1 bonus point (3 more tries) = 5 points.
  • Team B: lost by 15 (>7), so no losing bonus = 0 points.

Change it slightly: Team A 27 – 21 Team B, tries 3–2:

  • Team A wins, but only 1 more try → 4 points (no bonus).
  • Team B loses by 6 (within 7) → 1 losing bonus point.

In short, how do you get a bonus point in Super Rugby?
– Score at least 3 more tries than the other team, or lose by 7 or fewer points.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.