Wales inspired by bonus-point mentality to top Six Nations Championship after Italy win
Wales just miss out on scoring a bonus point in their first match but go top of the table
Wales just missed out on scoring a bonus point in the first round of the Six Nations championship but their thirst for one helped put them on top of the table on Sunday.
For the first time this season, the tournament is employing a bonus-point system that operates in professional competitions across Europe and the southern hemisphere.
At the end of the opening weekend, Wales topped the table on points difference after a 33-7 victory against lowly Italy, while the other weekend’s winners, England and Scotland, scraped narrow wins.
Captain Alun Wyn Jones opted for an attacking lineout three times in a row before Italy’s stout defence finally persuaded him to give the ball to goalkicking maestro Leigh Halfpenny, who kicked four straight penalties to calm the visitors’ nerves.
Having finally scored a try after an hour, Wales could have locked down the match, especially with a slippery ball and an Italian captain, Sergio Parisse, always threatening to bust through the Welsh line.
Instead, Wales went hunting for the four tries – even though they could have risked further injury to their key winger, George North.
Of course, there must have been a temptation for Howley to bring him off with a view to next weekend’s big clash against champions, England.
“It (North’s decision) gave us a good insight into what the players were thinking like. They were eager to get the bonus point,” Howley said.
Earlier in the week, Six Nations chief executive John Feehan had said he felt the bonus-point system, which also rewards a losing team that comes within seven points of the victor, was inherently unfair.
Time will tell how the system works but France and Ireland were not complaining about being the first sides to earn a bonus point in defeat.
In Rome’s Stadio Olimpico too, the new rule ensured the away team were still pushing hard until the finish to score repeated tries, much to enjoyment of a sizeable Welsh contingent in the crowd.
“We don’t go into game thinking about bonus points. We need to get the win first. But when we finally scored (a try), we were pushing to get that bonus point,” said centre Scott Williams.