Contested scrums. Hear me out.
Were you to make scrums hard, tightly-bound bits of kit, beefed up with forwards schooled in scrummaging, and policed such that the halfback – or pocket ref or touch judge, what else do they do, etc – had to feed the ball straight into the middle of the tunnel, you’d give the team without the loose-head-and-feed a chance to get the ball back.
And if you give a tightly-bound, tight-headed scrum a crack at The Precious, you would see greater adventure across the rugby league field.
Again – hear me out.
As it is there’s five hit-ups and a kick downtown out of danger. Making scrums contests would make the game more random and messy. And messy is good.
Unscripted footy is top footy. Rugby league too often wants ‘clean’. Nice, crisp completed sets. Perfect refereeing. No dropping of the ball.
But for the narrative of a game to have – what’s the term – unexpected tangents, you want messy.
Sure – scrums from olden times were arcane, nasty bits of kit in which hookers scrapped for the pill like toothless pick-pockets from Elizabethan times. Sure.
But scrums were never allowed to evolve, as everything else evolved, like passing, say, and the once-leather Steeden.
And if scrums hadn’t been booted into the too-hard basket in favour of more ‘entertaining’, ball-in-hand rugby league, there wouldn’t be what we ironically have now: a highly-structured, over-coached game in which the attacking team barely passes the ball when 70 metres or less from their try-line.
(Digital image by Colin Whelan © nrlphotos.com)
The knock-back
Rugby league’s laws say that a knock-on is to propel the ball “towards the opponents’ dead ball line with hand or arm”.
This means (or should mean) that were you standing with a foot either side of the halfway-line and facing the sideline – for example, at 90 degrees and perfectly perpendicular to the sideline – carrying the ball in two hands, and you dropped it straight down between your feet, then that’s not a knock-on.
You are allowed to drop the ball, as long as it doesn’t travel forwards towards your opponents’ line.
If the ball doesn’t travel forwards – as it doesn’t if you’re undertaking the scientific stand-on-the-halfway-facing-the-sideline-and-drop-the-ball-straight-down exercise – it is not a knock-on.
Yet every week, in rugby league’s Quest for Clean, drop-ball is deemed messy ball, and hence unclean, and needs to be punished. It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.
3pm kick-offs
As far as stakeholders go, the God of TV holds the biggest stakes.
Television owns 50-foot stakes that they’re not afraid to plunge into the heart of rugby league.
No they don’t. Television’s grouse! It’s how you watch rugby league! Top stuff, Television.
But day-time footy is not great for TV, so there aren’t a lot of games on.
But for being there, from 3pm to about 4:46pm is the best time to watch rugby league.
For one, it’s the best time for the best rugby league. Conditions are most often best.
And two, you can have a nice long lunch, couple schooners and watch the game in choice conditions. By 5pm you’re back in the pub.
And from there, given it’s a Saturday, the world is your delicious Kilpatrick and/or mornay oyster.
Five metre gap
Maybe not five. Maybe seven. But the gap we have, ten metres… it was good in the early nineties because Bill Harrigan was praised for getting them way back and there was more adventurous rugby league. And people said, Yes, Bill’s way is The Good Way.
And for a while it was true.
But no more.
Now the massive, legislated gap between defenders and ruck means to gain advantage on the aptly-named advantage line defenders have to wrestle like Russians to stop the other mob from getting quick play-the-ball and hence the dreaded “roll on”.
So, six or seven metres. Give it a go. Trial it in the 20s, the bush. Prove it bad.
Zero interchange
To para-phrase Ian Healy’s comment to Arjuna Ranatunga, players shouldn’t be allowed a legislated break in the middle of a game because they’re tired.
You’re off, you’re off.
Head bin? Sure.
Tired? Come on.
Rugby league probably shouldn’t look over the fence too often at ol’ cousin Rah-rah, lest some fool think we should have contested scrums again.
But in terms of interchange, rugby has it right. Blokes go off. New blokes come on. And that’s just it.
(AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
France
True, they are not very good at rugby league. In fact Poland is better at cricket than France is at rugby league. But, I dunno… there’s something about playing rugby league against France.
The tri-colours, the blue jumpers. The rooster. Using Le instead of The. Le Bleus. All that. It’s sort of exotic.
The Biff
Jokes! Just jokes.
‘The biff’ – by which I mean punching a person in the head with the knuckles of one’s bare fists – can stay where it is, locked in blood-knuckled knuckle-head land, in the Time of Ago, when violence, even domestic violence, was cool and the gang.
Oh, you’d still like to see some ‘good old days’ biff?
Do this: Give yourself an upppercut. Record it on your phone. Upload it to YouTube. And watch it, a lot.
The KB Cup
A midweek knock-out rugby league competition at Leichhardt Oval under lights featuring Port Moresby, Combined Brisbane and a team of mad bastards from the bush who won the first one in 1974 led by a wild bald man called ‘TV Ted’ Ellery?
Never happen. Be good if it did.
Andy P
Guest
My biggest problem with scrums is the way they kill the momentum of the game. I say replace scrums with turnovers for knock ons, and allow ball stealing regardless of the number of tacklers. That way, if a ball comes loose in a tackle, it's either play on or a turnover. No penalties, no scrums, no momentum killed. The game flows.
Gary Harvey
Guest
Sorry Yoda, Milan is right. You are correct that union was the first game in France and that league only started in France in 1934, but by the time of the start of WW2 there were almost as many league clubs in France as union clubs, probably to do with professionalism. During the war the rugby union admin aligned with the Nazis (Vichy government), the league admin backed the resistance and had all their assets confiscated, assets that were never returned. There is a good well referenced entry about this on wikipedia. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_league_in_France
Cadfael
Roar Guru
Agree. In the 60s the league had a brilliant five eight who was going to lead the French to the top. Unfortunately, union paid more so he left.
hutch
Guest
And because the Vichy government in France confiscated leagues assets and gave them to union, before banning rugby league as a sport. It was getting bigger crowds than union at the time and never fully recovered!
Cadfael
Roar Guru
A benefit not mentioned with scrums being competitive and the marker b allowed to strike for the ball would be pressure off the referees. If a referee makes a mistake, the team has a chance of correcting it by winning the ball. 5 metre gap rather than the 10 metre one we have now? Remember it was always 10 metres. The defending had to be 5 metres behind the marker and the attacking side had to be 10 metres behind the player playing the ball. France got done over cause the French Rugby Union was on an associate member of the IRB therefore their finances weren't as fully monitored as full IRB members meaning French rugby could pay more than their league counterparts prior to professional rugby.
Fix the scrums
Guest
Get the scrums right. Bring back the crowds. There's no atmosphere. Bring back the juniors to the game. The young generation don't seem to be playing it or watching it. Not in NSW anyway.
Yoda
Guest
Milan I think you will find its true.Do some research Union started in the 1870s long before league was born,it wasn't until 1934 half a century later that league seen an opportunity when the French national team was banned from internationals that league started,it's not arrogance my friend but do stick to the facts.
sheek
Roar Guru
Spruce goose, You're kidding, right? SOO has as many trainers dressed in the colours of the rainbow as players on the field. They could even get a parallel game going.
Sava
Guest
With a reply like that Fatman, it seems like you have copped a few on your head, Sava
Milan
Guest
Yoda, not true. League was threatening major dominance until the Vichy government in effect banned the game. Not the first time that union has used its political influence to trample over league. And to think that they then have the temerity and arrogance to say that league is only popular in two states in Australia and the north of England.
Yoda
Guest
France has always been Union Gary
Yoda
Guest
Oh jimmmmmmmmmmmmmy you crease meeeeeeeeeee,Ho Ho Ho.
Yoda
Guest
Your funny you jimmmmmmmmmyyyyyy, haaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Chris Love
Guest
That was the first one on my list when I saw the tittle. Followed by bound scrums.
Chris Love
Guest
That was the first one on my list when I saw the tittle. Followed by bound scrums.
Gary Harvey
Guest
Make all kickers toe-poke like Mick Cronin or big Mal, a real origin "softening up period" where players can throw a few without repercussions, and clubs having reserve grade teams that play before first grade. The decline of French rugby league (and its replacement by rugby union) is an absolute tragedy. I went to some club games over there several years ago and it still definitely has a solid base. Rebuilding the game there should be a priority.
sheek
Roar Guru
Matt, Good article. Scrums - agreed. No need to be as pedantic as union, but make them meaningful. Also, with both packs serious on retaining/regaining possession by remaining in the scrum slightly, it opens up the back line play. Knockbacks - agreed. While we're at it, bring back the marker raking back the ball. 3pm kickoff - agreed, love the touch of nostalgia. France - agreed. I was lucky in the early days I followed league (late 60s/early 70s) the four league nations could & did beat other more than once. Four nations worked well as long as they were all successful from time to time. The biff - agreed. Two blokes taking wild swings at each rarely saw someone hurt. They got it out of their system, had a self-conscious chuckle then got back to the game. KB Cup - agreed. I used to love the midweek four quarters footy with new teams chucked in. A good way to see how teams in the outposts are progressing. 5 metre gaps - agreed. zero interchange - agreed. I don't mind some interchange, maybe reduce to 6, then permanent replacements. Bring back the dominance of the little guys. Fat guys can go to union. One more final suggestion. Get the playing uniform back to something approaching traditional. There's too many 'superhero's' weekends or 'something else' weekends. This is just a cynical ploy to sell more jerseys, not much genuine sincerity in it at all.
milan
Guest
A few things for me and yes I am a pom so forgive the terminology 1. One thing I like in union is that if somebody kicks the ball downfield and over their opponents try line and out of play, the opposition get the ball back from where the kick was made from. too many aimless kicks in league going over the dead ball line and everybody then trots back into position on the 20 metre line to restart (for me that's about as exciting as kissing my mum) 2. Take the following scenario, a team is camped in the opposition 20 laying on all kinds of pressure. the defending team go offside and sure enough the refs whistle blows. It completely stops the momentum and tension of the situation and allows the defending team to get their line reset. sure the attacking team go back to tackle one but this is a drama killer for me. how about if this occurs, the game continues but the ref waives the tackle count back to one. the attacking team continue but have until the end of the 2nd tackle to decide if they would like to stop play and take a shot at goal. This would provide more continuous play 3. I am not in favour of going back to contested scrums like in union but I would absolutely want the ball to be placed into the middle of the scrum and for it to be illegal for anybody to break from the scrum until the scrum half (could be either one if it goes against the head). this would give that split second longer for the team that win the ball to set their backs in motion. 4. I would also like to see it made illegal for any backs to go into the scrum. does my head in when the attacking team have their scrum half pass it to a forward to cart it up, rather than going from some razzle dazzle (appreciate this one is not realistic but it is still a pet hate of mine) 5. I would like to see some reward for the defensive team if they are able to stop the attacking team get past the gain line (where the play the ball was taken). If the attacking team fail to do this maybe they lose a tackle? This would for me encourage the defensive team to come in with some big hits and rush defence (which we all love) as there is a carrot dangling for them. But would it also encourage the attacking team to look to move the ball a bit more or offload more in order to avoid losing a tackle (or more if the same happens later in the set). May sound radical but I have loved league all my life but something needs to be done about the current deadlock we have at the moment. Sides bringing the ball out of their own half are happy to make 5 to 7 meteres a play and then boot the ball downfield. Meanwhile the defensive team are happy for the attacking team to make those 5-7 metres as long as there is no clean break. This just leads to periods of repetitiveness which we need to eradicate.
Wild Eagle
Guest
11 or 12 players per team would be unreal, have they tried it?
Wild Eagle
Guest
Captains call would largely eliminate captains arguing with the ref. The assumption that the captains are wrong is in itself often wrong. Let the captains prove their accuracy with a captains call. If the captain wants to argue the ref just needs to ask if they want to challenge it or not , end of most stories. Scrums need to be replaced with a toss in the air like AFL or some other contestable yet sensible idea. I warned some friends years ago that union was in trouble and they needed to make it watchable. Of course I was ridiculed but a couple of years later union commentators were saying the same thing. I used to watch lots of Union but rarely do I bother now because nothing happens for most of the game. The last game I watched live was the emerging Wallabies versus someone at Gosford many years ago. I left at half time because nothing was happening