SANZAR gives nod to referees to reward attacking teams

[jazza93]

The game is evolving, there is not much more too it.

[Burgs]

Mungo "scrums" may as well see the forwards stand around with their arms linked and counting to ten for all the impact they have on the match.

[GIGS20]

However, I see nothing wrong with a slightly skewed scrum feed. After all, the team in possession has deservedly got the feed.

I guess it depends how skewed, League scrums go between the second rowers legs and out before the lock.

I don't call rolling it inside one foot a scrum feed.

If it goes down the tunnel and ends up more on one side than the other, surely that's OK, if it's already in the second row without being hooked.....umm....no

[Burgs]

The old days of a proper feed and dinkum contested hook were far better, should never have been relaxed.
The team in possession has the benefit of timing the feed, any more than that and there's little point having it and pretendng it to be one part of the great "contested areas" of our code.

[GIGS20]

Well, I think it's still a contest, just not a hooker vs hooker contest. Today's scrum is far more a Whole pack v whole pack contest with the loser getting pushed off the ball...I personally don't mind that, neither do I mind the old scrums, I just think they're different animals. If the hooker tried to play in a current scrum, I can't imagine how he'd get his feed forward, Look at the scrums you're talking about Burgs, they're much higher than today and a lot less pressure on the front row to allow the hooker to use both feet if required and the props to support him, It looks to me like everyone else is providing support, rather than pushing with everything they've got.

Granted it might've turned into a different battle once the ball was at the lock's feet, but that's just another difference, not necessarily a better or worse.

[jazza93]

If the ball was fed straight the better scrum would win almost every time. This is a bigger exploit than feeding it crooked. But even if halfbacks were forced to feed it straight they would just spin it in and find more ways to get the same advantage.

[beige]

If it goes down the tunnel and ends up more on one side than the other, surely that's OK, if it's already in the second row without being hooked.....umm....no

That's pretty much how I see it.

[domattw]

the irb web site and video examples is worth a visit particularly the examples they show of binding or lack of it in rolling mauls, obstruction at lineouts and restarts. The clips are only short but show how the laws should be applied.