Why there is a standard
At a non-towered aerodrome nobody is directing traffic. Everyone in the circuit relies on everyone else flying the same pattern and saying where they are. A standard join lets you arrive without knowing the wind or the runway, and still slot in where others expect you.
Both countries use the same idea: cross the aerodrome above circuit traffic, read the windsock and the traffic, get down to circuit height away from the circuit, then join at a predictable point. The numbers, the names and the radio calls differ.
The one rule that matters most
Never descend from above onto the side of the circuit where the traffic flies. Your own aircraft hides what is below you, and the aircraft below is looking ahead, not up.