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New Wallabies prop Ben Alexander (right) with Stephen Moore (centre) and Al Baxter practice their scrum setting during a training session at Manly Oval, Sydney, Thursday, June 5, 2008. The Wallabies will play Ireland in Melbourne on June 14, 2008. AAP Image/Dean Lewins
After watching five matches this weekend, I saw a real muck up by the referees as they call “Crouch, touch, pause, engage”. This alone led to unnecessary and avoidable penalties. My solution is to dispense with “Pause”.
My adult son independently saw the same problem (both former front rowers, with the younger being eminently more talented than the elder).
In each of the matches, numerous scrums produced penalties, some announced as “early engagement”, which I believe is a result of too long a delay between “Touch” and “Engage”.
Marius Jonker, I think, actually apologised for his slow call at one stage. In his match, one of the Pretoria front rowers had sufficient time to touch twice, several times. I think he was doing that to maintain balance.
There is nearly a ton of weight in each pack bound and ready to go forward and the referees expect them to be able to hold their natural momentum for too long.
A reason individual packs bind finally only just before the engagement is to harness and exert the power just in time, without becoming unbalanced – once bound it is impossible for the front row to hold back the back 5 (who cannot see the precise moment) for any extended period.
And it is impossible to maintain balance whilst waiting. In these circumstances, the law or practice focusing on safety increases the danger of a collapse under pressure.
Effective engagement is both more likely to succeed and to be safe, if it is allowed to occur under the natural momentum and at the exact point when balance and control is at its peak moment.
That moment is immediately after “Touch”.
I reckon they need to develop a call that sounds as “Crouch, Touch-Engage” with the second word rolling straight into the third. “Crouch” and “Touch” achieves the focused moment to achieve stability in each pack – the need for safety is served.
I have a theory that the sound of “Engage” commencing with a “soft” vowel is part of the problem, being less audible than a word starting with a “hard” consonant. But that’s probably being a bit scientific for a slow former open side prop like me.
Apart from this single criticism, I cannot remember a season start that has so pleased me, even the much improved play of the perennial disappointers, NSW. The quality and pace of the rugby is excellent.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.