Should tries be five or six points?

The Herald reports:

The trial of six point tries in Welsh rugby has the backing of rugby greats Buck Shelford and Stu Wilson, but both former All Black captains say even bigger overhauls are needed to improve the game.

The Welsh Rugby Union has given the go ahead for trialling the new point system, which also includes reducing penalties and drop goals from three points to two.

Their aim is to make the game more open and attacking.

I can remember when tries were worth only four points!

I think an increase to six is a good idea. People watch rugby to see tries scored, not to see penalties kicked. You need penalties to be worth enough to discourage illegal play, but a ratio of 3:5 is too high. They are proposing 2:6.

You can of course award a penalty try for certain illegal behaviour, and they are also proposing a penalty try be worth eight points – an automatic conversion.

Shelford agreed World Rugby should give the trial the green light, but said more changes were needed to achieve the Wales Rugby Union’s goal of creating a more open and attacking game.

“We’ve got to have more incentive on the tries … and so the kicking in the game goes to drop kicks, so there’s no place kicking,” he said.

“I reckon we should actually have a five point try, a four point try and a three point try.”
Shelford said zones past the try line should be made where the further the ball was carried, the more the try would be worth.

That could be interesting.

He also said he would take Welsh proposal to lower the points for penalties and drop goals further, reducing them to one point each.

“We should have one point conversion and one point penalty and everything else is free kicks.

“There’s far too much kicking [and] too many penalties at goal. The only penalty should be for foul play,” he said.

“I’d rather use the bin a lot more or send somebody off.”

Got a point, but I think one point is not enough.