As resident scrum guru, Tight Head brings you some insight on The Dark Art of the FRONT ROW.
There has been some understandable concern about the scrum performance of the Boks last Saturday.
Peter De Villiers has acknowledged that the coaching team will have to pay attention to the scrum this week in their preparation for meeting the Aussies in Brisbane.
All Bok fans will look forward to seeing a much improved scrumming performance in Brisbane.
Let’s try and remove some of the mystery from the so called, “dark art of the front row” and examine some good basic scrumming principles that we as fans should be looking for this coming Saturday:
A pack that is able to scrum low, yet in a technically correct manner is most efficient.
The height at which you scrum is determined by the level that YOU set at the hit, not that of your opponents.
Tight binding by all eight players is vital.
A straight back body position, with legs set back at the optimum angle is a must for all eight players.
A well timed eight man shove is the key to setting the platform.
Loose forwards make no contribution to the scrum if their shoulder is not attached to the scrum and their heads are in the air.
With the ground as an anchor, power is generated in the legs and transferred through the body into the neck and shoulders where it needs to be delivered together as a pack at the right time.
These are some of the basics of good scrumming and represent the first non negotiable steps towards building a solid platform. Each one of these steps is perfected by the application of good technique and practise.
Totally aside from the above is the man on man battle in the front row. The ascendancy of the pack is set at this coalface. At the highest level of the game technique and mental attitude become the most determining factors in this battle.
Some points to look out for this Saturday are as follows:
All three players tightly bound and hitting in together at the same level.
The loose head binding under the opposition arm and getting under the tight head.
The tight head binding over the opposition arm and transferring power down and through the loose head.
The hooker scrumming with his legs back in a scrumming position on the opposition ball and scrumming together with his tight head on this ball.
Once again these are some basic pointers to setting the correct platform at scrum time in the front row.
There is more technique in this area than anywhere else in rugby, and we can examine some of that after watching the Boks scrum in Brisbane this Saturday.
So let’s keep these basics in mind when we watch and remember high is bad and low is good!!
Experience is vital. The current Bok frontrow is relatively new, that is why they struggle
Good stuff Tighthead…please go and visit the Bulls and the Boks. 😉
@Supa Die Bloubul – A prop forward only gets the experience the hard way.what happens if i hit from the top.what happens if i hit upwards or straight you cannot buy the ansers you learn them by paying your school fees
Thanks TH, but can you explain what is going on with the Boks and why they are getting shunted around?
Wow!
Great article this, I have to read it again some more….
Howzit Tight Head
Great article and great insight as usual.
Thanks mate, hope to read loads more articles and comments from you
@Pietman – yep i think th hits the nail on the head the tecnical side is spot on but there are things a prop can only learn on the pitch.a good club th has more scrumming knollege than js will get in the next 2 years
Eat your Heart out other Web Sites….. we have Tight Head !!
Whooooooopeeeeeeeeee !
Heeeeeeee haaaaaaaaaaaaa
Ek is nie ‘n kenner nie, maar die k@k het Saterdag begin toe Bekker en Scalla op die veld gekom het. Verder het die ref ons lateraan so baie gestraf dat ons ouens bang was vir skrum, en hulle het dus al met die “hit” die skrum verloor…
To me it seems as if the Boks are not being aggressive enough “at the hit”, and are rather “taking the hit”.
Smits back is not straight, he cannot get any power from his hips and legs.
@KingPaul – Dis net da wat jy jou alie sien .die hit is wa jy die scrum wen of verloor
9@KingPaul – Ons sien weekliks dieselfde by die Bulle… sonder Vic en Bakkies, sukkel die Bulle voorry.
Ek sê mos lankal, LangBek het sy tekortkominge…. en skrumwerk is een van hulle… sy agterlyn-rondhangery die ander !
@Loosehead – net so. you must never take the hit jou must make the hit,i dont know how the boks do it but you get it right by doing it against the scrum mashine 60 times a session
@smallies72 – Oom Tat Botha made us practice scrumming about 60 times every week.
@Loosehead – oom tat is n baie wyse en slim man n legende by kovsies en vs o21 het jy ook blokkies rowe op jou skouers gehad van jou trui?
halloooo Almal….lekker om so ‘n artikel te lees en darrem iets te leer, ek verstaan nou so kleeeeein bietjie beter hehehe, scrums is darrem baie tegnies jong
Do you guys remember the WOODEN SCRUM MACHINE the All Blacks built and specially employed here in SA when they toured here in the 90’s ?
Apparently it was very damn low…. and very heavy.
Like you say, scrumming is all about exact timing of 8 players, body positions perfect… forming a true “vector” Power (all in line pushing in exactly the same direction).
If the front row does not have their backs straight, then the other 5 forwards can do whatever they want, the scrum will be weak !
@smallies72 – Ja ek het.
Ons moes Navel Hill op hardloop met pale op ons skouers.
@grootblousmile – Fitzpatrick built it, he was a carpenter by trade.
@Loosehead – sprints teen seinheuwel?
@smallies72 – Hardly sprinting, I was so bloody tired it was more like walking up Navel Hill.
Tat is / was indeed a legend of Kovsie and FS U21 rugby.
@Loosehead – Wonder hoeveel bokke het deur sy hande gegaan ek kan vinnig aan n helse klomp dink
@smallies72 – Die mederheid Bokke wie van die Vrystaat af is, het of onder Oom Tat by Kovsies of U21 gespeel.
The hit is the most vital part, but we did that fine on Saturday. We were blown for early engagement, wich shows that we were on timing with the hit. You can still get away with the call of the reff, by telling him that today you are going to work on his hand, not on his engage sound. Most reffs will never know what hit them.
Low body position is great – but you need to squad in your legs – and the Boks lower their upperbody – wich put the centre of gravity downward, and wasting the energy from your legs.
A hooker who put his legs back in a scrum will help not much. He is the centre of the scrum, and will not give any strength to the scrum once it move forward, because his legs will already be stretched.
The basic 3 scrums is MTN – Any word starting with M – the whole pack shift their power from left leg to right – Smith hold back on the hit – and Beast gets his hit earlier. A T-scrum everybody channel power from both legs straight – disrupting the scrum, and let the oppisition feel the fulle force, and N-scrum is the oppisite of the M-scrum – and that is the sole reason for Habanna’s try – because it took the flankers out of the game – since the had to cover 3 extra meters to get there.
24@Ex Player – And I thought MTN was a Cellphone Operator and Provider….
Oi !!
Nice article TH.
Always enjoyed your comments Tight Head…Nice article too.
Hiya Puma!!! Nice seeing you here buddy.
@Irish Devil – 28
Good to see you here Irish. How you keeping mate? Hope well.
Mentioned on the other thread that JdV is off to Munster. That will make you happy mate.
@Puma – To be sure buddy. Hope you will be supporting Munter this coming season again.
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