mscroggs.co.uk
mscroggs.co.uk

subscribe

Puzzles

7 December

In September, my puzzle appeared as Alex Bellos's Monday Puzzle. The puzzle asked what the highest rugby score was which can only be made with one combination of kicks, tries and converted tries.
What is the highest rugby score which can be made with 101 different combinations of kicks, tries and converted tries?

Rugby scores

In a rugby (union) match, 3 point are scored for a kick, 5 for a try and 7 for a converted try. This scoring system means that some total scores can be achieved in different combinations, while others can be achieved in only one way.
For example, 14 can be scored in two ways (three kicks and a try; or two converted tries), while 8 can only be achieved in one way (try and a kick).
What is the highest score which can only be made in one way?
What is the highest score which can be made in two ways?

Show answer & extension

Archive

Show me a random puzzle
 Most recent collections 

Advent calendar 2025

Advent calendar 2024

Advent calendar 2023

Advent calendar 2022


List of all puzzles

Tags

balancing consecutive numbers chocolate square roots polygons xor rugby differentiation axes sets dice decahedra multiplaction squares partitions expansions wordplay fractions coordinates folding tube maps coins angles doubling crossnumbers remainders functions medians games menace multiplication probabilty square numbers probability star numbers tangents indices routes geometry factors time graphs colouring means circles polynomials odd numbers dodecagons cryptic crossnumbers sequences quadratics even numbers pascal's triangle cube numbers perimeter regular shapes geometric mean palindromes prime numbers proportion tournaments digital products matrices algebra speed addition determinants percentages floors binary ave rectangles triangles squares advent ellipses lists bases unit fractions division digital clocks number neighbours the only crossnumber calculus square grids shapes symmetry surds chalkdust crossnumber digits elections people maths integers hexagons tiling averages combinatorics crosswords products prime factors grids spheres 2d shapes clocks sum to infinity chess area parabolas money complex numbers factorials mean multiples shape books quadrilaterals scales triangle numbers volume arrows pentagons perfect numbers sport christmas dates geometric means lines integration logic consecutive integers trigonometry numbers albgebra cryptic clues median dominos cards gerrymandering range 3d shapes cubics planes irreducible numbers taxicab geometry sums powers

Archive

Show me a random puzzle
▼ show ▼
© Matthew Scroggs 2012–2026