Effect of the 'Crouch, Bind, Set' engagement routine on scrum performance in English Premiership Rugby STEAN, Dale, BARNES, Andrew <http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8262-5132> and CHURCHILL, Sarah M. <http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9542-3812> Available from Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive (SHURA) at: http://shura.shu.ac.uk/13481/ This document is the author deposited version. You are advised to consult the publisher's version if you wish to cite from it. Published version STEAN, Dale, BARNES, Andrew and CHURCHILL, Sarah M. (2015). Effect of the 'Crouch, Bind, Set' engagement routine on scrum performance in English Premiership Rugby. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 15 (3), 1202-1212. Copyright and re-use policy See http://shura.shu.ac.uk/information.html Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive http://shura.shu.ac.uk Effect of the ‘Crouch, Bind, Set’ engagement routine on scrum performance in English Premiership Rugby Dale Stean, Andrew Barnes and Sarah M. Churchill Academy of Sport and Physical Activity, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, S10 2BP, UK. Abstract The effect of the new scrum engagement sequence introduced at the start of the 2013/2014 season on scrum performance has not been evaluated. This study compared scrum performance indicators pre- (2012/2013 season) and post-law change (2013/2014). Several performance indicators at the scrum were identified in 20 games from each season of the English domestic Premiership. These included the number of penalties, free kicks and resets awarded. A Mann Whitney U test showed a significant increase in the number of scrums per game, from 17.50 to 23.85 (p = 0.003, ES = 0.47). This was contributed to by a 112% increase in the number of reset scrums (p <0.0005). Of the resets, there was a significant increase in the number of scrums reset due to collapsing, which is of concern for player welfare. However, resets for collapsing accounted for a similar proportion of the total resets pre and post law change at 52% and 53%, respectively, and may be due to the relative novelty of the technique and stringent law enforcement increasing resets. In contrast, there was a decrease in the number of early engagements from 1.65 to 0.40 per match following the law change which is likely beneficial for player welfare. Key words: notational analysis, engagement, rugby union, law change Correspondence Sarah Churchill Academy of Sport and Physical Activity, Sheffield Hallam University, Room A115, Collegiate Hall, Collegiate Crescent, Sheffield S10 2BP Telephone: +44 (0)114 225 5921 Email: [email protected] Effect of the ‘Crouch, Bind, Set’ engagement routine on scrum performance in English Premiership Rugby Abstract The effect of the new scrum engagement sequence introduced at the start of the 2013/2014 season on scrum performance has not been evaluated. This study compared scrum performance indicators pre- (2012/2013 season) and post-law change (2013/2014). Several performance indicators at the scrum were identified in 20 games from each season of the English domestic Premiership. These included the number of penalties, free kicks and resets awarded. A Mann Whitney U test showed a significant increase in the number of scrums per game, from 17.50 to 23.85 (p = 0.003, ES = 0.47). This was contributed to by a 112% increase in the number of reset scrums (p <0.0005). Of the resets, there was a significant increase in the number of scrums reset due to collapsing, which is of concern for player welfare. However, resets for collapsing accounted for a similar proportion of the total resets pre and post law change at 52% and 53%, respectively, and may be due to the relative novelty of the technique and stringent law enforcement increasing resets. In contrast, there was a decrease in the number of early engagements from 1.65 to 0.40 per match following the law change which is likely beneficial for player welfare. Key words: notational analysis, engagement, rugby union, law change 1. Introduction Scrummaging is a key component of the game of Rugby Union and is a way of restarting play safely and fairly following a stoppage or minor infringement, such as a knock on (World Rugby, 2015). During the scrum eight players from each team bind together to create a tunnel into which the attacking team throws the ball allowing the two teams to compete for possession. The nature of the scrum is such that the front row players experience large forces on engagement (Milburn, 1994; Cazzola et al., 2015), which may result in injury. Furthermore, unstable engagements can result in collapsed scrums which disrupt play and can potentially increase the risk of serious injury. Injury incidence during scrummaging is relatively rare compared with other aspects of the game. Williams et al. (2013) reported that being tackled and tackling accounted for the first and second highest injury incidences in the game at 29 and 19 incidences per 1000 player hours, respectively. Scrums accounted for 7 injury incidences per 1000 playing hours (Williams et al., 2013). However, Fuller et al. (2007) found that players are 60% more likely to be injured scrummaging than in a tackle. Injuries during scrummaging can be catastrophic, with the potential to cause paralysis and even death. Furthermore, it is believed that the demands of scrummaging may be a factor in chronic degenerative conditions of front row forwards (Quarrie et al., 2002; Hogan et al., 2010). Thus, the potential for injury due to scrummaging has been a cause for concern for the sport's governing body. In addition to injury concerns, unstable and collapsed scrums disrupt the flow of the game and can reduce spectator enjoyment. Fuller et al. (2007) analysed a total of 1447 scrums within the English Premiership (2003/2004 and 2005/2006 seasons) and found that 17.2% collapsed with 30.1% being reset. In the 2013 Six Nations tournament there was an average of 14 scrums per game (International Rugby Board, 2013a). For every 100 scrums, 59 collapsed, 30 were reset and 41 penalties or free kicks were awarded, indicating that very few scrums were completed without incident (International Rugby Board, 2013a). In May 2013, the International Rugby Board (now World Rugby) announced a global trial to change to the scrum engagement process effective from the start of the 2013/2014 season. The previous laws, in place from June 2012 to the start of the 2013/2014 season, used a ‘Crouch, Touch, Set’ engagement routine. This involved players crouching on the ‘crouch’ command, touching the outside shoulder of the opposing prop on the ‘touch’ command, before withdrawing their arms. Players were permitted to engage on the 'set' command. The new engagement call consisted of ‘Crouch, Bind, Set’ commands. This call requires the props bind on their opposite player’s jersey at the back or side and keep the bind prior to the 'set' call after which the players engage. Research has shown that the introduction of a pre-bind engagement reduces the force upon impact by approximately 20% whilst maintaining a stable scrum (Cazzola et al., 2015). It has been suggested that the new engagement routine may increase the longevity of a player’s career and provide them with better health and wellbeing following their career as the lower forces and potentially better alignment obtained by the players scrummaging can prevent repetitive stresses that may lead to degeneration of the spine (Preatoni et al., 2015). Whilst biomechanical differences between engagement conditions have been studied (Cazzola et al. 2015; Preatoni et al., 2015), the effect of the law changes on game play have not been fully investigated. The trial laws were first piloted in competition in the Southern Hemisphere in the 2013 Rugby Championship. For every 100 scrums there was an increase in collapses, resets and penalties/free kicks awarded in the 2013 competition compared with the 2012 competition under the previous scrum laws. There was a decrease in the number of times the ball came out of the scrum from 69 to 60 per 100 scrums (International Rugby Board 2013b). There was an average of 14 scrums per match with only 80% of possession retained by the side with the throw. This was 10% less than the previous year. One of the new directives for referees was to penalise crooked feeds, thus forcing scrum halves to put the ball in straighter, which may account for the increase in the number of balls won against the head (6 in 172 scrums), an increase from 1.2% to 3.5% in 2013 (International Rugby Board, 2013b). In addition, there was an increase from 31 penalties/free kicks awarded in the 2012 competition to 40 in 2013. It was predicted that the trial laws would result in fewer penalties (Rugby Football Union, 2013a). However, 25% of all penalties and free kicks awarded in the 2013 Rugby Championship were awarded at the scrum (International Rugby Board, 2013b), a figure that is higher than other competitions (International Rugby Board, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2012a, 2012b, 2013a). While the implementation of the new trial laws were suggested to have several benefits to the game such as improved player safety and fewer collapses, penalties and resets (Rugby Football Union, 2013a), the findings from the 2013 pilot may have been the result of a period of adjustment to the new laws, potentially resulting in more mistakes and offences. The pilot of the laws used the Rugby Championship, an international competition made up of southern hemisphere teams. Previous research has shown differences in the playing styles between Northern and Southern Hemisphere teams (Jones et al., 2004b). To our knowledge, no studies of the effect of the change in engagement routine in Northern Hemisphere domestic rugby union have been conducted.