Scrums can end up in boring stand-offs, but top players see opportunities to take control by being the first to drive the scrum in the right direction.
In the scrum pictured above three RiuSuk players in a Champions Cup match have gotten sucked into a wrestling match for the ball against one Flipper player, Thor Lykke Funk. Funk appears to have taken control of this one. His legs are kicking while his opponents are stuck in a vertical position. A lone player should not be able to overpower three but Funk is the only one who can effectively move the group.
Obviously Flipper is more likely to have a player beneath the scrum ready to snatch a dropped ball or take a pass. Can the RiuSuk players swim the scrum to a better spot?
The challenge for the Finnish club is to begin kicking at all, since their legs cannot be raised. Even if they were in open water, Funk would have momentum on his side. Once a scrum is moving the players who are just hanging on will even find gaining control of their fins a challenge. This is also often why players get driven out of bounds.
To test this at practice set up two players on opposite sides of the ball and let one start kicking for 3 seconds before the other starts to resist. The dangling legs will drift the wrong direction, frustrating the player who has fallen behind in the battle. Getting them up and pointed backwards to reverse directions will take considerable effort.
Steering scrums away from one’s own goal area can be a game decider. Which is why goalkeepers on defense try to kick off the wall to gain some speed. If scrum is close to one’s own goal, ripping the ball loose without full control can result in a dropped ball that can set up the offensive team to score.
Be the first player in the scrum to kick in the right direction.
Originally posted on Davrell Tien’s page: UWRugby.org .
The translator’s note: I’ve immediately recalled the honest surprise on the face of the 3 Honvéd players as Kisapuka demonstrated the kraft, as nobody responded to his “Push to the other side!” commands and dared/wanted to stop the polo players advancing on the surface like a track belt beautifully , and he pushed the ball back himself. The boys later admitted with a laugh that it was probably the first time that one person managed to pull so many of them. The same principle: once a scrum gets moving, it’s hard to change the direction from the inside.
