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The Rugby Championship is to replicate the Super Rugby Bonus Point System, SANZAAR has confirmed. The system follows changes in prior years in the French Top 14 in which the four-try bonus point system was removed to, instead, award teams by scored three more tries than their opposition.
Starting on August 20 the new scoring system will take into account not only the attacking success of a team in any one match but also the defense. As such the existing bonus point awarded for a loss by seven or fewer points has been retained.
The 2016 Rugby Championship follows the identical calendar structure of the 2012, 2013 and 2014 tournaments. That being that the order of matches is identical. As such Los Pumas will play South Africa away and then at home over the opening two rounds and will then play away in Oceania before hosting New Zealand and Australia in the final two rounds.
The difference to the three above mentioned tournaments is that Argentina’s home match on October 08 will be played at a neutral venue. In an effort to capitalize on a successful Rugby World Cup and on the strength of the British Pound Los Pumas will face the Wallabies at London’s Twickenham Stadium.
The sixth round fixture is to be the first time ever that the former Tri Nations tournament will have had a match played outside of Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
Additional firsts involving Los Pumas will transpire, both away and at home. The opening round match against the Springboks will be played at Mbombela Stadium, marking the first ever Rugby Championship match played in Nelspruit.
The reverse fixture will take-place at the Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena in Salta, the same venue which hosted the identical fixture in 2014. A new venue, though, will host Argentina vs New Zealand with the country’s largest stadium, River Plate in Buenos Aires hosting Los Pumas for the first time since 2002.
Also known as El Monumental, River Plate Stadium hosted the 1978 FIFA World Cup Final. It has the potential to host a Rugby World Cup Final, possibly in 2027.
| Date | Fixture | Venue | City |
| August 20 | Australia vs New Zealand | ANZ Stadium | Sydney |
| August 20 | Mbombela Stadium | Nelspruit | Nelspruit |
| August 27 | New Zealand vs Australia | Westpac Stadium | Wellington |
| August 27 | Argentina vs South Africa | Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena | Salta |
| September 10 | New Zealand vs Argentina | FMG Stadium | Hamilton |
| September 10 | Australia vs South Africa | Suncorp Stadium | Brisbane |
| September 17 | New Zealand vs South Africa | AMI Stadium | Christchurch |
| September 17 | Australia vs Argentina | nib Stadium | Perth |
| October 01 | South Africa vs Australia | Loftus Versfeld | Pretoria |
| October 01 | Argentina vs New Zealand | River Plate | Buenos Aires |
| October 08 | South Africa vs New Zealand | Growthpoint Stadium | Durban |
| October 08 | Argentina vs Australia | Twickenham | London |
