Scrums are my playground

Hey guys, as there are a number of discussions about props at the moment, and I was an average club player I thought you might enjoy this story, I wrote it some time ago.

It is midwinter of 1992 and Edenvale is taking on Germiston Simmers, a tough opponent. A few minutes into the first half and its time for the first scrum. I am looking forward to this, this is where I shine.

Scrum time, made for overweight blokes with short necks and strong backs.

I set up for the first scrum.

First I have to make sure Kobus, my lock (he isn’t the brightest cookie in the cookie jar) hits me under my hip and not my lower back. It seems you need to remind him with a tap to the head every time you get ready that he isn’t tackling or hugging you but getting ready to push.

I ensure I get my bind onto my hooker by pulling his hips tight and get my arm around as far as possible on his shorts to ensure I remain straight.

Then I go down into my prone position – heads up as to stare into my opponents eyes, looking for the first signs of intelligence.

You can tell someone’s intelligence in two ways in my opinion. Tell them a joke and see if they get it, or in this case, see whether the expression is dulled or whether the eyes are awake and alert.

“Not much going on there” I say to myself and wait for my halfback to bring the ball closer.

In my prone position I have my left arm ready for the jab.

It is a technique I have perfected over time. the aim is to hit the inside of the armpit a few inches down, enough to give me the leverage over my opponent. In the same motion I will hit the armpit, swing my elbow out and lock my shoulder perpendicular to the ground.

Then I will transfer my momentum straight forward and up, not that far up to pop him. But to put into practise the lesson my physics teacher taught me many years ago: no matter whether he is stronger than me, I am underneath him and therefore have the advantage.

The shoulder in the locked position keeps me straight and unless the guy is a monster he isn’t going to be able to twist me.

Our hooker gives the tap on my shoulder (the sign for the hit and the feed, in unison we go forward. The halfback has seen the tap on my shoulder and feeds the ball.

It all goes swimmingly.

I hit the spot. In the same motion I level my elbow out and lock my shoulder. GOT HIM.

Now for the next test, see if I can push him. Yep, it works, I have the upper hand.

It isn’t too long and we have another scrum, their feed.

As I get prone to strike and look into his eyes I am disappointed, still nothing there. Oh well, same old same old. It is going to be an easy day in the scrums.

You see, the exciting and sometimes scary thing at scrum time is the ability of the opponent to react and recognise what you did the previous scrum to have control over him.

There is a glimmer of intelligence and he will realise how you beat him. He will now know that the speed of the bind is where I aim to beat him, and if he is intelligent enough and quick enough he can beat me.

Sadly this guy isn’t going to do any of that.

For me, my power lay in how I could use my whole body from my heels through my hips, to my shoulders, all in one straight line and effectively lock up being inflexible and almost impossible to bend or buckle. By having my shoulder locked it was almost near impossible to be turned inward or bent.

The challenge at scrum time is an art. I suspect every prop has his own techniques.

Admittedly I wasn’t a very big prop, only 92 kg’s fighting weight, even in those days smallish for a prop.

But irrespective of the rest of the match, every scrum for me is a challenge, one I have to win.

Although there are eight forwards in the pack, it is a one on one, as fair as you could possibly have in any sporting code.

Him and I. Our technique and our strength will decide each battle.

Sure I like doing the other stuff to, like run straight.

I can’t sidestep a mosquito or run faster than most but I love getting the ball, dropping the shoulder and bashing the hell out of some unsuspecting back.

But it is at the scrum where I shine, it is my playground, employing the art of beating your opponent again and again.

It has little to do with whether I got a penalty awarded to our team, it has little to do with any of the other 14 mates in my team, just me, him and the battle.

To be honest I haven't watched them extensively, but from what I have seen they scrum straight first and foremost.

I am a firm believer the technique of staying straight is the most important one if you want to dominate scrums. If you saw this past weekend, unlike when someone scrums in you can go through the opposition scrum.

I haven't watched their technique in detail but will pay more attention this weekend.

Strangely they aren't the biggest front row around, which would suggest that technically they are well coached.  

Agree cleancut, you have to be strong, specifically your back and neck, and it helps to have tree trunks for legs.

It is technique that will set you up, much like a golfer needs a consistent technique to address the ball.

I used to play 8th and flank at school, started as a flank when I played club rugby, but then moved to prop as my speed was, well, slow.

My first few matches I had no idea what to do and got badly bent, then with coaching started to understand the dynamics of scrumming, contrary what Rooinek believes  I am rather intelligent and could work the physics out for myself.

If your technique is poor, your setup can let you down no matter how strong you believe you are, but technique alone won't do it either.

Coenie rolls into the scrum when he plays tight head, and rolls down when he plays loosehead, that tells me his technique is not correct, now unless he is as dense as Rooinek suggests props can be, OS is not doing a great job in coaching him.

As an example when my Son moved to tight head, his biggest problem was the loosehead he scrums against aren't only bigger and heavier, but taller than him, so my advice to him was to pull the player down.

But it is important to understand what is meant by pulling down a loosehead.

If you pull a guy down after you have taken your bind the scrum collapses, if you pull him down in order to fold him double to restrict the flow of air in his torso you take his power away.

Hope that makes sense.  

BB my technique was to position myself 15 metres from the scrum......13 metres laterally and 7.5 metres in the north/south axis. I quickly calculated this using  the Pythagoras theorem. I always looked at my opposing flyhalf to get a sense of whether he was likely to understand the angles we were about to deploy. If his socks were pulled up to different heights, I always knew we had him. Flyhalves solve higher level problems

Biltong d o you have any theories about the ideal physique for a prop these days? Seems we are drifting to taller props, presumablty for better lineout support.

Mozart, so you played deep for a flyhalf?

I prefer shorter tight heads, the most difficult props I ever face were the short ones, they are difficult to get under as a loose head, so basic physics can't help you when a tight head is shorter than you.

But again, if the opposing loosehead is much taller than you then he can easily lift you out if he is a strong specimen with decent technique and knows how to get under you.

It is a difficult one to answer. From experience I hated short tight heads.

Yeah, Hayman was and still is a great tight head.

To be honest I haven't watched them extensively, but from what I have seen they scrum straight first and foremost.

I am a firm believer the technique of staying straight is the most important one if you want to dominate scrums. If you saw this past weekend, unlike when someone scrums in you can go through the opposition scrum.

I haven't watched their technique in detail but will pay more attention this weekend.

Strangely they aren't the biggest front row around, which would suggest that technically they are well coached. 

 Very telling indeed Ceradyne, I used to do judo as a teenager, and similarly to wrestling you learn how to use your weight and momentum as well as where to grip.

I have always been of the belief, Judo or Wrestling is essential if you want to play rugby.

NOt only because of what you learn, but the manner in which you build muscle fits perfect.

I take exception to that Sir!!!

Do you know the dedication and money required to get that "sack" under the chest?

No, you certainly don't with you Herb drinks, Celery sn acks and perfectly gelled hair! 

Backs are sissies as well.

In a training session one day the second team (us) were playing against the first team.

My brother in law was inside center for the first team and his brother the left wing for them, because of who they were I always wanted to tackle the snot out of them, but due to their superior pace and the fact that they played out wide I seldom got the opportunity to line them up.

On this day I received the ball from second phase, and as I started my run I saw my brother in law was defending the inside channel. I got all excited and decided I am going to simply run over him.

As I got within reach I dropped my shoulder in anticipation of hitting him full on and running him into the ground.

As I braced for the impact, he simply stepped aside at the last moment and I lost my balance, went to ground and my run was halted.

After the session in the change rooms I approached him and told him he was a sissy, his response to me was this "If you saw the expression on your face you would have given way too"