2012 S15: Scrum Changes

Sport24

Stormers got a lesson from the Lions in this regard on the weekend and expect to get a lot of scrum penalties at the start of the season.

Do you think this will work and the way it will work?

Stormers can't be too happy, the 2nd shove is where the Crusaders destroyed them last year.

Forget about the Stormers, their scrum was better then average last year. Personally I think the Tahs and Reds maybe OK with this but the other Aus teams will struggle , ditto Hurricanes & Chiefs.

This will make Lee (I think) happy - but the poms will see it as further aligning the southern hemisphere game with league

Am I misreading the effect - wont it depower the hit?

Dont think so, you need strong fatties to give you go forward from engage.

The hit is aready depowered due to the small distance between the fatties heads.

but it will be 3 on 3?
Not 8 on 8 (or 7 on 7)?

3 on 3.

The so-called 'Big Five' - tackle, scrum, offside, ruck, and maul - remain the priority areas as in previous years but with additional emphasis on the following points:
Scrum:
• Alignment - front rows must be in a position to interlock on engagement; there must be no touching of heads.
• Early engagement - both teams must start the engagement process simultaneously on the referee's call.
• Engagement angles - front rows must push straight and parallel to the touchlines; loosehead props must not 'walk' the scrum around the tighthead.
• Binding - front rankers must bind on their opponent in the appropriate manner; no hands on the ground for support.
• Post-engagement infringements - illegal wheeling on purpose, so-called 'whip wheeling' and not pushing straight and parallel to the touchline are all actions to be penalised.
Tackle:
• The tackler must release and clear away after the tackler.
• The tackler assist must release and show clear and obvious release before going for the ball.
• Arriving players must not go past the ball into an offside position and try to obstruct the opposition going for the ball.
• Players must respect the offside lines at the ruck and maul (the hindmost foot of their player in the ruck or maul).
• Arriving players not attempting to clean-out the opposition must demonstrate positive actions to stay on their feet.
• A player who uses correct technique but ends up off his feet after removing a threat is not penalised; this is a positive action and the "hammer or snake" technique is included here.
Assistant Referees at Super Rugby will also be called on to take a more involved approach to the game without becoming an interference or hindrance to the referee. This will involve greater monitoring of offside lines at the ruck and maul and infringements close to the touchline where the referee may be unsighted.

http://www.sareferees.co.za/news/ref_news/2841466.htm

Jonkers penalised the Stormers endlessly in the Lions warmup and the explanation he got for this.

Stormers site

That what I posted comes from the refs website

Thats theory, practise is something different specially reffing.

But thats how they are going to apply it. One rather listen to ref than to coach otherwise they would have not been penalized so much for it

Theoretical that is how the ref's are going to play the law. Until they start to blow their whistles in a few game we are really not going to know how it is going to pan out. That is how I read PaarlBok's comment. Correct PaarlBok?

watch the northern hemisphere outcry if this is how it is to be played