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

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

Archive

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