<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (stormmaster1 @ Jan 25 2010, 06:18 PM)
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I think they're a good way of diferentiating between teams that would otherwise be level on points and helping decide quarter final seeding, but when things are extremely tight (e.g. pool 3) doesn't the team with the best record deserve to go through as group winners (i.e. Ospreys).[/b]
Consider the bonus point as the equivalent of a draw in football, whether you got one point difference (like Clermont in Osprey) or a draw like Osprey vs Leicester is IMO pretty equivalent,it is the scoring system of rugby which makes the draw improbable hence the bonus point requirement. Losing by one point or having a draw is more about luck and circumstances,
missing a penalty kick and succeeding a conversion = 2pts
missing a conversion and succeeding a penalty kick = 3pts
yet it is one miss and one pass in both cases.
However, I am pretty much against the idea of best second, the best second qualifies more often as a result of weak pool or particular circumstances rather than sheer quality.
For example, the large score of Northampton against Perpignan which resulted in a bonus point was more about Perpignan being already out. Not saying that Northampton would not have scored this point but the game would certainly had had a totally different flavour should Perpignan had still been on course.
No disrespect to the Italian clubs, but as usual the two best second emerged form the pool including the Italian clubs.
2-3 years ago, Clermont and Munster were leveled on points but Munster went through because of head to head results and ended up winning the trophy. Being tied at the top of the pool should take precedence over the number of point to determine the best seconds.
But overall qualification through best second should be scrapped , it is just pure luck.
Being first can also be down to luck, both Biarritz and Stade Francais did not play particularly well but were in pretty average pools but credit to them they did the job.
Clermont, Ospreys Leicester was indeed by far the toughest one but the presence of Viadana boosted the total tally, each team having the maximum of 10pts against them.
