All to play for as bonus points add unknown quantity to mix

Joe Schmidt was straight up. Bonus points? Not for him.

It was the topic du jour at the launch of last year’s Six Nations in London. Over two decades after New Zealand’s provincial championship first introduced the concept and Europe’s cherished but tradition-bound old championship was finally giving in to see what all the fuss was about. It was almost like your grandad having a go at the X-box.

“I’m not sure about bonus points,” Schmidt said that day. “There was none on offer when we went to Chicago and played the All Blacks but there were nine tries in a game played in fine weather. You play in a manner to suit the conditions. It may affect end-game decisions but not, I think, the first-half mentality of teams.”