Kirmudgeonlyisback wrote:

I see it’s been confirmed that from 29 th January scrums are back at all levels of the game. So guess Fev will be last time bulk of first team squad will be playing without them .

Now if we could only get rid of the 6 again rule ….

Even though scrums are "uncontested", they punctuate the game and give the chance for some different plays.
Under last seasons rules and with "six again", the game was becoming boring. Yes, it was quicker but, IMO poorer for the changes.

Good to see the return of scrums

Glad to see them back. Looks like rugby with a scrum, and I'd rather have a scrum with a stop-clock than watch someone stand around watching the time tick down.

Good to see that. Now all we need is for referees and officials to enforce the rules as they were originally written.

Not missed them at all in their current format ,having said that they’ve been a joke and a source of ridicule for some time now ,what is the point of an uncontested scrum , poor way to restart the game IMO ,may as well just hand ball over for a tap play . Now contested scrums ,now your talking ,but as with everything else in this world it’s been dumbed down to the point of irrelevance , but hey ho whatever format the RL go with I’ll just be happy to see some rugby .

Kettykat wrote:

Not missed them at all in their current format ,having said that they’ve been a joke and a source of ridicule for some time now ,what is the point of an uncontested scrum , poor way to restart the game IMO ,may as well just hand ball over for a tap play . Now contested scrums ,now your talking ,but as with everything else in this world it’s been dumbed down to the point of irrelevance , but hey ho whatever format the RL go with I’ll just be happy to see some rugby .

I agree.

Nobody wants us to end up with the monstrosities you get in Union but they need to be relevant.

It’s not even difficult. There is only one rule that really matters in my opinion and that is that the ball is fed into the middle of the scrum that is set and not the S/R. it’s that more than anything else that allows the scrum to be contested at some level.

I don’t really care if the scrum is a bit crooked or the ball is promoted slightly to the FR of the scrum half’s choice.

For me I expect and want the team feeding the scrum to get possession 90% of the time, the last thing I want is teams forcing scrums to get possession back, nightmare. I think what we want or at least I do is that 10% of jeopardy, that outside chance in a tight game, that almighty shove in the dying moments that pays off.

I don’t want scrums like you get in Union but if they come back they need to have some validity. A bit like the 40/20, it’s only got an outside chance but occasionally it pays off. The 40/20 works because it’s more difficult than it looks and if done really badly it backfire in a big way, hence it’s used sparingly. Scrums should be similar imho.

[PopTart]

Why don't you want scrums like union? They do exactly what you describe.

PopTart wrote:

Why don't you want scrums like union? They do exactly what you describe.

You're just being contrary now, there are so many technical infringements in them that a Phd is required, there are also 2 extra players.

What I described and you know exactly what I meant was literally a quickly formed 6 man scrum with the ball lobbed roughly down the tunnel. Sod it if it's slightly crooked or one team pushed slightly too soon or the odd leg is sticking out or the feed inevitably favours the S/H's team, just do it, that is nothing like a RU scrum.

What I and most people don't want is for scrums to become a major tactical part of the game, what most people I speak to want is a scrum that could occasionally favour the other team, mildly contested if that helps.

The only benefit as I see is if teams actually try to exploit the space that having 6 players tied up for 1 tackle presents.

Sadly very few teams in SL seem to want to do this.

There have been some outstanding tries scored in the NRL in recent years off the back of teams having the mentality to chance their arm and have a genuine attacking strategy from the scrum.

SL seem all too content to just hit a 1 up drive which basically has no impact on the game and negates the need for a scrum.

I would expect though particularly from the first 2 performances of the year WP seems like he is encouraging the team to play a more expansive game which may see Trinity break the mould and actually play with their eyes up and take advantage o the extra space every now and again.

The scrum is an integral part of the game of rugby league. It allows the bigger forwards to rest and I have seen Wakefield win the ball against the head on several occasions. It also takes six players out of the defensive line allowing teams to work on moves to take this into consideration.
If you want to improve the game I would look at ensuring that the play the ball involves the foot rather than just rolling it back.