Well Cooky you and I engaged in opinion sparring on this in the Dysfunctional Scrums thread - we both have firmly held views - yours differ to mine and sometimes ole son, that's just the way it is. The difference between us is - I will accept your view - not tell you you're wrong. That said, I make no apology for having passionate views - and having stuck my head into thousands of scrums over 30 plus years of playing, have a clue or two about the set piece.
The paragraph in my last missive that you highlighted - look instead at the paragraph before it - but for the avoidance of doubt - I will re-iterate why, for me, bent feeding is the originator of scrum dysfunction. The core value of our scrum is to be a meaningful contest for possession - and be respected for it. It is NOT supposed to be an opportunity to screw penalties for cheap shots at goal.
In order for the scrum to be a meaningful contest for possession, there has to be straight feeding. Where the ball goes in straight, there is opportunity to contest for the ball - bent feeding denies that opportunity. So, with possession of the ball a foregone conclusion, teams find other ways to contest with each other - a slippery slope to persistent law braking and endless tedious penalties. On the slippery slope, teams are coached to see scrums as a means of screwing penalties - and nothing else. We're in a cesspit of dysfunctional negativity - which began years ago when bent feeding started being widely used.
In continuing to raise this issue and suggest solutions - I will reiterate something else. I am NOT suggesting straight feeding alone will sort scrum dysfunction - but it is where the repair work starts. The enforcement of the straight feed law will mean that the skill of striking the ball will have to revived - which is the key. Striking hookers produce fast ball in quicker, much healthier scrums - fact. Coaches will be forced by the straight feed law to concentrate on winning the ball - or risk losing it. And if we get the odd situation where the ball stops in the tunnel because neither team have the ability to win the ball, ridiculous though that is, it's just a short painful period to get through. With straight feeding the message will get through very quickly - and at last, hookers are quick ball will be the norm.
The bigger picture in the repair of our scrum is a re-education process to change the negative/screw penalties mindset into a positive/see the scrum as a means of quick ball to attack mindset. No easy task considering the chronic nature of the problem. In addition to straight feeding, there must be;
Much quicker voicing of the CBS commands by the referee - some are taking 15 or more seconds - ludicrous. Should be 5 seconds maximum.
Remove the idiotic nonsense of referees giving permission for the put in
Enforce the no push before the put in law - much inconsistency currently - and inconsistencies = problems.
Any scrum offence is a free kick - not a penalty - remove the cheat incentive for cheap shots at goal
Lastly, young guys like Duncan haven't seen how much better scrums were when scrums were about the ball. So understandably, they don't get this debate - as all they've ever seen is dysfunction. To them I'd say - go look at footage pre the arrival of professionalism in 1995. See how scrums were then - then come back and tell me the current shambles is acceptable...?!
The paragraph in my last missive that you highlighted - look instead at the paragraph before it - but for the avoidance of doubt - I will re-iterate why, for me, bent feeding is the originator of scrum dysfunction. The core value of our scrum is to be a meaningful contest for possession - and be respected for it. It is NOT supposed to be an opportunity to screw penalties for cheap shots at goal.
In order for the scrum to be a meaningful contest for possession, there has to be straight feeding. Where the ball goes in straight, there is opportunity to contest for the ball - bent feeding denies that opportunity. So, with possession of the ball a foregone conclusion, teams find other ways to contest with each other - a slippery slope to persistent law braking and endless tedious penalties. On the slippery slope, teams are coached to see scrums as a means of screwing penalties - and nothing else. We're in a cesspit of dysfunctional negativity - which began years ago when bent feeding started being widely used.
In continuing to raise this issue and suggest solutions - I will reiterate something else. I am NOT suggesting straight feeding alone will sort scrum dysfunction - but it is where the repair work starts. The enforcement of the straight feed law will mean that the skill of striking the ball will have to revived - which is the key. Striking hookers produce fast ball in quicker, much healthier scrums - fact. Coaches will be forced by the straight feed law to concentrate on winning the ball - or risk losing it. And if we get the odd situation where the ball stops in the tunnel because neither team have the ability to win the ball, ridiculous though that is, it's just a short painful period to get through. With straight feeding the message will get through very quickly - and at last, hookers are quick ball will be the norm.
The bigger picture in the repair of our scrum is a re-education process to change the negative/screw penalties mindset into a positive/see the scrum as a means of quick ball to attack mindset. No easy task considering the chronic nature of the problem. In addition to straight feeding, there must be;
Much quicker voicing of the CBS commands by the referee - some are taking 15 or more seconds - ludicrous. Should be 5 seconds maximum.
Remove the idiotic nonsense of referees giving permission for the put in
Enforce the no push before the put in law - much inconsistency currently - and inconsistencies = problems.
Any scrum offence is a free kick - not a penalty - remove the cheat incentive for cheap shots at goal
Lastly, young guys like Duncan haven't seen how much better scrums were when scrums were about the ball. So understandably, they don't get this debate - as all they've ever seen is dysfunction. To them I'd say - go look at footage pre the arrival of professionalism in 1995. See how scrums were then - then come back and tell me the current shambles is acceptable...?!
