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The New Scrummaging Laws in Retrospect

What's your opinion on the impact of the new scrum laws?

  • They've had a positive impact on the set piece.

    Votes: 13 76.5%
  • The new laws have done little to change the situation.

    Votes: 2 11.8%
  • It's too early to say.

    Votes: 2 11.8%
  • The scrum is worse under the new laws.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    17

Feicarsinn

Super Αdmin
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So guys, we've had our first full season under the new(ish) scrummaging laws featuring the altered engagement sequence. Do you guys think they've had a positive effect on the game?
 
Agreed.
I would've liked to have seen the feeding watched for a bit longer (they to notice at the start of the season and it petered out) and there often problems with the early shove, but it's infinitely better than it was previously - rarely, if ever, get 10 moon scrum sequences.
 
I'm not sure if it's due to the most recent change or not, but I find it annoying when teams seem to scrum to get a penalty, not the ball. Haven't been watching rugby long enough to be able to say whether or not one seemed better than the other. I'm sure finding it difficult to adapt to doing it myself. I've always used the hit and drive to my advantage, the pause for the ball is still screwing me up.

I voted too soon to tell.
 
I'm not sure if it's due to the most recent change or not, but I find it annoying when teams seem to scrum to get a penalty, not the ball. Haven't been watching rugby long enough to be able to say whether or not one seemed better than the other. I'm sure finding it difficult to adapt to doing it myself. I've always used the hit and drive to my advantage, the pause for the ball is still screwing me up.

I voted too soon to tell.

This has been happening for considerably longer than these rules have been in place.
 
As a prop, playing under the new rules as been awesome. It ****** me off no end when other props would fly in for the hit on me, and then collapse to ground. After enough repeats it played all kinds of havoc with my shoulder.

Now it just get down to scrummaging, which the prop with better positioning/technique and strength will win, as it should be.
 
I know nothing about scrums but it seems to me like we are getting less resets and more settled scrums overall so I am happy.
 
I think the amount of injuries from front rowers in the last few years has been evident that it's definitely a step in the right direction. I know that Frik Kirsten was yesterday told by his medical doctor that he has to retire from rugby as the possibility of his neck being healed after his surgery might not be as successful as they had hoped and that he could become paralysed.

As for the scrum setup itself, I personally love the new format, it has made the scrumming area a contest again, and we have seen some great plays caused from a tighthead. It has also brought back the art of hooking, which is what the Hooker is supposed to do.
 
Agreed.
I would've liked to have seen the feeding watched for a bit longer (they to notice at the start of the season and it petered out) and there often problems with the early shove, but it's infinitely better than it was previously - rarely, if ever, get 10 moon scrum sequences.

Playing a season at hooker has been great with the new rules. Less emphasis on a hit, and more emphasis on a scrum formation and a hook. Actually feels like its gone back to older amateur days of having to use technique and skill to hook and scrum, loving it as this is one thing I am good at (I am f***king terrible at throwing in)

At a professional level, I completely agree with Oly. It is infinitely better, but the feeds is still being ignored.

Also find it interesting that some games where teams just want to play total rugby, the scrums will just work, they just get on with it. However, in other games, teams seem to revert back to an over reliance on cheating or working the scrum for penalties, which the new rules seem to not allow for so much. This does make for long consistent periods of resets rather than give the cheap penalty as before.

Short version - scrum within the laws and rugby happens, try to cheat the scrum and no rugby happens.
 
I'm a little bit split by the new laws. On one hand, we do have less resets, the game is cleaner and more fluid from this, no doubt.
But on the other hand, it alters something that had been the same way forever, and some players have suffered from it. It's hard to identify which type of frame/type of prop exactly, but it certainly has dragged some way down. France is the side that may have suffered the most from this, and it's hard to tell just how much as lots of other reasons come into play as to France's absolute downfall in that area in the last year. I think of Nicolas Mas, who was pretty much the best in the world at his position for some years, who said "you're taught how to do something for 15 years and then they decide to just change how it's done..." so I feel for some of the more technical props who are disadvantaged by the new rules. Changing the rules of anything is going to render some considerably diminished for sure, regardless of the competition.
I guess those props who had to go through the transition in laws, some of them will suffer from it, and we'll just have to wait for the next generation that'll grow up on those laws.
 
If change means better rugby and less re scrumming i'm all for it but you have to remember that what ever rules are changes or not,the wirely know every trick in the book, experienced props will always give his opposition hell and more often than not get away with it!!!! Hooking has become a reinvented art which is good and if the refs watch the feed it can only get better, the refs have stated this season they will try and keep the games spectacular (France that is) but they need the help of the players for that. All in all i think we are going in the right direction not perfect but better!!!!!!!
 
^ indeed. I read that too. The refs will be favoring "playing with intent" more in the Top 14, we'll see if there's a real difference...
 
I'm a little bit split by the new laws. On one hand, we do have less resets, the game is cleaner and more fluid from this, no doubt.
But on the other hand, it alters something that had been the same way forever, and some players have suffered from it. It's hard to identify which type of frame/type of prop exactly, but it certainly has dragged some way down. France is the side that may have suffered the most from this, and it's hard to tell just how much as lots of other reasons come into play as to France's absolute downfall in that area in the last year. I think of Nicolas Mas, who was pretty much the best in the world at his position for some years, who said "you're taught how to do something for 15 years and then they decide to just change how it's done..." so I feel for some of the more technical props who are disadvantaged by the new rules. Changing the rules of anything is going to render some considerably diminished for sure, regardless of the competition.
I guess those props who had to go through the transition in laws, some of them will suffer from it, and we'll just have to wait for the next generation that'll grow up on those laws.

This is untrue. 'The hit' is a relatively new phenomenon, only really coming to prominence towards the end of the 2000's as a weapon in the game. If anything, the new engagement laws actually make the scrum far more similar to the pre professional set piece, as can probably be better elaborated on by smartcookie or someone.
 
This is untrue. 'The hit' is a relatively new phenomenon, only really coming to prominence towards the end of the 2000's as a weapon in the game. If anything, the new engagement laws actually make the scrum far more similar to the pre professional set piece, as can probably be better elaborated on by smartcookie or someone.


No elaboration needed. Just watch "how it was done in my day"...

 
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^ yeah it's really weird to me how they would engage back in those days. I've watched many "old" matches, I know it wasn't really "the same way forever"...but for Mas' career span, it has been, and that's my only point here.

Anyways, I honestly can't vote for this poll based on the pros and cons from my previous post. It's good and bad at the same time I think.
 
Its had a very positive impact. Its not perfect but its a step in the right direction. Next I'd like to see less time between the whistle and the engage.
 

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