Scrums: Breaking the Law : Thu Aug 07, 2014 8:22 am  

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2 ... gby-league

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2 ... gby-league

Re: Scrums: Breaking the Law : Thu Aug 07, 2014 10:42 am  

Unfortunately, most of the regular posters on here are too young to remember properly contested scrums, but they did add a little more excitement to the game. Winning a feed against the head close to your opponents line really used to get the crowd going.

Unfortunately it used to, also, be one more thing to have a go at the referee for. Penalties for feeding or not binding properly were usually followed by cries of "You bent barsteward".

Made the game better and less sterile. Unfortunately a sterile game seems to be what the RFL wants these days.

Re: Scrums: Breaking the Law : Thu Aug 07, 2014 11:03 am  

I'm not in favour of this at all. It's boring in Union and isn't what League should be looking for.

What League needs to do is reverse it's decision to slow the play the balls down. I watched a few games from 96/97 recently and they were sensational, end to end spectacles with some superb flowing attacking moves and some brilliant desperate defending. Compare to the modern game, which is all about numbers in the tackle, slowing the play the ball down and winning through playing percentages.

Re: Scrums: Breaking the Law : Thu Aug 07, 2014 12:57 pm  

Saddened! wrote:

What League needs to do is reverse it's decision to slow the play the balls down. I watched a few games from 96/97 recently and they were sensational, end to end spectacles with some superb flowing attacking moves and some brilliant desperate defending. Compare to the modern game, which is all about numbers in the tackle, slowing the play the ball down and winning through playing percentages.

Fully agree, the long intensity in matches is disappearing and is getting boring.

Re: Scrums: Breaking the Law : Thu Aug 07, 2014 1:10 pm  

Saddened! wrote:

I'm not in favour of this at all. It's boring in Union and isn't what League should be looking for.

What League needs to do is reverse it's decision to slow the play the balls down. I watched a few games from 96/97 recently and they were sensational, end to end spectacles with some superb flowing attacking moves and some brilliant desperate defending. Compare to the modern game, which is all about numbers in the tackle, slowing the play the ball down and winning through playing percentages.

I'm not sure I agree about that. In the late '90s and early '00s there were a hell of a lot of games with stupid scorelines like 46-34. I suppose that's fine if you're into that kind of game, but I'd take a tight, low-scoring game in which both teams go set-for-set any day of the week.

Re: Scrums: Breaking the Law : Thu Aug 07, 2014 1:25 pm  

Dux wrote:

I'm not sure I agree about that. In the late '90s and early '00s there were a hell of a lot of games with stupid scorelines like 46-34. I suppose that's fine if you're into that kind of game, but I'd take a tight, low-scoring game in which both teams go set-for-set any day of the week.

That scenario you speak of doesn't exist outside of the NRL and Origin however. All it does is brutally expose the low, low standards in SL and makes for an utterly boring viewing spectacle. How many times have you walked away from LP in the last few years and thought 'Wow, that was a cracker'?

Re: Scrums: Breaking the Law : Thu Aug 07, 2014 1:50 pm  

If we ever try to emulate RU scrums thats me finished as a RL fan i have never seen enything as boring the focus seems to be on the ref and with the time taken you have time to go put the kettle on come back and not missed a thing, i dont think RU ARE IN A POSITION TO TEACH US ANYTHING (except maybe marketing).

Re: Scrums: Breaking the Law : Thu Aug 07, 2014 2:25 pm  

The game has been "dumbed down" over the years, the passing game was reduced to more emphasis on a kicking game, tackles and playing the ball is now a 10 to 15 secs wrestle instead of a 4 or 5 sec play the ball.
Our scrums are much slower now, with players slowly walking up to form a scrum and sometimes we have backs in the scrum as it makes no difference.

This has effected Saints most than others as we relied on a passing game and never really had a kicking game, I don't particularly like these arm wrestle games with inconsistent control of the game by the refs.

Re: Scrums: Breaking the Law : Thu Aug 07, 2014 2:48 pm  

I'd love to see us set the scrum (it would have to be within 25 mtrs of their try line) but leave big Mose out on the wing. Ball out, big pass out to our 'winger' and nobody out there is going to stop him. Easy 4 points.

Re: Scrums: Breaking the Law : Thu Aug 07, 2014 3:14 pm  

Saddened! wrote:

That scenario you speak of doesn't exist outside of the NRL and Origin however. All it does is brutally expose the low, low standards in SL and makes for an utterly boring viewing spectacle. How many times have you walked away from LP in the last few years and thought 'Wow, that was a cracker'?

Admittedly they are not as common as they could be, but you do get those sort of games between the better sides - take our win at home v Leeds, for example. I just worry that a faster play-the-ball combined with standards being as they are at the moment would lead to mindless try-fests.