: Tue Mar 24, 2009 1:27 pm  

wire 74 wrote:

I would prefer it that scrums were awarded to the attacking team as long as the kick is kicked from there own half of the field and goes more than 10 mtrs into the opponents side of the pitch 40 - 20's do not add much to the game imo as last season there were only 37 in the whole season in the whole league ,which imo makes it a non event.
The scrum should be fed into the hookers feet and not the 2nd row to make it competitive.

Surely the fact they are so rare means the exact opposite - they ARE an event. Certainly appears that way - the crowd always loves seeing them as it immediately puts their team into an attacking position and the players always celebrate like they've already scored. It also means the defending side always make the effort to get back to cover and actually prevent most 40-20 attempts - hence reducing the no. of scrums.

: Tue Mar 24, 2009 2:25 pm  

'Hitman' Norvern Soul wrote:

Rugby Union has incorporated uncontested scrums into matches recently. Even they are getting fed up of the referee having to talk to grown men like children; "No, engage when I say so", "Don't touch yet", "Right. Enough. Penalty", etc.

Rugby union has always had the concept of uncontested scrums. It is invoked when there are not enough front row players on the pitch due to injury or sin binning etc.

I would love to see some contest coming back into the scrum but don't want a return to the bad old days of the ref taking 3 or 4 attempts at getting it set before the play actually continues.

That said I think all would agree that RU scrums are competed at and still 90%+ of the time the feeding team get the ball.

: Tue Mar 24, 2009 2:28 pm  

you might as well have a full team of backs from 1 to 19 play fast expansive rugby and be done with it

: Tue Mar 24, 2009 2:34 pm  

FullFat wrote:

Rugby union has always had the concept of uncontested scrums. It is invoked when there are not enough front row players on the pitch due to injury or sin binning etc.

I would love to see some contest coming back into the scrum but don't want a return to the bad old days of the ref taking 3 or 4 attempts at getting it set before the play actually continues.

That said I think all would agree that RU scrums are competed at and still 90%+ of the time the feeding team get the ball.

Thank God for that, been trying to work out where this had come from all season. I'd never seen it before this year, oddly.

: Tue Mar 24, 2009 4:22 pm  

SEB wrote:

Surely the fact they are so rare means the exact opposite - they ARE an event. Certainly appears that way - the crowd always loves seeing them as it immediately puts their team into an attacking position and the players always celebrate like they've already scored. It also means the defending side always make the effort to get back to cover and actually prevent most 40-20 attempts - hence reducing the no. of scrums.

No the fact they are so rare means from my point of view that they do nothing to make the game any better as they are so hard to achieve,if you do it the other way the wingers will have to drop back more which will leave more space to attack and would make for a much more exciting game than the odd 40-20 The crowd cheer so much because they are so rare they would cheer more often if it was changed .
It would also mean the wingers would get more involved in games as well .
On the scrum point either put the ball in the middle or scrap them altogether.

: Tue Mar 24, 2009 4:26 pm  

Never going to happen

: Tue Mar 24, 2009 4:27 pm  

wire 74 wrote:

No the fact they are so rare means from my point of view that they do nothing to make the game any better as they are so hard to achieve,if you do it the other way the wingers will have to drop back more which will leave more space to attack and would make for a much more exciting game than the odd 40-20 The crowd cheer so much because they are so rare they would cheer more often if it was changed .
It would also mean the wingers would get more involved in games as well .
On the scrum point either put the ball in the middle or scrap them altogether.

There's definately potential here for a job at Redhall.

: Tue Mar 24, 2009 4:35 pm  

Great site lads.

: Tue Mar 24, 2009 4:41 pm  

"But if that's the case lets do away with it all together or change it with a line out.
a lineout is easy to set and fast and to the point"



somebodys suggestion on here to "take lineouts from RU" just beggers belief.

Have they any idea what they are watching, while at it take knock-on, forward passes off-side as well from the dark side.

Other than marketing internationals off the pitch--- RL can learn nothing from RU.

: Tue Mar 24, 2009 6:24 pm  

I never realised how tactical lineouts were until I played Union.
One thing I think league lacks is a range of different skills, not that i'd advocate putting lineouts in league.
Almost every forward these days is called a 'ball playing' forward.
In union centres are centres, props are props and second rowers or Number 8s wouldn't be found out in the centres.