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Today’s article is scrum basics. In any scrum the loosehead is on the left, and packs only against the tighthead; the hooker is packing against a tighthead and the hooker; and the tighthead is on the right and packs against the hooker and loosehead.
Lefty Loosy, Righty Tighty – ok?
The next person who nominates Benn Robinson as a selection in the 3 jumper gets sent back to learn more nursery rhymes.
I think there are three main things that front rowers need to possess to be good at scrummaging.
Firstly, they need to be the right shape. Size is important here but not everything.
Most important is the neck – the distance from the top of the trapezius to the back of the jaw should be as short as possible. When scrummaging the opposition will be trying to tuck your chin onto your chest – this causes the back to curve and means you can no longer transfer power.
Keeping your jaw up so that you can keep your back straight is one of the first things a front rower needs.
For anyone who thinks I pick on Al Baxter, take a look at his photo on the Tahs team website.
His neck is too long and one of the key reasons he has struggled over the years.
In addition to this, the width of the chest and back is important, you don’t need the widest shoulders around but a good barrel shape will help when it comes to scrummaging.
Ideally front rowers are not lanky, their arms and legs are preferably short in relation to the length of their torso.
Secondly is strength, you don’t need to be the biggest guy around but let’s just say that a strong core, strong back and strong legs are going to get you a lot further than your bench press and curls will.
Thirdly is good technique, we’ll start talking about this today with things that are not just important for props but for the entire eight.
For all forwards when engaging in a scrum, there is a correct body position.
Feet must be shoulder width apart, and up on the balls of your feet. Shins should be parallel to the ground, with the joint of the knee forming a ninety degree angle so that the thighs are perpendicular.
The hip should be another ninety degree angle so that the back is parallel to the ground, the head slightly up to help keep the back straight; also helping the back is having the chest puffed up with shoulders back.
Finally a tight core should be trying to suck your bellybutton through your spine while you are in this position. All these things help you keep your back straight and put you in a position to deliver maximum leg drive.
I’ve linked to this picture in a comment before but it shows a strong and weak position so clearly I feel the need to share it again in this article.
Dan Vickerman is in a very strong position where he can exert pressure. Nathan Sharpe, because his feet are too far back, is not able to drive further forward – if he straightens his legs he’ll only move an inch or so – Vickerman on the other hand can push forward nearly a foot if he straightens his legs.
The aim is to always try and be in a position like Vickerman’s in this photo. If you start going forward then take very small quick steps that enable you to be in contact with the ground and in the good pushing position as much as possible.
If you wind up with straighter legs you become passive in the scrum and can only resist not exert forward pressure yourself.
Paired with this body position need to be tight binds. The Australian scrums have experimented for years with having loose second rowers and packing the number eight in different positions.
Finally they have caught up with everybody else and realise that it doesn’t work. Everyone needs to be locked tight.
One way to look at a scrum is as a series of overlapping triangles. The number eight locking the second rowers together, each second rower keeping a prop and the hooker tight, the triangles run in reverse as well so that each flanker and second rower form a driving point on each prop, the second rowers act together to drive and support the hooker.
The front row, second row and lock (number 8) form the biggest triangle in the scrum.
Each of these units needs to be consistently tight. Knuckles should be white in gripping and straining to stay close.
As long as the pack is tight and the tight five have their backs straight, they can transfer the power of the players behind them as soon as they get loose or their backs curve that power is reduced.
So before the hit: tight grips, feet shoulder width apart, heads slightly up (not too far just in a comfortable position), chest up, shoulders back. On the hit the aim needs to be to get low, the lowest you can possibly be is what I described earlier with your shins perpendicular to the ground so that your knees are just a couple of inches off the ground – level with your ankles.
Your core strength is going to dictate if you can hit and hold this position, as will the amount of grip that the ground supplies.
In wet weather, you will need to support more of your own weight instead of throwing it all forward, in this instance the shin/knee bend will become larger than ninety degrees but nothing else should change.
The thighs should still point directly down and the back must be straight and level. The laws state that the shoulders cannot be lower than the hips and that is the relevant point. The hips dictate how low you can engage your opponent.
There will be times that a player needs to scrummage higher but the aim to try and be lower than your opposition should never be lost.
Another aim from the hit should be to have zero foot movement, an ideal scrum will hit and hold with everyone in position ready to explode with power as the ball is fed.
One of the greatest feelings in rugby is the snap, all eight men, tightly bound and with their legs bent at ninety degrees, working as a unit they all push and straighten their legs as one – as though each of them was performing a max weight squat and putting all that power horizontally into the opposition scrum.
If they are able to drive the opposition back a step then quickly they bring their feet up, ready to drive forward again and again. Once a scrum is moving backwards it is much harder to stop, hence the need for zero foot movement off the hit.
Finally the scrum needs to work as a full team of eight. If just one of the eight is not performing then the entire scrum is impacted.
Keep an eye on the difference in the Aussie and Waratah scrum when Polota Nau is subbed on and off – the difference is striking.
I am convinced he is the best scrummaging hooker in the world and will make a major difference to the Wallabies chances of success in coming matches.
If you take anything away from this then I hope you are recognising good body position. It applies at rucks and mauls and whenever contact is made but especially in scrums.
Look out for flat backs, parallel with the ground, thighs perpendicular to the ground and shins parallel. If you see that then you are seeing a player in their best driving position and chances are they will be going forward.
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.
