In 2013, fresh from beating South Africa in Cape Town in the best Rugby Championship game since the famed Australia - New Zealand classic in 2000, New Zealand came to Dublin in a match that neutrals around the world called one of the most entertaining ever. Last Saturday, amongst a crazy, tension filled day, the neutral's best game of the day was the final match between England and France.
Each one of those games will be remembered as a classic.
There is one common thread between each game - Nigel Owens. Owens is lauded as the best referee in the world for one good reason. His interpretations and communication allows for the most entertaining games. So when Nigel has a way to make the Six Nations more entertaining, it's time to sit up and take notice of what he says.
What's the one simple change that Owens thinks will make for a more entertaining championship? Bonus Points.
(It) would contribute to what we saw last Saturday.
Owens identifies the two main arguments against the introduction of bonus points - the scheduling that sees teams play a different number of games at home as they do away, which is reversed the following year; and that a team that loses a game could finish second under a bonus point system.
It may not be fair the first year. But it rotates the second year. You get more home games every second year. It will even out after the first season.
If you win all your games, you automatically win the Grand Slam because you put in place a system where you are given extra points or whatever to entitle that you are top of the table.
Those in favour of bonus points point to the drama last Saturday and say it can be repeated with bonus points, and Owens is among them.
There were two reasons, I think. The sides were positive and wanted to play and, the way the fixtures turned out at the weekend, you had to play to win The Championship.
It's perhaps not a popular thought amongst balls readers though, with 56% of people not in favour of the tournament introducing the bonus point system. We wait and see what will happen.
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