The other day I was watching rugby union. No, not Aussie Super Rugby because I’d rather get a live feed of an abattoir beamed directly into my bedroom, but good rugby.
I watched the Six Nations, and I was pleasantly surprised with pretty much everything I saw.
They kicked. They scrummed. They ran. They belted out a cover of Swing Low Sweet Chariot which was nothing like the original but wasn’t half bad. They even let Eddie Jones drive his car home.
At the end, a team won, a team lost, and the game was thoroughly enjoyed.
Before I go any further, if you’re looking for a code war you better go back from whence you came. The mods don’t need you and man they expect the same.
This isn’t a knock on union – although it clearly can be perceived as a knock on the Brumbies and whoever those Rose Bay accountants in blue who play alongside Israel Folau each week are called (the wacky result against the as yet unemulsified Rebels notwithstanding).
I love a good game of union. The continuous play. The diving tries. The Force Em Back. I wish the NRL would find a way to get a few lineouts into our game. Love it.
But when it comes to scrums in rugby league, you can stay right where you are thank you very much.
Ben Creagh packs down in the 2nd row, or at hooker
If you are hankering for a time of scrums, of pushing and tearing up some perfectly good soccer fields, then there’s already a game for you and if you live in Australia they probably wouldn’t mind if you dropped by to a game or two. But for me, I don’t want a bar of it.
And it’s not because my cauliflower-free ears haven’t heard enough ‘Bring Back The Scrum’ reasoning either.
The modern rugby league scrum is a glorified hug. We get it. I’ve hugged grandmothers for longer and with more vigour.
But what do we get when we don’t get down with scrums? We get backs on backs. We get scrum plays. We get the most exciting players on the field taking on the most exciting players on the field, while the other blokes play knifey-spooney over in the corner somewhere.
The war of attrition which is the rugby union scrum is, and I mean this in the nicest possible way, rugby union. Look up rugby union in the Oxford Dictionary – or ‘rugby’ in the American Edition – and there’s a picture of a few blokes pushing against another few blokes as grass flies through the air.
That thing where the ball is thrown in and they catch it near the line and then some blokes push against other blokes and no-one knows what’s going on until they blow a whistle and there’s a try or there isn’t? Love it. But I don’t want it in rugby league, the same way I don’t want State of Origin decided by penalty shootout.
Let’s keep scrums the way they are and rugby league the way it is. A throbbing fairytale of corner kicks, flick passes and questionable off-field decisions.
Maybe we can tell blokes to push a bit more and even have a few won against the feed every now and again to keep the ghost of Rex Mossop happy.
But whenever ‘your day’ was, not everything was better back in it. And in a rugby league context, scrums might just be the finest example.
terrence
Guest
you have to enjoy rugby union to appreciate the scrums..and guess which sport is more popular around the world?
woodart
Guest
rubbish. it is still a contest for the ball, which is what it should be in league. that is one of the big problems for league, not enough contests for the ball. gone are the days of benny elias raking the ball out of the play the ball. with the league scrum being nothing more than a play restart, and play the ball contests gone, there is far less of a contest than in years past..
terrence
Guest
Pete, Fact mate. Seen some of those rugby props? Most can't last the 30 minutes the ball is in play in an 80 minute game. It gets worse at grade level....
swamprat
Roar Pro
If you watch Union these days the scrum is usually not much more than a restart. The scrum half feeds the ball crooked. Sometimes the referee for whatever reason penalises them for it , arbitrarily. Union is heading towards the non contested scrum.
mad mal
Guest
Why don't they try something novel in league; like competing for possession?
Peter
Guest
"Fatties." An attempt at humour or just prejudice/stupidity?
AJL.
Roar Pro
When was the last genuine scrum play? As others have said here, the scrums are simply an opportunity for forwards to rest for one more hit-up. Abolish the scrums. Restart play with a handover to the non-offending team. A hell of a lot faster.
terrence
Guest
DB, if it ain't broke, don't touch it. Get the scrums over as quick as possible like we do now. Rugby viewers in Australia would love to have the ball in play as much as NRL, not bogged down with a bunch of fatties falling over and starting up again for no real benefit to anyone... third verse same as the first.
Larry1950
Guest
Gone with the dodo in league and rightly so, a few crooked penalties decided big games in the 60-70's before the differential arrived. The mighty St George team are still suspected of getting help from the ref during their record premiership run, Wests claim the fix was in. The last of the real hookers in top company would have been Steve Walters, Cam Smith is really an extra halfback playing in the middle.
Forty Twenty
Guest
Pushing in scrums now and again would catch the opponents by surprise and possibly lead to injuries. Surely we can come up with an alternative to a scrum in which we are not sure of the outcome but isn't a rabble?
Dogs Boddy
Roar Rookie
Scrums in league would have to be set according to position. Having your front rowers as first receiver is ridiculous, having Cameron Smith playing at lock to distribute the ball is ridiculous. Pack it properly, front row, second row, hooker and lock all in position. I don't care if they don't compete, just make them pack in the correct positions. Otherwise maybe make them all line up on the sideline and let them run on after the tap is taken, like they way they used to start the motorbike races. That would be interesting.
kk
Guest
The Rugby Union scrum. Re-pack, re-pack/ Penalty: Re-pack, re-pack/Penalty. Yawn.
Paul
Roar Guru
The only change I'd like to see to scrums is bringing the forwards to pack the scrum and having the refs make sure the payers are actually bound together. Maybe we might see some more moves or better set pieces.
jeznez
Roar Guru
Think you are on the right track. Union scrums are actually getting better than they were a few years ago but still take way too much time compared to what is needed in league. There needs to be some level of contest there to stop the immediate fan out and the backrowers not even joining.
jimmy
Guest
"But what do we get when we don’t get down with scrums? We get backs on backs." That's a big part of the problem with league scrums - we don't get backs on backs. We get a second-rower standing in the backline and hitting the ball up. Pointless.
Nat
Roar Guru
50% agree. I definitely don't want to see union style scrums but the scrums you refer to are non existent these days as well. Backs against backs is my ideal scenario as well. However, these days, Backrowers are positioned in the defending backline, being traditionally better defenders and the scrums are packed so loosely that they can spread into the defensive line within seconds. My only want would be for the ability/right to push and possibly win one against the feed. That simply change would encourage all the forwards into the scrum and bind properly just in case. That way there are two potential contests, one in the scrum but fast men against fast men with open space to lay on special plays.
BrainsTrust
Guest
Old or new Rugby league scrums were never like rugby union scrums, in the old days the feed and the loose head alternated you had both teams with the ability to win the ball in the tunnel, the hookers suspended off the props would dangle their legs forwards to strike the ball back while the halfback tried to put in as crooked a feed as possible, rarely you saw teams put a shove on. The hookers were chosen for their ability to win the ball more so than their general play. The implications would be massive because you wouldn't kick the ball away especially if you had the best hooker and finding touch was more important you got the scrum. The funny thing is when Australia were being shoved all over the park by Argentina they resorted to striking the ball out of the scrum before they got shoved off it. What would happen in rugby union if they alternated the loose and the feed it would make massive changes.
Greg
Guest
I'd like to see a rule change where the team who is getting possession can elect to not even have a scrum and take a tap instead. I reckon most teams would do this in their own half where teams just take a hitup off the scrum anyway and this would result in less time wasted. When you're in the oppositions 20m zone you'd probably elect to take a scrum and try to put on a set play.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Nice one! I think we all remember the scrum a bit more fondly than it actually was. Minutes of packing and re-packing while the scrum wheeled and collapsed just wouldn’t cut it today. Differential penalties for feet across, loose arm, second row feed would lead to a whole new chorus of “refs fault”. Speaking of which, there was always one person in the crowd who’d yell “take the two” only for the old bloke in front of him to turn around and impatiently growl “it’s a differential”. In the commentary box Ian Maurice would patiently explain the same thing to big Darryl Eastlake. One fun feature of the scrum has disappeared. I was watching a game from the 90s over the off season. There had been a bit of heat in the game when a scrum packed. One of the second rowers pushed his way up front and threw a big uppercut at the opposing hooker who of course had his arms up around the shoulders of his props and was defenceless. Said props quickly came to their vulnerable hooker’s aid and it was on for young and old. Good times.