I don’t suppose this will mean much to the followers of the round ball game, or even followers of Rugby League, but in this new season, the Rugby Union laws on scrummaging have changed, basically back to what they were when I was still playing.
I will not go into technical details, but it is great to see props propping again instead of collapsing in a heap every other scrum, hookers hooking the ball again and the ball being put into the scrum straight, and not right into the back row. The only thing still a bit silly is that the ref has to tell the scrum half when to put the ball in. When I were a lad, this was normally done by the hooker and scrum half devising a set of hand (or at least finger) signals to indicate the most advantageous time to put the ball in. There are still many opportunities for skullduggery in the dark depths of the front row, but it is, as it was, more difficult for refs to spot, unless, like one of my mates, who was an ex hooker, whenever he reffed me, he blew the whistle even on the odd occasion when I was not indulging in naughtiness.
Anyway, the first weekend of the English Rugby Premiership has provided four exciting games so far, with one to come tomorrow. I look forward to the new season.
Boadicea's Chariot 
One of my biggest bugbears this last few seasons has been the amount of time wasted on resetting scrums, we’ve been using the new laws for a while now, they’re a vast improvement to the game.
Had to laugh during one of our early Currie cup games, the ref awarded a free kick for the scrum half not putting the ball in straight, the ref then called the scrum half and captain over and told them that next time it would be a penalty! Ha ha, the look on their faces 🙂
Using blatant plagiarism, this is quite beyond me!
I never understood how a hooker hooked without lifting one foot off the ground! Sounds like high time for this return to the basics.
It’s about time, I don’t know when the practice of the scrum half feeding the ball into his own half of the scrum started but I’m glad that it’s ended
I stopped playing as a prop so long ago that the winger was still throwing the ball in at line outs but the scrum still matters to me and I welcome the new laws.
I thought the Bokke stuffing of the Wallabies yesterday proved their value with the Aussies being penalised amongst other things for early shove and crooked feed. The application of said laws allowed the stronger and better pack to dominate that phase while still allowing the weaker pack to recover the ball on their own head instead of being shoved off it most of the time.
The coaches who hate the new law will continue to fulminate but they are wrong. I think that Brian Moore should take a lot of credit for his one-man campaign for scrimmage changes. I really, really hated him when he hooked (and mouthed off) for England but respect to him as a commentator on the game and on its laws.
JW, good afternoon. Stick with it. It’s getting a bit more like football. Yesterday, Ashley-Cooper ran into van der Merwe chasing a box kick. To be fair, vdW did not try too hard to get out of his way but A-C went into a dive of which even Gareth Bale would have been proud.
Generally going back to older models is an improvement!
Not doubt his profession (solicitor) helps! 🙂