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Sydney - Brumbies utility Adam Ashley-Cooper has conceded his team needs to start racking up bonus points if it wants to contest this year's Super14 finals.
The Brumbies are in seventh position heading into the second half of the season and already have teams above them on the ladder who have lost more games.
The Brumbies have won five of their seven outings in 2010 but the Reds and Chiefs both of which have five bonus points to the Brumbies' one sit above the Canberra side.
Coach Andy Friend believes bonus points, which are earned from scoring four or more tries or by losing by seven points or less, are irrelevant if a team is winning.
But Ashley-Cooper accepts the time has come for the Brumbies to start scoring more tries in a bid to stay in touch with the top four in the lead-up to the play-offs.
The Brumbies' sole bonus point this season came against the Auckland Blues in round six for losing by five points, not from scoring four or more tries.
Since the Super rugby competition was expanded to 14 teams in 2006, the least amount of bonus points a top-four team finished with was four.
"A win's a win but bonus points are much needed in this competition. It's been proven the past couple of years when we've just missed out on the top four," Ashley-Cooper said.
"At the moment we're winning football games so hopefully they won't even matter but it's always nice to get bonus points and it's always nice to score tries.
"We're certainly trying, it's just a matter of when we click."
The Brumbies get an ideal chance to earn their first four-try bonus point of the year on Saturday night when they host the Free State Cheetahs at Canberra Stadium.
The Cheetahs have won only two games this season, the most recent of which came a month ago. They suffered a 40-17 hiding against the NSW Waratahs last weekend in their first match on a four-week tour of Australia and New Zealand.
The Brumbies have a day off on Wednesday before their main skills session of the week on Thursday.
The Brumbies are in seventh position heading into the second half of the season and already have teams above them on the ladder who have lost more games.
The Brumbies have won five of their seven outings in 2010 but the Reds and Chiefs both of which have five bonus points to the Brumbies' one sit above the Canberra side.
Coach Andy Friend believes bonus points, which are earned from scoring four or more tries or by losing by seven points or less, are irrelevant if a team is winning.
But Ashley-Cooper accepts the time has come for the Brumbies to start scoring more tries in a bid to stay in touch with the top four in the lead-up to the play-offs.
The Brumbies' sole bonus point this season came against the Auckland Blues in round six for losing by five points, not from scoring four or more tries.
Since the Super rugby competition was expanded to 14 teams in 2006, the least amount of bonus points a top-four team finished with was four.
"A win's a win but bonus points are much needed in this competition. It's been proven the past couple of years when we've just missed out on the top four," Ashley-Cooper said.
"At the moment we're winning football games so hopefully they won't even matter but it's always nice to get bonus points and it's always nice to score tries.
"We're certainly trying, it's just a matter of when we click."
The Brumbies get an ideal chance to earn their first four-try bonus point of the year on Saturday night when they host the Free State Cheetahs at Canberra Stadium.
The Cheetahs have won only two games this season, the most recent of which came a month ago. They suffered a 40-17 hiding against the NSW Waratahs last weekend in their first match on a four-week tour of Australia and New Zealand.
The Brumbies have a day off on Wednesday before their main skills session of the week on Thursday.
