What are scrums good for in rugby league?

"there is some gentleman’s agreement they don’t." To Winnie the Pooh (Emperor of China) from Papi (the undercover NSW operative inside "North Korea")... No mate, you've got it wrong. There are NO gentlemen in the NRL! :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: But seriously, it is more an indication of some Faustian bargain between the NRL's governing body and the broadcasters and advertisers to sanitise and manicure the game to make it less gladitorial and more like the Survivor series. In the same way there is a greater focus on personalities rather than skill and scandalous rather than sportsmanlike behaviour.

I don’t see a useful solution to the current Greenberg joke, Albo. But they don't do away with him no matter how useless and ineffectual HE is.

Read my reply to elvis above. Bring back scrums as they used to be as a fair contest that allow the BIG men to play a role and makes the contest exactly that, a contest!

You know irony only confuses me BD. Btw, we both know that if they made it a game of 7 aside the Roosters would still find a way to legitimately field 13 men! :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

I agee Paul. See my reply to elvis (above).

If they brought back the old scrum rules and fans were prepared to cop the additional penalties in the game, REAL scrums would bring the BIG men back into the game. It would add the element of additional fatigue amongst forwards who would have to actually push and work in scrums for a change. I remember an era where BIG packs used to dominate possession in scrums. That would cause clubs to adjust their recruitment strategy accordingly instead of trying to play 5 backrowers instead. If they were forced to bind correctly instead of standing around like they were at a garden party that should delay their ability to quickly break from scrums. It would then give backlines room and time to execute plays without an additional 6 defenders to stop them. All that is required to "Make Scrums Fair Again" is to force forward packs to bind correctly, allow packs to push once the scrum is fed and, most importantly, make sure that scrums are fed fairly. Force HBs to feed the scrum like they do in Rugby Union, with two hands down the middle! One hand on either point of the ball and to roll the ball down the middle of the scrum in one movement. Not feinting or dummying the feed and not bouncing it on it's point in order to influence the direction of the ball. They should also reward one on one tackles around the legs to reward defensive sides and help to stop the wrestle and head high tackles.

"I seem to recall the Broncos doing some good work in that department." How long ago was that FT? I didn't see it in their last game that finished 58 - 0 and they last won a premiership in 2006! :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

Why can't the Pocket refs feed the scrum? that at least would take out the second row feed

When a scrum is near the try line you often see the defending backs in the scrum and the back rowers in the back line. This is to nullify the attacking team having an opportunity to play in a bigger space.

But can you imagine the coached infringements that will then cause untold pressure on referees to rule on penalties of not, at every scrum ? More chances for media controversy and fan whinging. I just can't see a useful solution to the current scrum joke.

Yep ! The NRL doesn't know what it wants. They want to speed the game up by bringing in interchange players and speedy play on's with 40/20's. Then they allow coaches to slow the game down through the practiced ruck infringements, and maintaining "no contest" scrums as rest periods for the tired forwards ?

We are already changing their names these days from props, locks, & second rowers to more commonly termed " middle third " and "edge" forwards. Even the hooker is now just a "dummy half" player.

You only have to look at RU, hours and hours of scrum practice and even then if a team can't produce 2 experienced props ,the scrum becomes non contested. I really believe there will be a major accident in a RL scrum and the law suits will go on forever.

The scrum would work better if forwards were required to pack into the scrum, the half was required to feed it and the wingers were required to be on the wings (both attack and defence). It then sets up the opportunity not only to attack from the scrum, but from the remaining plays in that set as the defence tries to get reset (forwards make their way into their defensive spots in the middle of the field and backs shuffling back out.

Perhaps a scrum where the front rows bind with each other, but the second row and lock only have to put their hands on the rows in front, and not actually bend down and bind? Effectively making it a "Nines" type scrum, but with the extra 3 players on each team also involved. Do you think that would be safer?

As I understand it, under rugby league rules a team is free to contest the scrum. But there is some gentleman's agreement they don't. You need a team to contest scrums to break this impasse.

And I say that as a former hooker who would get mad when I wasn’t rewarded for winning one against the feed.

I actually wrote an article (that was rejected) with virtually this exact scenario. I see it like the shoulder charge, a ticking time bomb.

The Raiders scored a famous set piece try from a scrum in 94 against the Dogs I think. Mullins got the try. It was poetry in motion. But yeah you hardly ever see it..

Good on you Birdy, scrums were a very dangerous contest and they should never be returned to the game. I was a 2nd rower with front row experience so I got to play prop when either was injured. I was 66kg packing down opposite a 102kg prop and I found myself standing buckled over with my head pushing against the ground. Fortunately he released me and I smiled in thanks because I was close to breaking my neck. There should be no pushing in scrums at any time.