[RWC] The woes of the scrum

[Zebra1922]

The England-Australia game showed, in the first 10 minutes, al that is wrong with scrummaging in the international game.

As we know the scrum is designed as a mechanism to restart the game following a minor offence. Knock on in the 22 around 2 mins 30, scrum time.

After 3 resets including a free kick, the ball eventually emerged from the scrum at nearly 7 minutes, so we spent twice as long trying to restart the game as had already elapsed to date.

I’m not a fan of criticising referees but it doesn’t help that they refuse to apply the laws and are happy with a constant series of resets rather than giving free kicks or penalties for offences. It’s not an ideal solution to go from a scrum to a FK/PK but if players don’t want to scrummage properly I see no option to enable the game to actually flow.

thoughts?

 

[Dickie E]

a big part of the problem was the ground, the turf was peeling up like carpet.

Garces shared your frsutration bringing the whole thing to an end by pinging Genia for a delayed feed 4 seconds after the 'set' call.

 

[crossref]

And again Wales France five mins to go and three wasted in reaets

 

[Ciaran Trainor]

Amazing coincidence how many resets we get when a team is hanging on for a win!

 

[Zebra1922]

How do you all referee this in the weeds? Allow multiple resets? Or ping this in line with laws?

I get so tired of teams just not listening to me, I’m very clear not to engage until the set yet they always insist on coming together at set. Usually both teams so I have to decide who to penalise as it can’t go on indefinitely. Il admit the first time if I can’t see clearly I’ll ping the no feeding team. This usually stops them moving so it’s obvious the next scrum who moves first.

 

[Lee Lifeson-Peart]

I'm unlucky if I I have 2 collapsed/reset scrums per game.

It just doesn't happen at weedy levels. I'm not sure what you're describing. The teams are supposed to come together on set.

 

[timmad]

Running touch 'in the weeds' last weekend I was pleased to hear the ref taking on board a lesson from the RWC and explainiing at the first scrum that his 'crouch - bind - set' would be slower than they might be used to. He had no problems with scrum stability.

 

[Rich_NL]

That was also the advice from my coach a couple of games ago, and slowing things down has really improved the scrums I've reffed.

 

[Lee Lifeson-Peart]

That was also the advice from my coach a couple of games ago, and slowing things down has really improved the scrums I've reffed.

Horses for courses.

Slow it down too much and the fat f***ers can't keep steady.

 

[beckett50]

How do you all referee this in the weeds? Allow multiple resets? Or ping this in line with laws?

I get so tired of teams just not listening to me, I’m very clear not to engage until the set yet they always insist on coming together at set. Usually both teams so I have to decide who to penalise as it can’t go on indefinitely. Il admit the first time if I can’t see clearly I’ll ping the no feeding team. This usually stops them moving so it’s obvious the next scrum who moves first.

Just a simple "Gentlemen, we will NOT be resetting this scrum" has the desired effect

 

[didds]

How do you all referee this in the weeds? Allow multiple resets? Or ping this in line with laws?

Id suggest that at the levels I am aquainted with (level 7 and below inclusing youth AG) it just doesn't happen. Scrums get set, ball comes in, balls comes out. Occasionally a PK/FK but on the whole that's because of other things after the ball has been struck.

Now, I last played something like 13 years ago or whatever, but I cant recall scrums "ever" going down. I remember one in my last game (!) but that is really all I honestly remember!

didds

 

[Arabcheif]

Horses for courses.

Slow it down too much and the fat f***ers can't keep steady.

I'm one of these fat f***ckers, I can hold it for a loooooong time.

But I tell the teams, that the scrums will be slow and deliberate. In 3 matches I've had 6 scrums go down. Just reset them and the next ones were fine. Slow and steady seems the way for me to go at least.