Talk:2023 Bunnings NPC

Information for editors of this page
A few changes have been made compared to previous seasons of the NPC:


 * There is now only one standings table instead of two. This is due to the change of the format of the competition in 2023, in which the two separate divisions/conferences from previous seasons have been merged and two separate division/conference standings tables are no longer required.


 * The standings table now includes columns for "tries for" and "tries against", because the number of tries scored is one of the so-called "tiebreakers" when teams have the same number of competition points.


 * There's a standardised template for standings tables in rugby competitions/tournaments (Module:Sports table/Rugby), which is now being used for the NPC for the first time. This template is easier to complete and some calculations are automated, so don't have to be completed by editors anymore.


 * There are some minor differences in the standardised standings tables possible between competitions:
 * For example, the "Qualification" column used for the NPC only refers to qualification for the competition's quarter-finals, while those for other competitions may (also) include qualification for international tournaments or relegation to lower divisions. See for an example: 2022–23 Top 14 season.
 * The tiebreaker rules for the NPC (which are explained in the "Format" section of the article) are not included in the footer of the standings table, because they're far too complex to write in one simple sentence.
 * In the footer, a key has been added for the Runners-Up and for the Ranfurly Shield holders. In other competitions they may include "Relegated" where applicable. By the way, this key will only be visible after the competition has ended.
 * The source code for the standings table contains some tips for updating the table during and after the competition (please, don't remove them).


 * The standings progression table now has columns for the QF, SF and Final. The table is meant to present a team's progression throughout the season and that should include play-offs. See the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season article for another example. Also in this table, some of the colours used for the table cells have been adapted to the standard colours used for the standardised standings tables. These colours come from the colour options in the Module:Sports table (on which the Module Sports Table/Rugby is based). The change is for reasons of consistency between tables and for aesthetic reasons (no painter's palette of colours).


 * The Rugby box template (used to list the result of a rugby match) contains the option for adding notes. This option has now been used to indicate Ranfurly Shield games, because only the abbreviation "RS" without a key may be unclear for the more casual rugby fan or non-NZ rugby fans.


 * In the results of each match, the icons and  are no longer used to indicate tries, conversions, penalty goals or drop goals. This is to remove unnecessary clutter from the score card and to make it easier for editors. In articles about some Northern Hemisphere competitions, the letters "c" and "m" are included after each try to indicate whether that try has been converted or not. That practice has never been followed in articles about the NPC and that has not changed for the current season, because casual rugby fans or visitors to these pages may not know the meaning of these letters, so including them is more likely to cause confusion than to add useful information. Also, the inclusion of the minute in which a conversion kick has been scored already shows whether a try has been converted or not, because conversions have to be attempted within 90 seconds after a try has been awarded. That makes inclusion of the letters "c" and "m" totally redundant.


 * For the play-off games, usually the Rugby box template is used (not collapsed). For aesthetic reasons, the Rugby box collapsible template has been used, which can then easily be made "non-collapsible" as soon as the teams that will compete in these play-off games have been determined.


 * The finals ranking (1 to 8) has been included again in the schedule for the play-offs (quarter-finals only). The finals ranking had to be omitted from the play-off schedule for the 2022 season due to the complicated format of the play-offs for that season.

I hope this information is useful and gives a sufficient explanation for some of the decisions made about the formatting/styling/coding of parts of this article. Ruggalicious (talk) 07:13, 14 June 2023 (UTC)