New move on scrums

[El Diablo]

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/new-move-on-scrums/story-e6frexnr-1225826098510

New move on scrums

* By Christian Nicolussi
* From: The Daily Telegraph
* February 03, 2010 12:00AM

NRL footy could become an even greater spectacle if a proposal is adopted at today's NRL coaches' conference.

Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens wants to see defensive lines pushed back 10m during a scrum - not 5m - to give backs a licence to thrill from a set play.

While grounding of the ball and obstruction rules will be discussed among the coaches, NRL referees boss Robert Finch and his panel at ANZ Stadium, Sheens hopes his proposal is warmly received.

"The idea is to basically give the attacking side more room to move," Sheens said.

"By pushing back the defensive line 10m it will only help with getting their sets ready.

"It won't necessarily mean more points are going to be scored off the scrum."

One fan of Sheens' suggestion is Finch, who said pushing a defensive line further back during a scrum would make for "entertaining footy" and be no drama for referees.

Interestingly, Sheens also requested the scrum be fed from both sides, not just the blind side.

There was a stir at last year's conference because of the introduction of the dual-referee system, but there will be no burning issues today.

 

[El Diablo]

i'd prefer contested scrums

 

[adamkungl]

meh? maybe. whatever. I'd prefer they got the rules in line with the International game and took away any say the self-interested coaches have.

 

[Titanic]

but there will be no burning issues today.

Well, I'm certainly disappointed that they won't be burning anybody.

 

[StinkyPete]

sounds like sheens just wants more room for his set plays from the scrum to me.

 

[Skeletor]

i'd prefer contested scrums

I agree with you on a lot of things El D, but not this. The amount of time spent re-packing, readjusting and re-feeding scrums when contested scrums were constantly annoying. Talk about contested play the balls, though, and I completely agree they should be brought back.

 

[Perth Red]

shouldn't any rule changes be ratified and adopted by the RLIF? Would hate to see a situation where you end up with games being played under different rules depending on which country your in.

 

[Jankuloski]

Should as in that's the way it's suppose to be. But just go to http://www.rlif.org/ and I think it's obvious what kind of an organisation we are talking about here.

I watched chooseday night footy from the time when league still had semi contested scrums and I see no benefit whatsoever in it.

10m back is a good way to counter the scrumspack leaving early. We go back to was the point of the scrum - leaving room for backs of the attacking team to play. Point is that the defending team should be punished for f**king up in the first place.

 

[Charlie124]

STOP f**kING WITH THE RULES AND JUST GET THE ONES WE ALREADY HAVE RIGHT.






merkins.

 

[westie]

That's going great guns for RU

 

[andrew057]

Should as in that's the way it's suppose to be. But just go to http://www.rlif.org/ and I think it's obvious what kind of an organisation we are talking about here.

I watched chooseday night footy from the time when league still had semi contested scrums and I see no benefit whatsoever in it.

10m back is a good way to counter the scrumspack leaving early. We go back to was the point of the scrum - leaving room for backs of the attacking team to play. Point is that the defending team should be punished for f**king up in the first place.

Spot on.

Anything for the minions to complain about.

 

[Loudstrat]

Good idea. Better than putting Carl Webb at 5/8 and hoping the opposition pivot misses a tackle (I have never seen this work BTW)

 

[Big Time]

Contested scrums are sh*t and take up too much time. Look how much time is spent in Yawnion scrums. I like Sheens idea. Ofcourse it would help him with Benji, but at the moment all a scrum is, is a winger taking a hit up. A few years ago when Dragons were doing some moves off the scrum with Gasnier it actually led to some great tries. Plus as someone already mention, your backrowers break early everytime, this will help counter that.

 

[kia ora storm]

I agree with Sheens...Storm will then score more tries than last year.

 

[RL1908]

Good idea. Better than putting Carl Webb at 5/8 and hoping the opposition pivot misses a tackle (I have never seen this work BTW)

You're right - they are using the scrum win as just another "hit-up" opportunity.

Increasing the distance from 5m to 10m creates more space & thus we will get more attacking plays. So the theory goes anyway.

Of course, that's the same thinking behind the change from 5m to 10m at the play-the-ball too.

I hope it leads to more attack from scrums too, but I suspect the hit-up option with an easy 10m instead of 5m, is hardly going to disuade those who play the non risk-taking game. It could make the scrum hit-up even more of the norm.

There is always another option....not even a radical one....the attacking team could actually stand deeper if they want space to launch a running/passing play. It seemed to work ok for Messenger, Gasnier, Langlands, Fulton, Daley, Lyons & many others.

 

[Twizzle]

sounds like a "Benji" rule to me to give him more room to move

just get the offensive team to stand deeper

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

i'd prefer contested scrums

Watch super 14's mate. Great idea in theory, terrible idea in reality.

 

[kia ora storm]

sounds like a "Benji" rule to me to give him more room to move

just get the offensive team to stand deeper

Agree...let him show his razzle dazzle through the legs pass that ends in failure in most cases.

 

[Jankuloski]

Yeeaah... you all hate Benji Marshall therefore scrums should remain at 5m.

just get the offensive team to stand deeper

Why do we go 10m back then in any other attack, if everything could just be solved by the offensive team standing deeper?

 

[Danish]

Oh joy, the annual coaches idiot rule changes are upon us.

From the same blokes who gave us the obstruction rule debacle of a few years ago, video reviews on strips, the "no separation" rule, and just about every other nonsensical piece of garbage rule change that has come to pass in the last decade.

I look forward to the whinge fest by these same gooses 6 rounds in when whatever rules they bring in predictably turn out to be unworkable.