traditional scrums are making a come back

[OTTO]

NRL Referees Coaches Bill Harrigan and Stuart Raper have vowed to clean up the play-the-ball and ensure more traditional scrums in 2011 Telstra Premiership rule guidelines outlined at today’s meeting between NRL referees and coaches at ANZ Stadium.

Raper and Harrigan today received support from NRL coaches for their ‘back to basics’ approach to refereeing that will excite fans keen to see some of the fundamental rules of the game strictly enforced while encouraging the exciting play that captivates fans week in, week out, during the season.

Under the guidelines outlined at today’s meeting:
- Referees will strictly enforce the on-side rule at restarts of play;
- Players will be penalised for not playing the ball on the mark;
- Scrums will be properly bound and players must not break until the referee has called ‘out’;
- The obstruction rule remains the same but if, in the opinion of the referee/video referee, the play had no effect on the scoring of a try then it will be awarded.

“We’re not changing the rules, we are simply making a season-long commitment to enforce some of the fundamental principles in our game that will ensure a cleaner, fairer play-the-ball and give both the attacking and defensive teams a reward for their efforts,” Harrigan said today.

“Not playing the ball on the mark, being off-side at restarts, these are things that really frustrate fans and they will appreciate that part of the game being improved.

“We want all teams to be able to play their best football and this approach will certainly give them that opportunity.”

Raper said today’s meeting reflected the open communication lines that exist between NRL coaches and the game’s officials.

“We have spent much of the off-season talking with coaches and our team of referees have been involved in assisting clubs at training sessions to prepare for the new season,” he said.

“These guidelines are just part of that communication process and we will continue to work with the coaches and have an open dialogue with them throughout the season.”

Sam Perrett just became the most penalised player

 

[BDGS]

lol this won't happen.

 

[polecat]

ennis would rip into each opposition would be great to see

yes, and then he would hide behind tandy, frank and the beast

 

[MAD DOG]

Waste of time trying to police this in game. I dont want this to turn into rugby yawnion where we have 3 minute scrums.

x2

 

[MAD DOG]

would take out the flair of the 40/20 rule....

though i still reckon all teams dont capitalise the play when they have a scrum feed. We need to see more set plays off the scrum as the forwards are locked away out of play and its all the backs and attackers in position to attack. I cant believe teams dont take advantage of this. Even when a team is defending off a scrum, usually the fullback is in the line of defence aswell... wheres the attacking chip n chase? or tornado/grubber the ball down field and have the speed machines chase whilst the opposition has there backs turned??

i remember roosters trying set plays off the scrum in the early to mid 2000's under coach Ricky 'redneck' Stuart, and they were actually highly successful and dangerous. Minichiello scored many tries from those set plays.... (apart from the shephards that were penalised occasionally lol)

 

[Paint.]

Tigers are the only team that use set plays off the scrum; we need more coaches like Tim Sheens.

 

[Dogmad]

I don't think it would take the flair out of the 40/20. thats the best rule change to happen to the game. teams will always try to get out of jail given a chance

 

[VAI]

just remove scrums for **** sake, change of possession play the ball

yup, if it's not gonna be a proper scrum, i don't see the point either

i'd prefer a tap or play the ball in a changeover too at the very least. even personally prefer that than a proper scrum

 

[PantherPower83]

Contested scrums are the way to go. It was great watching it when it was in play.

The fact that when the ball is thrown in, there is an opportunity for the other team to obtain possession provided they raked the ball well was exciting. It typically didnt go for an extended period of time, and it keeps things competitive.

If anything, it would complement the 40/20 rule as it gives the opportunity for the other team to get it back.

Also, the rake the ball from the play the ball should re-introduced. It promotes players to actually play the ball properly.

 

[polecat]

the thing with scrums is guys...........
now everybody huddle in and listen closely...

they get half the players on the field, usually the biggest and less mobile, into the one space at one time.
this creates space for other players, if not immediately then in the following plays.
this allows for attacking football which in turn creates tries, which score points,
which is the idea of the game.

if there were no scrums, the defensive lines would be set for the entire 80 minutes,
add to this the ridiculous interchange allowances and you would never see a try scored.

anybody who thinks that scrums are pointless knows/understands bugger all
about footy

lesson over

 

[zappa]

Under the guidelines outlined at today’s meeting:
- Referees will strictly enforce the on-side rule at restarts of play;
- Players will be penalised for not playing the ball on the mark;
- Scrums will be properly bound and players must not break until the referee has called ‘out’;

But how will the Roosters make the GF then?

 

[Bob dog]

They need to make it a bit fairer, otherwise just hand the ball over and take a tap, the scrum is not relevant to anything the way it is, it's like some pretend crap for absolutely no reason.
Put the ball in the middle or don't have them.

 

[Jigga]

take the scrum away and i am sure that all those who wanted it gone will want it back, it needs to be policed better though.

The beauty of the scrum done properly.......

Knock the ball on and your oposition is given the CHANCE of having start a set of six at you with a set play, which we all know set plays done right are a beautiful thing to see, now I said chance earlier, if you got a good tight set of forwards with a hooker with a bit of smarts and a bit of mongeral you are a chance of retaining possesion. The scrum was once called a contest and i know it no longer is but throw it away and you take a big part of the game away
Countless opportunities come from a proper scrum, just police it properly and take it back to what it was a CONTEST.

 

[VAI]

the thing with scrums is guys...........
now everybody huddle in and listen closely...

they get half the players on the field, usually the biggest and less mobile, into the one space at one time.
this creates space for other players, if not immediately then in the following plays.
this allows for attacking football which in turn creates tries, which score points,
which is the idea of the game.

if there were no scrums, the defensive lines would be set for the entire 80 minutes,
add to this the ridiculous interchange allowances and you would never see a try scored.

anybody who thinks that scrums are pointless knows/understands bugger all
about footy

lesson over

so, over the last couple of decades of my time following the game, where all of them great attacking plays and try's scored from all other moments of a game that never even had a scrum packed within cooee was a figment of my imagination?

thanks for your 'opinion' from what is a sound theory but is by no means accurate

now that i realise that your opnion is irrefutable fact, despite glaring evidence to the contrary, we shall take note

lesson over

 

[steve_mortimer]

We had Bill up in Brisbane last week to brief us on changes for 2011.

As to the scrums what we have been instructed to do is get half backs square on, forwards packed in and to stay in until the referee calls out, the ball to be fed with both hands on the ball point to point and oposing half backs to retire to the last row of forwards.

Easy said but it is up to teams to practice this as well. If they don't there will be a lot of penalties being blown.

I am also a fan of getting the players to play the ball with their foot and on the mark. No more creeping forward. It's just basic laws from 1908 that shall be reinforced for the first time in years. Again, it is all about the onus being put back on the players to do it properly or they get pinged. Nobody to blame but themselves if they get caned 14-6 in the pens.

As a referee I am looking forward to this season more so than the past 5 or 6 since we got this news.

 

[steve_mortimer]

Also for those wanting the scrum done away with...could you imagine, with the game as fast as it is having no stoppages for scrums? Players need a scrum for a breather more than anything else.

It is just plain silly to suggest the scrums to be banished.

 

[BDGS]

We had Bill up in Brisbane last week to brief us on changes for 2011.

As to the scrums what we have been instructed to do is get half backs square on, forwards packed in and to stay in until the referee calls out, the ball to be fed with both hands on the ball point to point and oposing half backs to retire to the last row of forwards.

Easy said but it is up to teams to practice this as well. If they don't there will be a lot of penalties being blown.

I am also a fan of getting the players to play the ball with their foot and on the mark. No more creeping forward. It's just basic laws from 1908 that shall be reinforced for the first time in years. Again, it is all about the onus being put back on the players to do it properly or they get pinged. Nobody to blame but themselves if they get caned 14-6 in the pens.

As a referee I am looking forward to this season more so than the past 5 or 6 since we got this news.

Agreed, Bill has made some great first moves.

 

[VAI]

Also for those wanting the scrum done away with...could you imagine, with the game as fast as it is having no stoppages for scrums? Players need a scrum for a breather more than anything else.

that's a fair call

even though there's still opportunity to get a breather at a changeover with a play the ball or a tap, that extra minute or so from a scrum is significant at that level of the game. true true

 

[Ahecee]

So has anyone else found the refs really pushing the quality of the binding, and ball placment into the fake scrums in the NRL annoying over the first two weeks?

I really don't see the point, you can't win a scrum against the feed, and you can't push so who cares if the players bind or where the ball is feed into it? TBH when the ref has called it back to be feed again which has happened plenty this season, the feed and binding has been almost identical. They are slowing down play just as much as they do with scrums in Union, but the diffrence is the NRL scrum isn't even real ........ WTF?

 

[Bob dog]

The stoppages in the scrum and general play were over the top on Sunday, when will they let the game flow more instead of whistle blowing every three minutes?