We all love our game of rugby with varying degrees of passion, from the Taliban like fundamentalism of the painted Bulls bone heads, to the plasma screen couch fans popping salted peanuts in their mouth at home or at bars around the world.
The game either ranges from a spectacle with a clash of the titan rugby elite, to a tame uninspired encounter between various school teams.
The sizzle in rugby is the fire and brimstone of the players, which has become the required hallmark that is synonymous with new age rugby entertainment in the bid to score tries and maximum bonus points
Obviously I am over generalising here, but there is a lot of media focus on the bad boys of rugby who on the field get Yellow Carded or Red Carded, or outright banned for a few games by the citing commissioner, or turfed out of the game all together for some miscreant violent behaviour off the field.
So when I got a rugby coaching e-mail circular yesterday, it got me thinking that, except for the few front row specialists and coaches, we know very little as to what really goes on in the “engine room” of the scrum, between props and hookers as they pound each other with brute force on cue to the Couch-Touch-Pause-Engage command from the ref.
It is a peculiar camaraderie between every single front rower, big or small, that they are part of a revered group of true rugby purists, because what goes on here is not seen by TV camera or photographer lens. This Front Row contest is the inner sanctum of rugby and some might go on to say, where the game of rugby is won or lost.
Every day I receive an e-mail from Dan Cottrell on Better Coaching, Smart Coaching, Smart Sessions and a range of Skills and Drills, all extremely well laid out and incredibly insightful into the game of rugby, with a viewpoint that resonated with me as to how complex and scientific rugby coaching is today. It is tough and incredibly cerebral which most times is at odds with the wider image and understanding of what a good coach is.
But then he went on to “OUT” the skull duggery trademark secrets of the front row with an excerpt from his “Secrets of the Front Row” that makes for interesting reading, so with thanks to Dan Cottrell.
“It is helpful to know how cheating in the front row happens so you can work out the strategies to overcome it.
I don’t condone cheating in any form. But the reality is that some sides, or specific players, may try to cheat to gain an advantage. Here are some examples of how players cheat in the front row.
A thumb in the shorts: An opposition player reaches over the top and then puts their thumb in your prop’s shorts. They then pull the prop outwards.
Binding on the shorts: Instead of binding on the back or the side of the shirt, the opposition prop will bind on the shorts with a straight arm. This gives another “piston” from which to shove.
Slipping the binding: It is remarkably difficult to work out who is binding on whom in the front row, particularly when looked at from the referee’s point of view. Some unscrupulous props and/or hookers may slip their inside binding and punch or gouge their opposite number.
Stamping on toes: If a front row has some ascendancy on the initial engagement, then they may stamp on the toes of the opposition. Hookers are often targets for this type of treatment.
Head on the hooker’s knee: The opposition hooker places their head on your hooker’s striking knee making it difficult to strike for the ball.
Head on head: The prop puts his head on the opposition second row’s head, making it a very uncomfortable pushing position from the second row.
Engagement miss hits: Just before the engagement, the opposition prop hits your prop’s shoulder with their arm to change the angle of impact. This reduces the effectiveness of your scrum’s initial impact.
Boring in: This is where a prop turns in on the opposing prop or hooker. Often the opposition loose head prop and hooker work together to target the tight head prop.
They will start by making a very small space for the tight head’s head to engage on impact, and then they will drive in. The aim is to destabilise the scrum and so reduce the effectiveness of the shove.
Dropping the scrum under pressure: A very dangerous tactic whereby the opposition front row fold forward to bring the other front row down with them. If the referee is finding it difficult to pick out the perpetrators, then it is used to disrupt the rhythm of the other scrum.
Popping up under pressure: If a hooker or prop feels they are at a disadvantage on impact, they may well “pop” upwards and out of the scrum. They might even “pop” up just before impact as well.”
This article on how the front row can cheat at scrums is from Dan Cottrell’s – Secrets of the Front Row.
Then, courtesy Rugby-Talk Blogger “The Saint” comes some additional South African home grown front row tactics:
A scrum reset: “lose” your balance and punch your opposing prop in the sternum (higher chest)he will not be able to scrum for hours (This can also be done in general play) It’s just too painful to even contemplate.
Vicks Vaporub: Smear Vicks lightly behind your ears, move your head around come scrumtime, watch the opposing front row break down in tears.
Loosehead: Bind slightly behind your hooker’s shoulder to get your heads closer, then both aim for the tighthead’s head, it hurts you a bit as well, but if done right, he’ll have a headache for at least 15 minutes afterwards.
Scrum Over: do not release immediately, hold on for a little while longer, if the opponent’s locks are gone, walk forward briskly, this bends the opponent’s player back somewhat, causing pain in the abdomen, difficult to scrum for quite a while.
In the act of Engaging: Lose your grip on your hooker, and charge forward, hitting the opponent prop high up on the leg, causing a serious “lammie” or bargain, hit him on the crotch, his game is basically ruined. Might cost you a penalty, but worth it for the easy game afterwards.
This gives one a greater understanding of the scrum contest and especially what the ref has to contend with, with these sophisticated and honed front row practices. No wonder they are trialling lipstick head cameras for the ref.
It does offer an interesting dimension on the front row tussle and who is doing what to whom when the front row “engages”.
Then as a post script to the front row – below is a very tongue in cheek take on some South African front row “names” by Stephen Jones of the Daily Mail.
“South Africa’s leading lard-bottoms
The pumped-up props for whom reverse gear is a way of life.
10. Wian du Preez – came on as a replacement for South Africa against Sarries yesterday at Wembley, hammered by Richard Skuse then ritually slaughtered by Carlos Nieto in the final quarter. Ran backwards.
9. B J Botha – when last I was in South Africa, one of the home prop-slobberers told me to watch out for BJ, he was something special. Indeed he was. He stayed hidden for 80 minutes.
8. C J van der Linde – shocking. He was beasted to kingdom come in the Wasps-Leinster Heineken match at Twickenham last season. Cue disappearance of CJ and enter unopposed scrums.
7. Lawrence Sephaka – still staggering about in France last time we heard. Was usually carted off at half-time in big games after being murdered in the scrum. Token-selection suspicions ahoy.
6. Gurthro Steenkamp – nice bloke, but he couldn’t scrummage your Auntie. Totally obliterated by Martin Castrogiovanni of Leicester at Welford Road last week. Would struggle for a beer-only contract in a local leagues outfit.
5. Ollie le Roux – great jolly barrel of a man. Enjoyed the odd gallop prior to a ten-minute break for wheezing and getting his breath back, but yet another Bok prop who was simply not at the races as a scrummager.
4. John Smit – a few years ago he was a decent hooker. Now, in answer to the savage dearth, he is a prop who, if he quickened up dramatically, would be military slow-medium.
3. Jannie du Plessis – smashed to pieces by the reserve Leicester front row last week. Big and chunky and a shame he kept missing the How to Prop seminars. No forward gears, apparently.
2. Tendai Mtawarira – even by the second-half of the first Test against the Lions we knew that his striking scrummaging against Phil Vickery in the first half had been a freak, aided by a ref who let him scrum with total illegality. In the rest of the series, including the return against Vickery in the third Test, he was demolished
1. Os du Randt – the mountainous hero, the untouchable, four-square baldy of scrum-time, adored in the Republic. Especially by those whose televisions were on the blink when he was destroyed piece by piece and utterly humiliated by Julian White at Twickenham a few years ago.”
TonyM,
You should send this article to the kiwi and ozzie refs, it might actually enable them to interpret the scrum correctly.
Very informative indeed.
Except for your reverse gear analysis, seems you might have to go through your own article a few more times. 😉
Hello Rugby talkers!!!!
Hey Tony, its only non front row players who regard any of this as cheating.
It just all in a days work, and is only bad when the ref blows you for it!!!
At Primary school I played hooker and later moved to full back and wing.
Now I am very glad I got out before the wog boys gave me a good working over!! 🙂
Hehe.
All seems like professional rugby stuff to me and to be expected. Was hopeing u were going to tell about gobsmakeing naughty stuff.
Oops,
Sorry TonyM, seems I jumped the gun on the reverse gear analysis…..it’s Stephan Jones that needs to read the article….please forward it to him as well. 🙂
“Head on the hooker’s knee: The opposition hooker places their head on your hooker’s striking knee making it difficult to strike for the ball.”
I fail to see this is any tactic whatsoever…who would in anyone mind put their head by someones knee…its crazy. A dof hooker would take the opportiunity to give the nut a crack! Its suicide.
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“Stamping on toes: If a front row has some ascendancy on the initial engagement, then they may stamp on the toes of the opposition. Hookers are often targets for this type of treatment.”
If you can get your feet on someones toes in a scrum its either you are winning the scrum or losing it…in both instances you wont need to use it. At the engage you wont get anywhere the oppositions toes…if you are able to then you are letting your scrum buddies down…you are going to go backwards because you are going to be off balance.
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Binding on the shortsw – who does this? It is a very weak tactic.
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Popping up before impact is for those who dont like their life.
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Popping is a losing tactic…you wont win the ref over with this. You pop up you get penaliswed.
I think someone thought of these tractics over a few beers.
Dont think they are well thought out.
OK
Placing your head on the opponent hookers knee (getting concussed), and stamping on the feet of a hooker (by a prop) are both equally impossible to do, these cheats has been written by a backline player who obviously has never been in a scrum in his life.
Take it from someone who has played in that position in the most dangerous form of rugby known to man…amateur club rugby.
Cheating tactics known to work are:
When a scrum resets, “lose” your balance and punch your opposing prop in the sternum (higher chest)he will not be able to scrum for hours (This can also be done in general play) It’s just too painful to even contemplate.
Smearing Vicks Vaporub lightly behind your ears, move your head around come scrumtime, watch the opposing front row break down in tears.
If your a loosehead, bind slightly behind your hooker’s shoulder to get your heads closer, then both aim for the tighthead’s head, it hurts you a bit as well, but if done right, he’ll have a headache for at least 15 minutes afterwards.
When a scrum is over, do not release immediately, hold on for a little while longer, if the opponent’s locks are gone, walk forward briskly, this bends the opponent’s player back somewhat, causing pain in the abdomen, difficult to scrum for quite a while.
In the act of engaging, lose your grip on your hooker, and charge forward, hitting the opponent prop high up on the leg, causing a serious “lammie” or bargain, hit him on the crotch, his game is basically ruined. Might cost you a penalty, but worth it for the easy game afterwards.
Please I will not tell anyone to use these tactics, but they are being used, and believe me, they are all highly effective, I have done them all, and I have also been on the receiving end.
Most of the other stuff mentioned is normal scrum play, for the backline it might be cheating for us, a mere way of life.
#7 – Wallabie
Agreed, no idea who ever put their head on a hooker’s knee, you will get your skull cracked.
Stamping on toes, if you are in a position that your feet is close to your opponents feet, you are either lying on your back, already defeated, or scrumming against a 12-year old.
Head on Head…lol.
I struggle to find who would do that…by accident it is very painful for both. In a deliberate situation the pain is going to be felt by both. The only way you can be better off is to raise your head do you hit the oppsition head with your Forehead. You then risk snapping your neck as your spine is not staright when you get the impact.
As a second rower… I used to put my head in the way of the hooker so he could not see when the ball was put in.
The other one I used to do was the same but then thrust my head up and hit the hooker on the nose. I only needed to do it once each scrum…hit a nose…the eyes close and they water.
One game I got clobbered but i was worth it.
Wallabie, now we know why our scrums not performing, please tell how to do the low down and dirty properly.
i will pass this on2 our players somehow 😆
The saint
I used to put vicks in my hair as a second rower…then in a scrum my prop will open a little and I would get in the way of the hooker and get the vicks in the eyes.
Walla
When I still blogged on Keo, I always thought you were a scrumhalve…as annoying as you were… 🙂
#13
Exactly, now that’s a tactic I know works. Hurts like hell though, some refs are smart, when they smell the Vicks, they immediately stop the scrum…hehehe
The Saint lol lol lol that is more how i imagined it was.
Thumb in shorts..one better.
In the groin area round about the elastic line…there is a major ligament anteriorly. when you engage get your thumb and dig the hell out of that ligament.
Its at the front (anteriorly) of the hip joint where the top of the shorts, elastic line, lie. probably better access to this in a ruck. better access is when the leg is raised slightly ie crouchi9ng in a scrum.
If you have a speedster in a ruck…thats your moment.
Its similar to a lammie…the prop/backline player runs around with a limp if you get it good.
The saint
The other one is heat rub at the base of my head. Hair at the bottom of my head smothered with heat rub.
“Sir I hurt the base of my head, top of neck, in the warm up I had to put heat rub.” what can he do if he smells something suspicious. There are refs that were up to it.
The hooker and prop is gone for the rest of the game…goneskies!!
The saint 14.
A saffa mate taught me all these tactics in the scrum.
He always played with me in rugby games but made sure he played against me in practise matches because he wanted to show his sadistic side.
He was an ex Capricorn boy.
Bloody good bloke to boot.
The saint
Scrumhalf…lol!!
I am not that dof and short.
Am going to watching the scrums on tv with my birding binocs now and see who has watery eyes and a limp.
next thing they will be putting tabasco in their hair gel 👿
wallabie @ 17
in the days when we were allowed to ruck
..
you didnt need a bloody degree to injure someone!!
flok!! 😯
o, and hello everyone
(yes, that include you too walla) … hows things?
hugs @ 21
hello there hugs
is that a chainsaw being revved in the background? 😉
Never grab a guys crotch…makesure you get hold of a nut and use your thumb and pointing fingure to squeeze. You will never see a guy squirm more. If he gets up again you make sure everyone else gets to the ruck before you…he will get you back…its not an experience you want coming your way.
If you see a guy wanting to vomit and he dont look tired…you now know why. In club rugby you see this.
ashley
Howzit.
Ashley
Robert Mugabe obviously wasted his time getting a degree in violence. He said he has one!!
Okay chaps its bedtime for me.
remember…
SWIM BETWEEN THE FLAGS!!
N
No self respecting prop would ever give away the secrets of the trade in a public forum.
#29
Ah, but you see, I am a converted hooker. All self-respecting props already knows ’em all, and the rest of the team reads shite like Dan Cotrell because they can’t believe that human beings will treat other human beings the way we do.
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