Effort of rugby teams according to the bonus point system: a theoretical and empirical analysis

Abstract

Using a simple game-theoretical model of contests, we compare the effort exerted by rugby teams under three different point systems used in tournaments around the world. The scoring systems under consideration are NB, +4 and 3+. We state models of the games under the three point systems, both static and dynamic. In all those models we find that the 3+ system ranks first, +4 second and NB third. We run empirical analyses using data from matches under the three scoring systems. The results of those statistical analyses confirm our theoretical conclusions.