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RFU and PRL put a stop to the scrum con job

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smartcooky

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Just in from RFU dated today 27/08/09 :

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Premier Rugby and the Rugby Football Union today confirmed that new regulations have been put in place for the upcoming Guinness Premiership season to significantly reduce the controversy over games which go to uncontested scrums following replacements.

The application of the revised International Rugby Board Law 3, which has been adopted in the Top 14 in France following a successful trial, will also be implemented to varying degrees at other levels of the game in England at domestic level.

The changes mean that 23 players will now be named in each Guinness Premiership match day squad, with at least six players being players fit and able to play at hooker, tight head prop and loose head prop. In practice this means each bench must now contain a minimum of one tight head prop, one loose head prop and one hooker.

The "Man Off" rule will also be adopted, resulting in teams which have forced uncontested scrums being penalised (see notes below).

Premier Rugby Chief Executive Mark McCafferty said: "This has been an area of controversy for some time and we are pleased that changes will now be made for the forthcoming Guinness Premiership season.

"Premier Rugby has been working hard for this change with the support of the RFU and we welcome the new regulations. We would like to see them extended to European competition and the Anglo-Welsh Cup and are in discussions about this."

PRL Director of Rugby and former Sale Sharks prop Phil Winstanley, who has been at the forefront of the push for change, added: "The trials of this regulation in France proved successful in dramatically reducing the number of incidents of uncontested scrums and we are confident that the mandated increase in front row players on the bench will see the same reductions in the Guinness Premiership."

RFU Director of Tournaments and Competitions Terry Burwell added: "The issue of uncontested scrums has been of concern for some time and we are fully supportive of increasing the number of front row replacements in the Guinness Premiership. We are also working with the other Unions involved in the European, Anglo-Welsh and British & Irish Cup tournaments to deliver consistency across all competitions as this is in best interests of all stakeholders, not least the players."

For leagues below the Guinness Premiership the previous number of replacements will still apply, ranging from a maximum seven in the Championship to three at the lowest levels of English rugby, with the "Man Off" rule applying.

For domestic knockout competitions for teams in National League Two downwards - the Champions Cup, Intermediate Cup, Senior Vase and Junior Vase - teams may have up to eight replacements, with at least six players in the squad being players fit and able to play at hooker, tight head prop and loose head prop. The "Man Off" rule will also apply.

Burwell added: "At league level below the Guinness Premiership we have decided to keep the number of replacements the same as we need to ensure that clubs have enough front row players to fulfil their fixtures. At cup level, when it's a one-off game, we feel that increasing replacement front row players is manageable for clubs and will reduce uncontested scrums in such important matches."

New regulation 3.4 ©

If on any occasion where uncontested scrums are ordered by the Referee as a result of there being no suitably trained and experienced front row replacement for any reason (which includes injury, temporary blood injury, temporary exclusion (i.e. following a yellow card) or permanent exclusion (i.e. following a sending off)), the team concerned shall not be entitled to replace the player whose departure caused the uncontested scrums. On return to the field of play of the front row player who has been temporarily excluded or injured the Match shall continue with contested scrums.
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Upshot... if your team causes scrums to go uncontested, you will not be able to replace the front-row player who goes off, and you'll have to play with 14 players.

That will put a stop to the type of cunning ploy London Wasps pulled in the GP Final last year.

If this regulation had been in force last season, when Tim Payne went off injured, they would not have been allowed to bring Joe Worsley on, and would have to pick a player already on the park to pack down in the front row of the uncontested scrums, and play the rest of the match a man short.

And about time too!!!
 
It is a good step forward to make sure that the scrums remain a fair contest and that injuries aren't used to disadvantage a team with a powerful scrum.

However I still have a couple of ****ling doubts. The first is that there will be extra pressure on a genuinely injured front row player to remain on if all replacements have been used already. Secondly, with an extra front row player now being required for the bench will we start to see a deficit in props in the lower levels as the better ones get dragged upwards just to sit on a bench.
 
good news.

they've made some other clever adjustments too, for example trycount decides things after extra time before you'd go into drop kickout.
 
The number of uncontested scrums has dramatically decreased in Top14 since they put in place this ELV, the number of injuries for the front row player has not significantly changed as far as I know.
 

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