[Jemmo]

Re: Widnes v Dons Sun 11th Feb 2024 3pm Challenge Cup Rnd 3 : Mon Feb 12, 2024 1:47 pm  

Nothing would turn me off rugby league more than slowing the scrums down; it is the single most frustrating thing about watching Rugby Union.

[Jemmo]

Re: Widnes v Dons Sun 11th Feb 2024 3pm Challenge Cup Rnd 3 : Mon Feb 12, 2024 1:51 pm  

Generally speaking most scrums are fed according to the rules, the tunnel is formed by a props legs so they hold their near side leg back and widen the tunnel, as long as the ball is in front of that, regardless of the direction the ball is going, that rule is met. There's nothing that says it needs to be placed in the centre of that tunnel or perpendicular to the scrum.

Re: Widnes v Dons Sun 11th Feb 2024 3pm Challenge Cup Rnd 3 : Tue Feb 13, 2024 1:52 pm  

If the referees are adhering to the rules why dont they ever penalise the player who feeds the ball into the scrum with one hand.

Re: Widnes v Dons Sun 11th Feb 2024 3pm Challenge Cup Rnd 3 : Sat Feb 17, 2024 1:46 pm  

Jemmo wrote: Nothing would turn me off rugby league more than slowing the scrums down; it is the single most frustrating thing about watching Rugby Union. I agree with this wholeheartedly. Even by the 1980s, most players had worked out "spoiling tactics" at scrums to cause delays/disrupt the scrum, and they were really hard to police even then, and coaching methods are a lot more sophisticated now. As an example, here's a scrum that formed in the last minute of the 1983 CC semi final between Featherstone and Bradford (starts at around 33:15). As a Fev fan whose team was winning I thought it was a thing of beauty at the time, but honestly it was a proper mess and by no means unusual, my strongest memory of scrums in the 1980 is of constant similar collapses and a bit of an arbitrary wrestle for the ball from the scrum halves. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu87pBQlq7E&t=430s

Jemmo wrote: Nothing would turn me off rugby league more than slowing the scrums down; it is the single most frustrating thing about watching Rugby Union. I agree with this wholeheartedly. Even by the 1980s, most players had worked out "spoiling tactics" at scrums to cause delays/disrupt the scrum, and they were really hard to police even then, and coaching methods are a lot more sophisticated now. As an example, here's a scrum that formed in the last minute of the 1983 CC semi final between Featherstone and Bradford (starts at around 33:15). As a Fev fan whose team was winning I thought it was a thing of beauty at the time, but honestly it was a proper mess and by no means unusual, my strongest memory of scrums in the 1980 is of constant similar collapses and a bit of an arbitrary wrestle for the ball from the scrum halves. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu87pBQlq7E&t=430s