• Points for scoring four tries and for losing by seven or fewer to be trialled • Grand slam concept safeguarded; idea to be reviewed after 2017 edition

Less than a year after dismissing bonus points as “inherently unfair”, Six Nations organisers have relented and will next year test a system that rewards try-scoring and narrow defeats in an effort to promote attacking rugby.

Opponents of bonus points have argued that a team could win the grand slam but not the title. Since the six teams compete on a home or away basis, for each campaign half play three of their five matches at home with the other half playing three on the road. That would have occurred in 2002 when France won their five matches but would have finished second with bonus points because they would have secured only one compared to the five of the runners-up, England, who had a vastly superior points difference. That cannot happen in 2017 because a grand slam winning side would be awarded an extra three points.

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A Six Nations win will now garner four points, while a team that loses one match can reach a maximum of 22, one point behind the winners of a grand slam. A team that loses all five matches could, though, avoid the wooden spoon with a potential 10 points available in bonuses. Teams will secure an extra point for scoring four tries or more and another for not losing by more than seven points.

The system will be used in the men’s and women’s Six Nations as well as the Under-20s tournament, and will be reviewed afterwards to determine whether it should be adopted permanently. Most past winners would have remained the same with bonus points factored in, but England would have won the 2013 title rather than Wales.

“We have been looking at the feasibility of a bonus-point system for a while and examining which one would work best, given the unique properties of our championships,” said Pat Whelan, the Six Nations chairman. “We needed to ensure it would materially improve what is already there and we are delighted to be going ahead with a development we believe will enhance our competitions for fans, teams and broadcasters.”

John Feehan, chief executive of the Six Nations, has not been a supporter of bonus points. When asked about the prospects of the system being adopted in January, he was unequivocal in his opposition, saying: “The issue comes before the Six Nations committee pretty much annually and the stumbling block is always the same: the imbalance of home matches. The championship is not a league where teams play each other home and away in the same season. We do not believe that bonus points would add to the excitement. It would be inherently unfair and, you could argue, would have a damaging effect.”

The decision comes a year after the northern nations failed to provide a World Cup semi-finalist. The rise of Argentina since they began competing in the Rugby Championship was compared with Italy, who have made little progress in the 16 years playing in the Six Nations.

The average number of tries per match in last year’s Six Nations was 4.7 compared to 5.8 in the Rugby Championship. “The drama and excitement of the last weekend of the Six Nations Championship is unique,” said Feehan on Wednesday. “It is important for us to ensure that a bonus-point system would not take away from this unique dynamic. We are also conscious that we must reward try-scoring and an attacking style of play that will deliver more tries and greater rewards for fans and players alike.”