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Crouch. Bind. Set. One of the most important things I do on the field is scrummage. It’s something I’m proud of and am working hard to master. Of course, the way we pack a scrum has changed recently.
I’m used to the new call now. It doesn’t take much to address the call, it’s all the extra stuff you need to work so hard on and practice over and over. All the unions are in full swing with the new scrum laws now – everyone has moved on and is doing what it takes to get ahead.
As a hooker, you feel so much pressure. If a prop moves out of position, or even a number 7 makes a misstep, you notice all the pressure change in the middle of the scrum. That’s on top of the individual pressure you feel as you battle the person opposite.
A scrum only lasts eight to ten seconds and it can either be smooth or an absolute mess. We do a lot to prepare specifically for scrums mid-week. There’s practice and there’s homework.
There is plenty of video analysis that makes up our homework. We analyse ourselves – how we went in our last hit-out and where to improve or next week. It’s vital to improve your individual effort. The forwards will also watch the clips to see where we can get better.
Last week we watched our effort against the Brumbies, and despite winning, our scrum was one of the places we didn’t do well. It might have cost us up to three try-scoring chances. Our goal is to find consistency and work for the whole 80 minutes.
As a group, we watch footage of the upcoming opposition to see where their strengths and weaknesses are. Then there is even more video of the specific player opposite yourself.
On the field, we run through a number of drills in different groups. Props will work together, while the hookers and the back five go off in their separate groups.
After we do our groups we piece it all together under the guidance of Matt Cockbain. Andrew Blades, the Wallabies’ scrum guru, has been a massive help to us at the Rebels this year too. Both give guidance and let us know when something isn’t right.
It’s disappointing not to win our own scrum. At the Rebels, we are proud of it. We want clean execution and clean ball and to be able to pick our moments to disrupt and hopefully turn over ball on opposition scrums. From Laurie Weeks right through to Scott Higginbotham, there is a real pride about this cornerstone set-piece.
One of the main differences in the new scrum laws is that when “set” is called, both sides are engaged. It means there’s a full eight-on-eight push. There’s no room for passengers.
As the hooker strikes for the fed ball, it can become a seven-on-eight for a time. You can tell the difference at that point. There’s a momentum shift when anyone picks up their foot out of time with the others, such as when the hooker strikes the ball. We can’t complain, we just try to make our scrum as clean as we can and set a positive image for the referee.
You want the ref to be confident in your scrum, and that doesn’t just mean the ability to shove. You want the ref to view you as positive, trying to execute clean scrums and not changing angles or sacking to make things messy. Sometimes things happen in scrums that are hard to define or describe – the scrum is a whole new language after all.
Under the new scrum laws they do sometimes pack too low. That comes up in our homework every week – the height teams like to pack from. When scrums get low, it’s about patience. You set the core and handle whatever depth it gets to and hold your position. Eventually one side will give some – you just don’t want to be the one giving in.
I still need to master the scrum at my position. I’m nowhere near where I want to be in this area. Stephen Moore, Saia Fainga’a and Tatafu Polota-Nau are probably the toughest direct opponents I face regularly. But this set-piece isn’t just about opposites. It’s about front row combinations.
The Waratahs and Brumbies front rows are hard combinations to beat. Polota-Nau and Sekope Kepu are good at turning their combination into a two-on-one. The aim is to either splinter off the prop or try to double-team the hooker in the middle. When the opposition scrum through the hooker, there’s a huge amount of pressure. That makes it hard to strike and stay square.
Scrummaging isn’t just about pushing, you need to attack the isolated man and from there it is a matter of attitude.
People often talk about whether the set-piece is taught dramatically differently in New Zealand compared to Australia, depending on the success of the national side’s set-piece. I don’t think there’s too much difference in coaching or technique, although maybe the experience and value on the set-piece in New Zealand is higher, as people get through more scrums from a younger age.
The Australian front rows at the professional level, when experienced, are not poor. They can get the better of the Kiwi sides.
As I said, the scrum is something I still need to master. I want to stay on top of it and continue to improve – at 25 I’m still relatively young for a front rower. At the Rebels, we’re focused on the job of the whole pack, knowing what our role is, and winning clean ball.
Patrick Leafa plays in the frontrow with the Melbourne Rebels. He was signed after winning player of the year for his club, the McDougall Medal for player of the tournament in 2012, and the ACT Griffins player of the year.
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