I have packed into a lot of scrums in my time. I’d say they number in the hundreds. Mostly in the second row, but I’ve muscled up in the front row too, and even, in my youngest days, at number 8 and flanker.
I have packed into scrums that drove the opposition remorselessly backwards, splintering them like a bathroom door in the Overlook Hotel. I have packed into scrums that went skidding backwards like a confused bobsled team, incapable of resisting the other side’s terrifying drive. And I’ve been in scrums that, well, kind of just.
..stood there, grunting and panting and holding the tension, straining every sinew while wondering why the hell the halfback wouldn’t just pick the frigging ball up so we can get out of this nightmare.
Yes, I have been in many scrums. But if I’m honest, I don’t really understand them at all. In the old days, there didn’t seem to be much to understand.
When I was learning to play rugby, scrums were apparently simple, certainly from a second-rowers’ perspective: you wrapped your arm round tight, got as low as you could, put in a big shove, and then stood up and listened to the coach tell you you weren’t pushing hard enough. If you were in the front row, it was a bit more complicated: you crouched, grappled with your opponent, tried to hold your position, then stood up and listened to the coach tell the second row they weren’t pushing hard enough. Watch every match of Super Rugby Pacific ad-free, live & on demand on the Home of R.