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johnniegordon says...

I think there is a big misunderstanding with Northern Hemisphere teams and their attitude towards ELVs.

ELVs actually suit teams with strong scrums because there is the option of a scrum instead of a free kick.

Therefore, to blame the IRB for non-competive scrums is as ignorant as labelling the ELVs as a failure without even trialling them.

It sounds to me that the English are once again looking for someone to blame instead of alter their style of play to suit the modern game.

Stop being negative and get on with competing.

Posted 10:05 13th January 2010

rugbyphile says...

Some perspective needed here. It is still possible, and happens reasonably often, to turn over possession at a scrum regardless of where the feed goes by pushing the team in possesssion off the ball. But I agree that the rule for putting the ball in straight should be enforced so that the hooker has to hook rather than just push. Remember the good old days when you could give away a penalty for "foot up?" Never blown now though it is still in the rules (Law 20.8(a)).Probably never blown because the hooker doesn't hook as the ball is put in under the feet of the front row. There are lots of rules which are currently not enforced at scrum time, one is Law 20.1(j) which says that a team must not push the scrum away from the mark before the ball is put in- other Laws clearly infer that there should not be pushing until the ball is put in but refs allow the front rows to battle for supremacy long before the ball is put in, and often penalise the front row of the team which is trying to comply with the rules by not pushing but is forced to break their bind or stand up because the other team is breaking the Laws. As is so often the case, there is little need to change the Laws if the current Laws are poperly enforced. It may be good TV (?) to see the front rows of the team without possession high fiving each other when they have forced a turnover by shoving the other team around before the ball has been put in--but it's bad rugby and dangerous-- agree the ball should be put in straight, but also let's enforce all the other Laws and scrums will be a fair contest and not have to be continually and boringly reset.

Posted 04:51 13th January 2010

BradS says...

Too true... It's horrible watching a crooked feed into the scrum!

Posted 04:06 13th January 2010

brin says...

As a former tight head prop can only comment MARVELLOUS AND ABOUT TIME!!!---- IRB, national and local unions and most of all referees take note ---lets bring the scrum back into rugby and not turn it into what one young lady I knew called --- a "HUG UP".

Posted 19:29 12th January 2010

wynjames says...

Cant agree more. I played hooker at a reasonably high level for 25 years from mid 80's. It used to be an art to attack opposition ball and being able to strike a clean channel 1 ball under pressure. I came back and played some vets stuff in 2009 and frankly what a waste of time. The ball goes straight into the second row and regardless of skill you wont get anywhere near it. Why bother scrummaging? Very convoluted way to take what is effectively a tap and run. The blight of collapsed scrums would be cleared up with one simple thing - put the ball in straight so that the hooker has to do actually hook. His legs will be forward so guess what....no collapse. Theyve completely runined what for me was THE highlight of any game. We had a charity game last year with Jase Leonard, Chris Sidi (ex Quins) and others playing. Between us we insisted that the ref ran it under straight put in rules....guess what....proper scrums. fantastic.

Posted 04:44 12th January 2010

wittme15e says...

Here here Brian! As a referee I try to put up the good fight. I even had a scrumhalf almost thank me for calling his feed because it had been so blatant. The game is about contesting possession and that should be ever referees focus after safety. Are both teams contesting possession? Is the contest fair? If all referees take the field with these two questions in mind the game is clear. The referees purpose is clear and one need not feel bad about calls deciding matches. I won't help teams that don't contest possession, i.e. call not straight at a lineout if the defense doesn't jump, but the scrum by its nature will always be contested, except for the unmentionable times, the law requires it. My best analogy for the scrum when talking to the uninitiated about its purpose is to compare it to a face-off in hockey, but the best hockey players win 65% where scrums are won 95% of the time by the team with the put in. The sad thing is that the lineout is a similar mechanism for restarting play. Hookers are trying for all they are worth to throw the ball in straight and they can't get a break sometimes. What scrumhalfs do is purposeful and it is cheating. How can refs really be fully credible until they enforce a basic, but fundamental law that is in place to ensure a fair contest for possession?

Posted 03:14 12th January 2010

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