Key takeaways
- In rugby union a try is 5 points, a conversion 2, a penalty goal 3 and a drop goal 3.
- The conversion is kicked from a spot in line with where the ball was grounded, which is why players run around behind the posts before touching down.
- A penalty try in union has been worth a flat 7 points with no conversion attempt since 1 January 2017.
- Because a penalty goal is worth 3 and penalties are common in union, a reliable kicker converts territory into points without needing a try.
- Draws are possible and are a normal result, which changes how a season-long league table behaves.
Rugby union has four ways to score and they are worth 5, 3, 3 and 2 points. A try is 5. A penalty goal and a drop goal are 3 each. A conversion, which only exists as a follow-up to a try, is 2.
What makes the system more interesting than the list suggests is that one of those scores changes value depending on where on the field you produced it — and it is not the one you would guess.
The try, and what "grounding" means
A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area, on or behind the goal line. The word comes from "try at goal": originally, grounding the ball only earned you the chance to attempt a kick.
Grounding is more specific than it sounds. The ball and an attacking player must be in contact with the ground at the same time, either by holding the ball and touching it down, or by placing a hand, arm or the front of the torso on top of a ball that is already on the ground. That differs from a touchdown in gridiron, where the ball crossing the plane of the end zone in a player's possession is enough.
The conversion, and why the angle is earned
A conversion is two points, and it is a kick at goal taken in line with the point where the ball was grounded.
That single clause creates one of rugby's most distinctive behaviours. A try scored in the corner leaves a kick from an extremely acute angle. A try grounded between the posts leaves a kick from directly in front. So a player who has broken the line near the touchline will often keep running infield before touching down, converting an awkward two points into a straightforward two — while carrying the risk of being tackled before they get there.
It is a genuine risk-reward decision taken at full speed, and it is worth watching for specifically. Five points are already banked the moment the ball is grounded; the run infield is playing for the extra two.
Penalty goals and drop goals
Both are worth three points in union, and both are ways of scoring without crossing the line.
A penalty goal is a place kick at goal taken after the opposition concede a penalty. Because union contests possession at every breakdown, penalties are frequent — considerably more frequent than in league — and a side camped in the opposition half with a reliable kicker can accumulate points steadily without ever scoring a try.
A drop goal is kicked out of hand during open play: the ball must touch the ground and be struck as it rises. It is harder, rarer, and the classic late-match instrument when a side is within three points and does not fancy its chances of a try.
The strategic point is that these two are worth three-fifths of a try for a fraction of the effort. A team that is defending well but cannot score tries is not out of the game.
A penalty try is a flat seven
If the referee believes a try probably would have been scored — or scored in a more advantageous position — but for an opponent's foul play, a penalty try is awarded.
In rugby union, the treatment changed on 1 January 2017. Before that date a conversion had to be attempted; since then no conversion is attempted and the attacking side is simply awarded seven points. The offending player must be temporarily suspended or sent off.
Seven is worth noting because it is the only score in the sport that is not assembled from the other values.
The scoreboard shape this produces
| Score | Points | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Try | 5 | Grounding the ball in-goal |
| Conversion | 2 | Kick after a try, in line with the grounding |
| Penalty goal | 3 | Place kick after a penalty |
| Drop goal | 3 | Kick from hand in open play |
| Penalty try | 7 | Awarded by the referee; no conversion |
Two consequences follow.
Totals cluster around certain numbers. A converted try is 7, an unconverted try is 5, and penalties add 3. Scores like 17-15 and 22-19 turn up constantly, and the gap between two sides is very often exactly one score.
Draws happen. Rugby is a sport where two teams can reach the same total by entirely different routes, and a drawn league fixture is an ordinary result rather than an anomaly. That matters for a season table in the way goal difference and tiebreakers describes for other sports, and it is one reason rugby competitions often use bonus points to separate sides.
What the season model does with a kicker
The scoring values above are why goal-kicking accuracy is weighted as heavily as it is in 24-0 Rugby Draft Pro League. Tries, conversions, penalty goals, drop goals and draws are all in the match model, and the arithmetic means a squad's kicker is quietly involved in a large share of its points.
The consequence at the draft board caught our own testers out repeatedly: a squad built purely on pace underperforms. Not by a small margin, and not because pace is undervalued in the model — it is one of the most valuable attributes there is. It underperforms because a fast backline that scores four tries and converts one of them finishes on 22, while a slower side that scores two tries, converts both, and kicks three penalties finishes on 23.
That is not a designed punishment for drafting wingers. It falls straight out of implementing the real point values. But it does mean that at the board, the goal kicker is not a luxury pick you make with a late selection once the exciting players are gone. Across a 24-match season under a $200M in-game salary cap, kicking accuracy is one of the highest-leverage attributes available, and it is routinely the cheapest.
What the model does not do: it does not simulate the infield run before a try is grounded, so you never make the decision described earlier about whether to carry the ball toward the posts. Conversion difficulty is derived from where the try was scored, which the model does produce, but the risk-reward choice itself is resolved rather than offered. It is the piece of rugby scoring drama the simulation flattens most.
Rugby draft and squad building covers how to fit a kicker into a squad that also has to survive a season, and if you want to compare how a running-total sport handles its scoreboard instead, golf scoring is the opposite case: every stroke counts forever and nothing resets.
Player names and historical details appear in the game for informational purposes; in-game ratings and salaries are unofficial estimates, and the app is not affiliated with or endorsed by any player, club, league, union or governing organisation. The studio's other sports titles are listed under sports GM.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
How many points is a try worth?
What is a conversion worth?
Why do players run around behind the posts before scoring?
What is a penalty try?
Can a rugby match end in a draw?
Sources
- Try (rugby) (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia — accessed
- Comparison of rugby league and rugby union (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia — accessed
- Laws of the Game (opens in a new tab)World Rugby — accessed
League, team and athlete names appear here only to identify the rules, records and history being discussed. Reign Creative LLC's sports games are not affiliated with, endorsed by or licensed by any league, team, players' association or athlete, and all names and marks belong to their owners.
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