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It is midwinter of 1992 and Edenvale is taking on Germiston Simmers, a tough opponent. A few minutes into the first half and its time for the first scrum. I am looking forward to this, this is where I shine.
Scrum time, made for overweight blokes with short necks and strong backs.
I set up for the first scrum.
First I have to make sure Kobus, my lock (he isn’t the brightest cookie in the cookie jar) hits me under my hip and not my lower back. It seems you need to remind him with a tap to the head every time you get ready that he isn’t tackling or hugging you but getting ready to push.
I ensure I get my bind onto my hooker by pulling his hips tight and get my arm around as far as possible on his shorts to ensure I remain straight.
Then I go down into my prone position – heads up as to stare into my opponents eyes, looking for the first signs of intelligence.
You can tell someone’s intelligence in two ways in my opinion. Tell them a joke and see if they get it, or in this case, see whether the expression is dulled or whether the eyes are awake and alert.
“Not much going on there” I say to myself and wait for my halfback to bring the ball closer.
In my prone position I have my left arm ready for the jab.
It is a technique I have perfected over time. the aim is to hit the inside of the armpit a few inches down, enough to give me the leverage over my opponent. In the same motion I will hit the armpit, swing my elbow out and lock my shoulder perpendicular to the ground.
Then I will transfer my momentum straight forward and up, not that far up to pop him. But to put into practise the lesson my physics teacher taught me many years ago: no matter whether he is stronger than me, I am underneath him and therefore have the advantage.
The shoulder in the locked position keeps me straight and unless the guy is a monster he isn’t going to be able to twist me.
Our hooker gives the tap on my shoulder (the sign for the hit and the feed, in unison we go forward. The halfback has seen the tap on my shoulder and feeds the ball.
It all goes swimmingly.
I hit the spot. In the same motion I level my elbow out and lock my shoulder. GOT HIM.
Now for the next test, see if I can push him. Yep, it works, I have the upper hand.
It isn’t too long and we have another scrum, their feed.
As I get prone to strike and look into his eyes I am disappointed, still nothing there. Oh well, same old same old. It is going to be an easy day in the scrums.
You see, the exciting and sometimes scary thing at scrum time is the ability of the opponent to react and recognise what you did the previous scrum to have control over him.
There is a glimmer of intelligence and he will realise how you beat him. He will now know that the speed of the bind is where I aim to beat him, and if he is intelligent enough and quick enough he can beat me.
Sadly this guy isn’t going to do any of that.
For me, my power lay in how I could use my whole body from my heels through my hips, to my shoulders, all in one straight line and effectively lock up being inflexible and almost impossible to bend or buckle. By having my shoulder locked it was almost near impossible to be turned inward or bent.
The challenge at scrum time is an art. I suspect every prop has his own techniques.
Admittedly I wasn’t a very big prop, only 92 kg’s fighting weight, even in those days smallish for a prop.
But irrespective of the rest of the match, every scrum for me is a challenge, one I have to win.
Although there are eight forwards in the pack, it is a one on one, as fair as you could possibly have in any sporting code.
Him and I. Our technique and our strength will decide each battle.
Sure I like doing the other stuff to, like run straight.
I can’t sidestep a mosquito or run faster than most but I love getting the ball, dropping the shoulder and bashing the hell out of some unsuspecting back.
But it is at the scrum where I shine, it is my playground, employing the art of beating your opponent again and again.
It has little to do with whether I got a penalty awarded to our team, it has little to do with any of the other 14 mates in my team, just me, him and the battle.
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