One full week before the game was ever played, the war of words started. The build-up to the key 2015 Rugby World Cup encounter between Australia and England was, unusually, dominated by talk about the scrum.
World Cup-winning coach Bob Dwyer lit the touch-paper by accusing England loosehead prop Joe Marler of boring in on his opponent.
“So much of the scrum is based on perception. The English work on having a reputation for legal scrummaging while doing the opposite. If I was Michael Cheika, I would be asking the referee if that [Marler angling in] is allowed,” Dwyer told the Telegraph.
“I originally attributed it to Mako Vunipola,” he later went onto say. “Then I saw Joe Marler starting and they were both doing exactly the same thing. It must be by design.
“Neither of them scrummage square. Both of them angle in. Invariably that is at 45 degrees, but sometimes that ends up being at 90 degrees. Then when I see the opposition being penalised, I find that extremely hard to understand.
“It is the easiest thing in the world to do because the loosehead can go where he wants. It is a simple thing to do: you start off at an angle and gradually increase your angle…
“I expect it to be a big contest and it is an important part of the game as we all know. It just depends on how well Romain Poite, a noted scrum referee, officiates it.”
South African referee Jonathan Kaplan chimed in on Twitter in support: “I’d like to see if the England pack is square on the loosehead side … just the once.”
Dwyer’s comments were designed to help Australia in an area where they had suffered against England one year before at Twickenham, conceding a pushover try in the course of a 27-16 defeat.
And it worked. England lost all of their predicted ascendancy at scrum time, and the picture of Poite swinging his arm over from one side to the other – originally awarding a second-half penalty to Marler but then flipping the decision around 180 degrees on the advice of his assistant – was somehow symbolic of the phoney war which had preceded it in the media.
The fact that his club coach at Harlequins, John Kingston (a loosehead himself by trade), had alluded to Marler’s well-deserved reputation as one of the most honest loosehead props in Europe, mattered not one jot. The impact of the smear campaign lasted well beyond the World Cup and took a long time to erase completely.
The biomechanical good sense spoken by Kingston in 2015 also has great relevance to the performance of another Joe, All Blacks loosehead Joe Moody, over the past two weeks:
“[Marler] has an incredibly long bind, unlike a lot of props who tend to bind under the arm or on the arm. Joe binds long. In that way he’s probably unique for a loosehead in international rugby…”
“As a loosehead, your angle of attack changes as the shoulders of the tighthead turn in. Your angle of attack changes to more of a 45-degree angle as their shoulders turn.
“In an attempt to keep straight you’ll actually end up coming out slightly. It becomes almost like ‘V’ where you find yourself turning out because they’re not staying straight.”
It is instructive to examine the thematic scrums from the two games between the Wallabies and the All Blacks at Perth and Eden Park in the context of Dwyer and Kingston’s comments.
First, let’s find a foundation for the debate in the raw stats:
| Venue | Aus clean wins | NZ clean wins | Aus penalties for | Aus penalties against |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perth | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Eden Park | 4 | 6 | 1 | 3 |
There were no turnovers in the scrum outside of the penalties awarded to each side. Only one penalty went against the feeding team (against the Wallabies at Eden Park).
The perception of Australian scrum dominance in the first game is not supported by the raw data. The Wallabies won one penalty at Perth for a Joe Moody collapse, but New Zealand worked usable ball off the base of all four of the second-half scrums where they packed down with seven forwards. They had no problems on their own ball at all.
The perception of dominance was based on one goalline scrum where Moody might have been penalised, but play was allowed to continue by referee Jerome Garces:
For now, let’s content ourselves with observing the Marler-like length of Moody’s left-arm bind – all the way on to Allan Alaalatoa’s shorts – and put the collapse down to Sam Cane’s sudden release from his position behind the All Blacks loosehead, causing the left side of the set-piece to destabilise:
Cane is pressing down on Moody’s left hip, and with his outside leg so far back there is only one place Moody can go when the pressure comes on.
The resemblance between the two Joes was reinforced at the very first scrum from the return game at Eden Park – with the benefit of the overhead spider-cam:
The Wallaby scrum retreats about five metres in the course of the set-piece, but it does not go back in a straight line. The axis of the New Zealand drive is on a diagonal from left to right, and towards their powerful new tighthead Nepo Laulala:
As the ball rolls into the tunnel, Laulala takes a couple of sidesteps out to his right to unsettle Scott Sio, and hooker Dane Coles pushes up underneath Tolu Latu’s right shoulder. In order to stay in contact with his hooker, Alaalatoa turns in and Moody follows him across the tunnel, to the point where he is scrumming at 90 degrees towards the far touchline.
It is the essence of Bob Dwyer’s complaint about Joe Marler’s technique: “You start at an angle and gradually increase your angle.”
At the same time, the other part of Dwyer’s statement – that the loosehead “can go where he wants” – is clearly not the case. Moody has to follow Alaalatoa across the tunnel in order to remain attached to the scrum, and that leads us into the meat of Kingston’s comment that “in an attempt to keep straight you’ll actually end up coming out slightly. It becomes almost like “V” where you find yourself turning out because they’re not staying straight.”
The scrum is by nature an asymmetrical puzzle, so nearly all movement will occur on an angle to some degree. The All Blacks solution to that puzzle enabled them to push an Australian scrum with one extra body at the end of the first half:
The area of domination is on the Australian left side, and in the middle. Laulala is able to step out on Sio and drive him backwards without the support of a flanker on his side, while replacement hooker Codie Taylor has popped Latu and shifted gaps – by the end of the scrum, he is in between Latu and Sio, rather than in his starting niche between Latu and Alaalatoa.
The sufferings of Latu, in particular, became acute at the scrum which Australia lost on their own feed, despite enjoying the same one-man advantage:
Note the length of Moody’s initial bind, all the way on to Alaalatoa’s right hip. The reality of the scrum is again best revealed from above:
The real problem here is Tolu Latu, who cannot survive the pincer pressure exerted by Laulala and Taylor, however acutely his props change their angles in order to protect him:
Moody is following the lead of the two men alongside him, and simply tucking his head into the only space available to him.
Why does he aim for the long bind which John Kingston admired so much in Marler? Because it straightens his back and brings his head in under the tighthead’s ribcage quite naturally, and grants him greater control of the opponent’s packing angle.
If he can get a solid bind on his opponent’s hip or shorts, he is more than halfway to winning his personal battle:
Taniela Tupou has already learnt a thing or two in his short Test career! As soon as he feels Moody’s left hand moving on to his right hip, he snaps off the binding arm and the scrum breaks up fractiously.
Summary
The tale of the two Joes contains some important lessons for officials at the impending World Cup in Japan.
Are they going to surrender to the propaganda war as in 2015, and let their own perceptions dominate the outcomes from set-piece? Will they penalise all attempts to move the scrum on an angle and neuter it as a contest? Or will there be an acceptance that asymmetrical packing tends to produce non-linear results?
Getting the answers to these questions wrong can have a significant impact on the results of critical games, and even on the trajectory of individual careers. Just ask Joe Marler.
(Image: AAP)
In the meantime, both Australia and New Zealand will have to revisit the composition of their most effective front rows. Australia have an issue with Tolu Latu in between Scott Sio and Allan Alaalatoa, and maybe also with Sio on the left side of that unit.
The All Blacks looked more purposeful at scrum time with Codie Taylor instead of Dane Coles, and Nepo Laulala instead of Owen Franks, so there are key choices to be made there too.
The power and enjoyment of the scrum is one area which distinguishes rugby from its sister code league, and that point of difference needs to be celebrated in Japan. Not by referees blowing the whistle or guessing at outcomes, but by letting the likes of the two Joes play. Don’t play games, just play ball.
RobC
Roar Guru
Nice Nick, well spotted thanks for that! Havent had time to check scrums lately, including this game. However from what I see: - Moody seems to be playing his role in delivering the "Crusader scrum" - Which is to deliberately drive left to right - It's illegal and had been poorly spotted for a while in the past Having said that, I need to check out the rest of them.
Ryan
Roar Rookie
Tman - surely he deserves another four years ;-)
Fox
Roar Guru
Amen to that Fionn, could not agree more – and cheers for you last comment – it is rewarding but a tough gig at times as well but that goes with the territory. No question how well these four play will have a huge impact on how the respective teams go – Lets hope they all stay injury free – I mean Pocock with his lingering leg injury and Cane with a broken neck for goodness sake. Read also, with that serious concussion- I think they all deserve an injury free WC as does CL at 10 for the Wallabies big time. What a comeback and well deserved. Wales just got beaten by Ireland so me thinks the Wallabies are in with a shot at topping their group for sure. This changes the ranking again next week…and onward we go…..till the WC… I think this means England drop to 4th behind Ireland which is odd since England just put 57 points on them…go figure
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
I guess we’ve said all we’ve said. Testament to how good these players all are. We can only hope that al of them perform well at the World Cup, as the success of both the All Blacks and the Wallabies will be greatly influenced by how these four guys play. No worries. It’s a profession I have the utmost respect for, and one as a society I think we need to treasure, foster and support.
Fox
Roar Guru
Yes i agree Fionn – Squire has been Ist choice but Savea’s form this season changed the AB’s thinking and though we cannot be certain – perhaps he was told he would start some games but that he would be the bench option at the world cup. Also, some say in NZ Squire actually wanted back in but Hansen said he was not required anymore – who knows but that is the strong rumor in NZ. I don’t think Pocock is more powerful than Cane in the maul – difficult to measure really that one but I have them on par and certainly Pocock is better over the ball – as I said he the best in game in that area but I would not say he is far superior – superior yes – but Cane is still very good at making steals and strong over the ball. Fionn rest assured I think Pocock is a seriously good world class player and no question the Wallabies miss him when he not there. In fact for what it’s worth, I think he should have been named captain – though his injuries have not helped – I also think he should be the starting 7 but credit to Hooper he has fantastic game now even if he is not as strong over the ball as guys like Pocock and Cane and Marx and Creevy and these type of players but he is a very good cover defender. And he is not physical enough to play 6 but Pocock is, so there you go. I was never convinced of him as an 8 – fantastic player but that position actually exposed his one – I won’t say weakness – but lessor strengths in the game – and that is serious go forward in the carry. But Australia have found a very strong 8 now so Pocock will come in a 6 – well I bloody well hope so – and i believe he will be better suited there. Ironically Australia will also not be playing their best 7 in his position and haven’t for a long time so sometimes its the best combinations that come first just as in the AB’s Fionn. Also I am not arguing Cane is the best 7 in the game ( though he certainly is one of the biggest hitters in the game, let alone at 7) but only that his class and combination with Read which is superb certainly of when at its best, means he would not be dropped and yes there are number of excellent 7’s going around these days. NZ has two of them and so to does Australia. And i appreciate your kind words about my profession by-the-way
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
And a very noble profession it is too. I think you're twisting the truth here somewhat, rewriting history, as it were. Squire has generally been the first choice 6 since Kaino, with guys like Frizell and Fifita tried too. None of them really worked. None of them are particularly good international players. I think it was only after they were all tried and failed (and in Squire's case, he made himself unavailable for too long). For what it's worth, I am pretty confident in saying that if Pocock was a Kiwi the All Blacks selectors would opt for 6. Savea, 7. Pocock, 8. Read. Savea performs a different role. Kiwis, I've noticed, have a tendency to talk up Cane as being at least as good as Pocock. I think this is completely wrong. They're actually similar players in a way. Cane makes bigger tackles and they are both two of the best 7s in the game in terms of being link men, but Pocock... - has. a work rate in defence is at least as high (I'd expect longitudinal data would indicate Pocock makes more tackles per minute - is far more powerful in the maul - is a talismanic leader for his team on the field in a way that Cane isn't - is far superior to Cane at the breakdown (the most important aspect of the sport, and becoming more important) both in terms of hitting and cleaning out attacking rucks, and stealing opposition ball. Thanks for the detailed response. I'm sure the All Blacks coaching staff do rate Cane highly, as he is one of the best 7s in the world (and I would rate him as above Hooper), but have you ever considered that, perhaps, as good as Cane is and as highly rated as the All Blacks coaching staff is, there are better 7s from other teams? The All Blacks' results have declined consistently since 2015. They're now belong to a group of about 4 teams rather than being a clear front runner (while I do still think they're the best). The time for arrogance and assumptions of the superiority of all Kiwi players is over. From 2011-15 Pocock was near McCaw in terms of ability. Since McCaw retired, Pocock has clearly been the best 7 in the world when he has been uninjured.
Fox
Roar Guru
Well Fionn since I teach English and Media studies I think it is safe to assume I know what paltry means – origin goes back to the 1500’s actually – a derivative of the word pelt which was sometimes used to mean rag. Okay – the AB’s used to go for hard man no 6’s ( since you seem to think Pocock would replace Savea) like Kaino and Jerry Colins and even Liam Squire was in that type of category but Squire had plenty of pace as well. The AB’s were trying out Fafita who is the quickest of the lot but he lacked physicality in some games. Friszel is more your hard man 6 but he lacked some game awareness at times. Hemepo was more a lock first and a very good one but he doesn’t offer what the other 4 that were selected do or at least a point of difference. The AB’s decided ( according to those in the know in NZ) to have a more dynamic pack in terms of pace around the park – even above the genuine 4th lineout option. Cane was the incumbent 7 and Read the Captain and Cane basically operates as the hard man ( as Hansen said himself recently). Hansen also said that Cane and Read work exceptionally well together and so that combo was not going to change once Cane came back but they couldn’t ignore the form of Savea. So the trials were who would offer the best point of difference at 6 since Savea would be selected as the go forward number six with a devastating leg drive and these days he is good over the ball and reads the game exceptionally well. Hansen states that the 3 together are a very strong combo at the breakdown to compete with any in the game. So the guy they chose as 6 backup was Jacobson – the least tested but superb in the D and a massive hitter ( but he also has surprising drive in the carry, but he is not the finished product but the AB coaches like what they see and say he is a good foil for Savea. Savea was always going to be in the run on side – always – you just cannot not be impressed by 47 tackle busts in Super rugby and scoring tries a winger would be proud of. No question Pocock is the best in game over the ball but he does not have the over the all round game that Savea does. The AB’s dropped Owen Franks because he lacked the pace and no longer had the power in the carry they were looking for from their pack. ( that ph call must have hurt). The AB coaches picked bench props that have pace for big guys and who are superb ball carriers. They have said that they want to have a far more mobile pack that still has power. The Read/Cane combo is a proven axis that works – Savea adds the X-factor that few other back rowers have around the park. IMO ( if that is okay with you) Pocock lacks pace and no way does he carry like Savea or Cane or Read( when at his best) . He is great in the D no question – a phenomenal player but so are Cane/ Read / Savea but the AB’s want to up tempo the game in their pack – Pocock would be a superb bench option – for a number of reasons – like Cane and Savea he can cover 8 as well – but IMO he would not replace any of Cane /Read/ Savea. One of most important selection criteria in the pack was the pace and power in the go forward carry and the ability to off -load well . One look at the selections and dropping of players tells you that. For all Pocock talents – he does not have a brilliant off-load game ( not bad but that is all). His D is world class of course – he reads the game very well – best in business over the ball as i said – but he does not offer pace and drive in the carry as well as a guy like Savea. And the AB’s want that big time for this WC. And yes every x-AB and the NZ journo’s have said the back row was always going to be Savea/Cane/Read the only discussion would be who would play 6 and as it turns out – Read and Savea swap roles in the game. Oh and for the record Fionn – here is another prediction – as long as Australia don’t stuff up in their opening game against Fiji – they are a good side as you would know – I think the Wallabies will top their group – seriously! Ireland are a shadow of the side they were and they Wallabies are better than were in 2015 despite the Eden Park result.
Tooly
Roar Rookie
Not before and not after was this England scrum decimated by a referee. Unbelievable !
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
And I’m not joking. If you an explain to my why Pocock, a better link man than either of them, better in the scum, someone who misses fewer tackles and makes more, and who is still probably the world’s best breakdown exponent, is a worse option than Cane and Savea, I’m all ears.
taylorman
Roar Guru
ok, heres a slight clue...but you'll need to deduce the rest. -Its starts with 'C' -It ends with 'a' -and has a 'hiek' in the middle. Now thats all I'm giving ya :happy:
taylorman
Roar Guru
Well lets hope you get to watch more of it this time. .. :happy:
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
Nah, you haven’t, you’ve made an unsubstantiated claim about ‘the game plan being different’ without explaining what this game plan is, why Pocock is inferior to Cane or Ardie at playing it or why it’s such a great game plan that the All Blacks staff would keep to it (while their results deteriorate) rather than changing their game plan when a new and better player becomes available. I never said New Zealand were ranked number 1 at the present time. In fact, I think you knew I was talking about an extended time period, not just this last week. It’s arrogant to check whether you knew what the word meant? Either you did know it, and tried to deflect with a straw man, or you didn’t know it and needed to check the definition. I’m not sure how stating that I’ve noticed you, in my opinion, tend to disregard to abilities of opposition players and overrate the All Blacks is a ‘personal attack’. I also fail to see how ‘being a Kiwi’ means somehow disproves this opinion of mine. Again, nice deflection. I never stated you didn’t have any awareness of rugby (however, I certainly didn’t notice your blog so predicting all but one match the Wallabies or ABs played last year, and it’s easy to do in hindsight). What I questioned was your objectivity in determining the quality of Kiwi players relative to players from other nations. So while you may be right, it’s completely irrelevant to the discussion.
Fox
Roar Guru
“why the All Blacks coaches wouldn’t change their game plan to make use of the best 7 in the world, rather than purely picking players for the game plan” I have already stated why – ‘”Do you understand what paltry means?”” And you accuse me of being arrogant – that is arrogant rhetorical questioning if ever i heard it Fionn “‘I get it, it’s easy to do when you’re the best team.” we are no longer the no1 ranked side – Wales is –shows how out of touch you are “‘No offence, but I think that’s probably the worst logic I’ve ever heard.”‘ the statement was not arrogance but in response to your rather aggressive tone previously and insulting and rather petty accusation about me Fionn. I think I am entitled to stand up for myself Fionn – remember it is you who first got personal with your attacks not me. Perhaps you should look at your own backyard before inferring others to clean up theirs “It is possible to be ‘NZ best player in a very poor performance’ and also put on a paltry performance.”” Perhaps Fionn but no article I read argued that as the case at all – or are they just arrogant kiwis as well? Anyway Fionn – let’s just just agree to disagree shall we – the fact is neither of us can be certain that he would or would not make the starting side – no one can really say that except Hansen but we can have opinion even if they differ…I stand by what I say and I am sure you do to….so there it is…Just remember what i said about the group stage SA v AB’s – if i am wrong i am sure you will let me know but if I am right, will you acknowledge I called it right? I doubt It – It was lucky guess just putting down the opposition right mate?
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
'I know a thing or two about rugby mater – most kiwis do we learn from the time we walk over there – a lot of private schools have x AB coaches as well so kiwis get well schooled in game.' No offence, but I think that's probably the worst logic I've ever heard. Let's put aside how arrogant it is, but it just shows how out of touch you are on this. Because the best analyst on this site (who wrote this article) is often involved in discussions with plenty of Kiwis who overrate their own players and talk down opposition players. I get it, it's easy to do when you're the best team. However, I also think that in my opinion you're probably the worst offender when it comes to overrating All Blacks and underrating the opposition. It is possible to be 'NZ best player in a very poor performance' and also put on a paltry performance. All it means was that the other players were worse. Do you understand what paltry means? Really, what's the All Blacks game plan that means Pocock wouldn't be selected? Since you 'played tha game for a very long time', 'know a thing or two about rugby' as 'most kiwis do' because 'we learn from the time we walk' and 'a lot of private schools have x AB coaches as well so kiwis get well schooled in game' you should be able to easily articulate this game plan and why Pocock wouldn't be selected over Ardie or Cane, rather than make vague, general and meaningless statements. I suspect that given your incredible knowledgeable background you will also be able to explain: - why the All Blacks coaches wouldn't change their game plan to make use of the best 7 in the world, rather than purely picking players for the game plan; and - how exactly Ardie can be considered the best 7 in the world when he is not even the starting 7 for New Zealand, has virtually no runs on the board at the international level compared to either Cane or Pocock. Come on, Fox, I'm looking forward to this.
taylorman
Roar Guru
You seem hooked on the two players for some reason. As wit many NZers players make choices. Without their NZ experience they wouldnt be playing pro rugby. discarded? How? They have long pro careers ahead of them. They just didnt make this world cup side. Many didnt. Were they also discarded? Silly logic. Fifita and Frizzell are indeed success stories due to their NZ experience. You simply have a warped view of things...as usual.
taylorman
Roar Guru
Those are nothing matches. Last World cup Argie got further than any 6 nations side. Now thats embarrassing. They dont even have a fully pro local comp and got further than the entire NH who have 1000 times the resources. Does it get more embarrassing than that?
FunBus
Roar Rookie
The PI players I really feel sorry for are those like Frizell and Fifita. Enticed from home with a 'rugby scholarship', put through the NZ system and given a couple of caps to see if they pay-off, thus making them ineligible for their home countries, and then discarded.
FunBus
Roar Rookie
‘We’ll find out how its been working out for them.’ Well, we’ve got quite a lot of evidence in already, haven’t we. England, Wales and Scotland second teams beating them at home. Anyway, T-man, as we’ve ascertained time and again without number, I know more about the inner workings of a nuclear reactor than you do about NH rugby.
taylorman
Roar Guru
We’ll find out how its been working out for them. Its the PI players I feel for. Having all that risk avoidance and heavy structure beaten into them so they can make a living. Bet they cant wait for the world cup where they can be with their own and play the way they grew up with. Confusing though.
FunBus
Roar Rookie
...and how's that been working out for them? Anyway, come on T-Man, we all understand that we won't know what 'real' rugby is until after the RWC. If the ABs win, 'real' rugby will be as we are. If they don't win, 'real' rugby will require a series of law changes to accentuate the AB strengths and mitigate the weaknesses displayed in Japan.