English Champ breaks away from PREM and aligns with France

Champ Rugby has moved with the times and adopted the Top 14 try bonus system to reflect the growing trend of high-scoring matches.

While the Gallagher PREM continue to award try bonus points to teams scoring four tries whether they win or lose, the Elior Champ has decided to take a different stance ahead of Friday’s opening match of the season between Nottingham and newly-promoted Blackheath.

Now, only teams scoring three tries or more than their opponents will get rewarded. The losing bonus point system remains the same, though, with teams losing by seven points or fewer picking up an extra point.

Last season, there was a glut of blow-out scorelines in English Rugby’s second tier, especially when there was very little jeopardy on the line.

In the final round of the regular season, three of the seven matches in the 14-team league had aggregate scores of 90 points plus, with one match between Ampthill and the already relegated Cambridge clocking over 100 points (75-33).

Ampthill, who enjoyed the services of a plethora of Saracens players, including prolific PREM finisher Noah Caluori, managed to collect 18 try bonus points from 26 leagues game despite only finishing 10th in the table.

Table-topping Ealing, who missed out on the title after losing in the semi-finals, got a try bonus point in all but three of their regular season matches.

In total, nine teams gained try bonus points in over half of their fixtures.

Champions Worcester begin their Champ title defence at home to Bedford on Saturday, 19 September, in re-run of last year’s play-off final, but this time they’re on home turf at Sixways. The Warriors won last season’s showpiece occasion, 27-14, in front of a sellout Goldington Road crowd.

Every Champ match this season will be streamed by online subscription broadcaster Clubber TV.