In the recent Six Nations tournament, teams scored more than 30 points in a game 12 times. In the 2011 tournament, that happened just twice. This isn't a fluke result either - all the data shows that across rugby there are now more high-scoring games than ever. So why is that?
1. The Trend is Clear Towards More Tries Per Game
First off, the data to prove it. Across the 2026 Six Nations there were 111 tries. That is 7.4 per game. In England's 2011 victory, they conceded five tries in the whole tournament.
This has also been seen in Premiership Rugby. There were 8 tries per game on average in 2024/25 - up from 6.1 in 2020/21.
On top of more tries, the league is becoming more competitive. More teams were in contention for the top spots at the end of the 24/25 season, than in most past seasons. And that is a continuing trend.
2. More Attacking, Fewer Goal-Bound Penalty Kicks
The biggest change has undoubtedly been teams deciding to aim less kicks at goal. The safer three points of a kick goal are less attractive, now that teams have recognised a chance of five or seven points is easier than it used to be.
In the 2026 Six Nations only 33 penalties were kicked at goal. In 2024 that number was 63. Penalty goal rates in international rugby are currently lower than they have been in decades.
Teams are instead choosing to kick into touch or aerial contests, which creates more possibilities for try scoring.
3. Refereeing Emphasis Has Changed
In recent years, the world's biggest sport - football - has been making efforts to speed up the game and spend less time with the ball out of play. This attitude has also transferred to rugby.
The modern game is increasingly shaped to be faster, as it is competing for an audience with many other forms of entertainment.
For one thing, there are a lot fewer scrums than their used to be. In the 2026 Six Nations there were just six scrums per game on average. In 2023 there were 11. In past tournaments, 20+ scrums per game was not uncommon.
Referees are also told to focus more on keeping the game running, and the ball in play. This means more attacking phases, which results in more defensive fatigue - and therefore more tries.
4. Bookmakers Have Also Noticed the Trend
In the modern day, any shift in way a big sport is played will affect the multibillion pound business that is sports betting.
In today's competitive market, comparison sites help rugby fans find bookmakers with promotions and markets best tailored to them. Resources that list the latest bet365 bonus offers, for example, let fans know which promos apply to rugby betting through a wider view of all the offers and their terms and conditions.
Given that, UK bookies pay close attention to sports data trends. If sharp bettors combine bonus offers with overlooked trends, they can quickly profit off the discrepancy.
American style bets like the Over/Under will now lean way more towards the Over, for example, than they used to. Operators can now also offer more try-specific bets - for example multi-try performances have become more common. As a result, you can now bet on hattricks, for example, in most games.
5. Lineouts, Wide Play and Aerial Contests are More Efficient
Sports data is also having a growing influence on rugby. Teams have noticed the shift towards more tries through rules tweaks and priorities, and have doubled down on attacking strategies.
Teams can use data to work out exactly what the most optimal offensive strategies are, by analysing thousands of past games. This has been common in American Football for years, but is increasingly moving into rugby.
Wide play stretching defences, decoy runners and disguised passing channels are now more common - and effective - than ever.
In previous Six Nations, scrums and line outs often accounted for a similar percentage of tries. Now lineouts are responsible for tries around twice as often, at 44%.
6. This Shift Has Stretched Defenses Over Long Games
All of this focus on faster, more consistent attacking play has left defences struggling to keep up. Not just because they're being attacked more, but because backs are now contributing to offensive lineouts further up the pitch and more often.
In recent top-level rugby tournaments, backs have accounted for more than 60% of tries.
Teams are recording more tackles per game, yet several teams have finished recent major tournaments with historically poor defensive records. Two matches in the recent Six Nations saw both sides score more than 40 points - both involving France.
7. All This Means High Scores - Recent Examples
In just some recent examples, Damien Penaud scored six tries in a single match in 2025 - setting a new Champions Cup record. Ireland scored a record-setting 106 points against Portugal in a test in 2025. In the 2026 Six Nations, Scotland had their best attacking tournament ever - but their 22nd worst defensive performance.
The women's game has even seen arguably a more dramatic shift in this regard. Such as England Women beating Samoa 92-3 in in the 2025 World Cup, one of the most one-sided results in top-tier modern competition.
These results show a clear trend towards more tries. This situation is driven by commercial and tactical considerations. It will continue to shape the fan experience, betting markets and the global profile of the game in years to come.
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