The Scrum - 2016.

[Oldschool]

Over the last few years the laws have been modified to reduce the number of scrums in a game.
On top of this, teams cheat/gamble and refs are frequently getting their decisions, at scrum time,
wrong.
One change that would make a big difference would be to no longer allow teams to opt for a scrum when given a penalty or for a crooked lineout throw.
Also free kicks resulting from scrum infringements should be allowed to be kicked directly to touch.

[Ruckedtobits]

To change the balance of the game in this way would be to fundamentally alter it closer to RL. I certainly don't want that and am satisfied with current balance, when refereed correctly.

BTW, you can kick a free kick directly to touch, you just don't get throw-in. If you did there would be no difference between penalty and free-kick.

A better Law Amendment in my view would be to abolish the push-over try. If team A are driving their opponents backwards over their line, one of their players, probably No 8 or SH, should be required to pick up ball and place it over the line. This change would have significant consequences for defences and where offside line is.

[Oldschoolsocks]

To change the balance of the game in this way would be to fundamentally alter it closer to RL. I certainly don't want that and am satisfied with current balance, when refereed correctly.

BTW, you can kick a free kick directly to touch, you just don't get throw-in. If you did there would be no difference between penalty and free-kick.

A better Law Amendment in my view would be to abolish the push-over try. If team A are driving their opponents backwards over their line, one of their players, probably No 8 or SH, should be required to pick up ball and place it over the line. This change would have significant consequences for defences and where offside line is.

No, you need to bounce before touch or you go back to where it was kicked

[simonokeeffe]

IMo stop the clock on scrums, that way teams dont kill time and it has other benefits: abll in play longer, more scores, players have to be fitter and lighter

[Oldschool]

To change the balance of the game in this way would be to fundamentally alter it closer to RL. I certainly don't want that and am satisfied with current balance, when refereed correctly.

BTW, you can kick a free kick directly to touch, you just don't get throw-in. If you did there would be no difference between penalty and free-kick.

A better Law Amendment in my view would be to abolish the push-over try. If team A are driving their opponents backwards over their line, one of their players, probably No 8 or SH, should be required to pick up ball and place it over the line. This change would have significant consequences for defences and where offside line is.

No, you need to bounce before touch or you go back to where it was kicked

Correct!.
The purpose of my post is primarily to eliminate the penalty try which is a relatively new innovation. It's intent was to reduce the number of scrums which it hasn't and if anything has encouraged more scrums.

[Ruckedtobits]

The penalty try is in the game for at least 60 years (that's the oldest version of the Laws I have). Abolishing the pushover try is different from abolishing the penalty try.

[Oldschool]

The penalty try is in the game for at least 60 years (that's the oldest version of the Laws I have). Abolishing the pushover try is different from abolishing the penalty try.

I never said anything about abolishing the pushover try.
Granting penalty tries for a series of scrum infringements is a relatively new thing in Rugby Union.

[neiliog93]

The one thing I would do is make the scrum like a maul in the sense that if you have the ball at the back and are trying to go forward to eke out a penalty/penalty try, and do not move forward for a few seconds, you must move the ball from the base of the no.8's feet or lose possession.

There are far too many teams, especially France, who have the ball at the back of the scrum for 8-10 seconds, aren't going forward at all, but leave it there, and then eventually start going forward and get a penalty. To me this ruins the game and uses the scrum as a cynical way to eke out miserable penalties, rather than to launch attacks from. There should be a very strict (stricter than mauls) 'USE IT!' rule that if you aren't going forward for 3 seconds, the ball MUST be passed out from the scrum or you lose possession. No more fat boys standing up in the front row and walking forward to get a penalty.

[neiliog93]

One more thing: If the scrum goes down but the ball is safely at the back at the no.8's feet and the ref can see no obvious infringement, he should allow play to continue (i.e the scrum-half passes the ball which is available at the back despite the collapse of the scrum). This would help to avoid many tedious resets. Far too many refs call for a reset for a collapsed scrum (i.e not penalising either side) despite the ball being available at the no,8#s feet. I noticed Glen Jackson interpreted a collapsed scrum as I've described here in today's France-Scotland game, and it helps speed up the game immensely.

[Oldschoolsocks]

To change the balance of the game in this way would be to fundamentally alter it closer to RL. I certainly don't want that and am satisfied with current balance, when refereed correctly.

BTW, you can kick a free kick directly to touch, you just don't get throw-in. If you did there would be no difference between penalty and free-kick.

A better Law Amendment in my view would be to abolish the push-over try. If team A are driving their opponents backwards over their line, one of their players, probably No 8 or SH, should be required to pick up ball and place it over the line. This change would have significant consequences for defences and where offside line is.

No, you need to bounce before touch or you go back to where it was kicked

Correct!.
The purpose of my post is primarily to eliminate the penalty try which is a relatively new innovation. It's intent was to reduce the number of scrums which it hasn't and if anything has encouraged more scrums.

Thanks for acknowledging my correction of yoyr correction.