- Joined
- May 25, 2007
- Messages
- 5,708
- Country Flag
- Club or Nation
Dunkhookin
Squint feeding is a SYMPTOM of the scrum dysfunctionality, its is NOT the cause of it. If I was a Premiership referee and decided this coming weekend that I was simply going to ping every crooked feed, it would fix nothing. All that will happen is a scrum mess even worse that what we have now, and a crapload of FKs and PKs. Enforcing a straight feed will only work if it is part of a wider plan to change the mindset and behaviour of the front rows.
There are a number of things that front row players do which are directly against the intent, the letter and the spirit of the Laws. What needs to happen is a change in the way the scrum is managed so that it makes these illegalities difficult to accomplish.
The first Law I would change is wheeling. I would outlaw it completely. All pushing in the scrum must be parallel to the touchlines, and the scrum MUST remain parallel to the touch lines, and only be pushed in a direction parallel to the touchlines.
The second Law I would change is what happens after the "set". Currently, the props take a long bind at the "bind", but at the "set", those binds are shortened as the front rows come closer together. I would have all props re-bind with a long bind after the "set". Anyone who has done any kind of weight training will understand that a bent arm is MUCH stronger than a straight arm. With a bent arm, they can pull down on their opposite, but its almost impossible for a prop to "push" his opponent down if he has a bind with palms facing downwards. Its much harder for props to get up to monkey business with their bind arms fully extended.
So, I would replace "C-B-S" with C/B-S-R...
Crouch and Bind
Set!
Rebind
After all that has been accomplished, the referee ruthlessly penalises the following
1. any front row player who makes any attempt to turn inwards.
2. any prop who who has a short bind.
3. scrum player who pushes in any direction other than parallel to the touchline.
4. Any scrum half who feeds the ball squint.
Squint feeding is a SYMPTOM of the scrum dysfunctionality, its is NOT the cause of it. If I was a Premiership referee and decided this coming weekend that I was simply going to ping every crooked feed, it would fix nothing. All that will happen is a scrum mess even worse that what we have now, and a crapload of FKs and PKs. Enforcing a straight feed will only work if it is part of a wider plan to change the mindset and behaviour of the front rows.
There are a number of things that front row players do which are directly against the intent, the letter and the spirit of the Laws. What needs to happen is a change in the way the scrum is managed so that it makes these illegalities difficult to accomplish.
The first Law I would change is wheeling. I would outlaw it completely. All pushing in the scrum must be parallel to the touchlines, and the scrum MUST remain parallel to the touch lines, and only be pushed in a direction parallel to the touchlines.
The second Law I would change is what happens after the "set". Currently, the props take a long bind at the "bind", but at the "set", those binds are shortened as the front rows come closer together. I would have all props re-bind with a long bind after the "set". Anyone who has done any kind of weight training will understand that a bent arm is MUCH stronger than a straight arm. With a bent arm, they can pull down on their opposite, but its almost impossible for a prop to "push" his opponent down if he has a bind with palms facing downwards. Its much harder for props to get up to monkey business with their bind arms fully extended.
So, I would replace "C-B-S" with C/B-S-R...
Crouch and Bind
Set!
Rebind
After all that has been accomplished, the referee ruthlessly penalises the following
1. any front row player who makes any attempt to turn inwards.
2. any prop who who has a short bind.
3. scrum player who pushes in any direction other than parallel to the touchline.
4. Any scrum half who feeds the ball squint.