The Scrum in One Session

The scrum in one session

You have only 30 minutes to put together your scrum for your new team's first game of the season. What can you realistically focus on in such a short time?

The scrum is crucial to the game. Win good scrum ball and you are in one of the best attacking positions you can have.

Teams nowadays focus increasingly on the "hit", commonly used to describe the moment the two front rows engage. The word "hit" is actually seen by the authorities as a dangerous term and in a sense it does not capture what the engagement requires.

Not only should the front row win the first contact point, but continue to drive through, giving the scrum a momentum that is hard to resist. Body positions

First you need to make sure the whole scrum can maintain the right pushing position. If you have a scrum machine, then line the players up and get them to engage. Otherwise, use two players standing up for a player to bind on to. The picture below gives you the ideal body positions. Front row engagement

The engagement holds the key to a good scrum, so it is likely that most of your time will be spent making sure your front three are happy and secure with this aspect.

An efficient scrum needs the hooker in a position to strike the ball through the loose head (left hand side) prop's feet.

Experiment with the binding and engagement for five minutes with all the options being tried out. As a rule of thumb, both props' inside shoulders should be promoted in front of the hooker to protect him on engagement. A couple of strikes at this stage would be useful. Four square

Building a scrum means that a good front row needs four square shoulders from the back row and locks. In which case, build the scrum with these players binding together before binding on to the front row.

How they approach the scrum is something for you to decide. Some coaches prefer the locks to go down on one knee, others to be on their haunches before engagement.

At this stage it is worth swapping around a few players to cover possible injuries, substitutions and perhaps sin bin offences. Eight in

The number 8 has an active role to play at the scrum, driving in the lock forwards and keeping them square.

An efficient scrum can bind and be ready for engagement quickly. A couple of minutes practice, moving around to different parts of the field and then binding up, can create cohesion.

If you have the facility, then some cohesive drives and strikes would be helpful, but not too many. Iron out a few deficiencies, but longer term problems will have to be put on hold.

Safety

If you make safety implicit in all your scrummaging then you don't have to stop and discuss safety every time.

In defence

Push or strike? This is the key defensive question at this stage. A powerful hooker may prefer to strike, otherwise your side may opt for an "8 v 6-and-a-1/2"! That is, you can push with all eight players. Meanwhile, they lose some of their pack-strength since their hooker is striking for the ball and their loose head prop is preoccupied by the gap between their legs for the strike. Pick and go

You will need one back row move. If you have a well established back row from previous years, then a couple of moves might be revised.

Otherwise it is case of checking that your number eight can pick and drive correctly. Key questions for review

 Is the front row satisfied with the engagement?

 Can the hooker strike the ball efficiently?

 Have the middle four (4, 5, 6, 7) bound effectively to provide the front row with push and stability?

 Have you got at least one back row move ready for your first game?

* Back row moves * 8-9-14

This move works best from a scrum in the opposition's half, which is at least 15 metres from the right hand touchline. It might not work near their line because most teams will put in another defender to cover the blindside. Why it works

From a scrum with a 15 metre or greater blindside, a swift 8 and 9 can quickly get into the space between the scrum and normally the lone defender.

8's run draws a back row defender to create a 2 v 1 for your 9 and 14. With the defending 15 likely to be covering the midfield, this may give 14 a free run to the line. Good if you have

 A quick 8 who can pass well.

 A quick 9 who can attack gaps.  A fast 14.

 A scrum that can wheel slightly so the tighthead side gets ahead of the loosehead. What players should do  As soon as the ball is at his feet, 8 picks and goes right. He passes to 9 as that player comes round.

 9 puts the ball into the scrum and then arcs round the back of it and to the right. He takes a pass from 8 and attacks the inside shoulder of the opposition 11. If the opposition 11 is drawn in, 9 passes to 14. Otherwise 9 continues his run.

 14 stands close to the touchline. He waits until 9 receives the ball before running forwards to support 9, possibly to take the pass. Common mistakes

 The scrum wheels the wrong way, so 8 has a long way to go to attack. In which case cancel the call.

 8 runs too far with the ball.

 14 stands too close or runs too early. He must maintain his position to keep his marker guessing. Think about

 14 looking to switch with 9.

 9 kicking ahead for 14, especially if the opposition has put another defender on the blindside.