Scrums

[bucko]

Is it just me or are scrums absolutely pointless these days. I think they are an important part of the game, but something needs to be done to make them important again. I mean the role of being a "hooker" has kind of died in the arse. I think they should have to feed the ball between the front rows. At least the other side will have a chance of hooking the ball there way then. What does everyone else think??

 

[Kasper]

Yeah i agree with you there the hooker is just a second halfback these days. Take Craig Wing for example he played halfback last year and was awesome. This year he plays hooker still awesome and basically doing the same job of running around and hitting a gap when he sees one and providing clean ball to the main play maker Fittler.

 

[~bedsy~]

I have thought scrums have been usless for yrs.
Why not just let them have they ball.... they will get it back from a scrum anyway.

 

[bucko]

The turnover is one option, but I think the team that has knocked on, or kicked the ball out should have a small chance of getting the ball back.

 

[Ultima]

I don't think they should have a chance to get it back... Scrums only serve three purposes now... To eat up time, to get a rest, and to get a very slight improvement in attacking opportunities if you get the ball wide enough, quick enough...

 

[Alan Shore]

I agree about bringing back the Hooker. Make it an art skill once again.

I do believe that in scrums these days, there's more emphasis on breaking quickly to make the tackle. At least some go against the head.

 

[CanadianSteve]

This is more a question for a league history thread, but when did scrums become as they are now? I assume there was a time when they were contested much like union scrums.

 

[kaon]

I don't find scrums pointless at all and they shouldn't be compared to union because they are there for a totally different purpose. In union it is a contest for the ball which ends up boring the hell out of me after about 5 seconds.

In Rugby League they are attacking set plays where the forwards are taken out of the defensive line and the backs go face to face with their oppposite number. The only thing i would fix up is the early breaking from a scrum. The ref could hold them in for and extra few seconds after the ball is out.

 

[dimitri]

union scrums are pointless

because they are always repacked 2 or 3 times

and then a penalty is usually given away anyways

scrums are great

but even better when they are over with quickly

 

[JoeD]

The only thing i would fix up is the early breaking from a scrum. The ref could hold them in for and extra few seconds after the ball is out.

I agree entirely although I would be happy if people just waited till the ball was out before they broke from the scrum/moved up off the line. How often do you see players getting tackled at or behind the scrum?

 

[bucko]

Yeah, if anything the early breaking should be addressed. There's nothing better then seeing a backline move being pulled off from a scrum base.

 

[Ultima]

The refs are the ones who CAUSE the early breaks too! They always scream "It's out" when the ball has yet to get past the second row! I've also only seen about ONE occasion where the defending team was onside when the ball was clear (as in the backs who are meant to be 10 metres away). The most annoying thing is that the only time there has been a penalty for it that I can remember is was the WRONG call (as said by the NRL after the game) and it cost the team who was penalised a win.

 

[Southernsaint]

Leave scrums as they are. The last thing we want to see is a return to the dark old days of dubious scrum penalties...

One of the major advantaqges that League has over Union is the speed at which it's played. The last thing I am interested in seeing is a bloody ref trying to get a scrum to pack down for five minutes: "Now crouch, touch - aw wait up fellas - ok, crouch, now touch, pause - woo, hang on...". And so on.

Cheers,
Ben S.