The scrum has moved far from its original purpose and has become, too often, a penalty-generating machine
France and South Africa in action in the World Cup quarter-final. Scrum laws have not been changed to keep up with the development of the game. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/InphoThese will undoubtedly speak to World Rugby’s oft-mentioned mantra of ‘reimagining the shape of the game’. On that, I can only ask, be careful.
The scrum’s original purpose was, and supposedly still is, to restart the game after a minor infringement such as a knock-on. What happens nowadays bears little resemblance to the laws and the boundaries have been completely breached. There is also the option of reducing the scrum penalty’s worth to two points. Maybe that’s part of the answer, but if the sanction isn’t meaningful then there’ll be more offences.
But, if the free-kick is extended to include destructive illegal scrummaging, it will likely be the beginning of the end for the set-piece. Some of my Australian friends wind me up by saying that would be no bad thing. Oddly enough, I think they mean it. Some of the solutions are already written down in the so-called outdated laws, which call for props to support their own weight firmly on at least one foot. That would bring a heck of a lot more stability if applied correctly.
Coupled with the extended leg positioning, the hookers are very unlikely to be able to reach, and strike, for a ‘straight’ ball without putting themselves in an unsafe, vulnerable position with potential for scrum collapse.