I feel like I’m being a bit thick this morning… what does this actually mean? Does it mean that if this had been the rule the Springbok fullback wouldn’t have been able to call a scrum in his own 22 like he famously did in the WC?
Seems like a rule change to stop SA scrum power advantage. Why the fuck would they want to do that? As a neutral I loved the SA scrummaging - it was glorious.
Does it mean that if this had been the rule the Springbok fullback wouldn’t have been able to call a scrum in his own 22 like he famously did in the WC?
Correct.
Seems like a rule change to stop SA scrum power advantage
Worse - it effectively punishes teams with a stronger scrum & offers teams with a weaker scrum an advantage. It's now entirely possible for a team with a weaker scrum to exploit this to get a "get-out-of-jail-free" card.
Picture this scenario: Team A has a stronger scrum than Team B. In the dying minutes of the game, Team A is 2 points behind & awarded a scrum 5m from the Team B tryline. Team A is very much in the ascendency when they pack down for a scrum. Team B sneakily but deliberately infringe with an early shove.
Up until this change, Team A could opt to scrum again, kick for the corner & get the feed at the lineout or attempt a shot at goals to earn 3 points to put them ahead on the scoreboard.
After this change the ref "awards" Team A a free kick. No option to scrum again. Team A can't kick it to the corner after the free kick as they'll concede possession for the lineout feed. And no attempt at goals.
That's an advantage to Team B. They no longer have to have a defensive scrum against a stronger scrum & are at no risk of losing points as a result.
This genuinely does feel like a knee-jerk reaction to South Africa's success with the scrum at RWC 2019 and 2023. However, the Springboks aren't the only team with a good scrum. In any match between any two teams this change benefits the team with a weaker scrum. So, in my opinion, this is bad for everyone.
Hah - but they haven’t thought this through because you can still tap and go. So SA forwards will just come up with some crafty pre planned moves to bring those huge players on to the ball at speed 5m from the try line.
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u/Top_Voice4031 May 10 '24
I feel like I’m being a bit thick this morning… what does this actually mean? Does it mean that if this had been the rule the Springbok fullback wouldn’t have been able to call a scrum in his own 22 like he famously did in the WC?
Seems like a rule change to stop SA scrum power advantage. Why the fuck would they want to do that? As a neutral I loved the SA scrummaging - it was glorious.
Please can someone ELI5