Scrum Tips

A rugby scrum occurs when two opposing teams' forward players come together in two packs of interlocking players that are three rows deep (per team). The scrum half rolls the ball in to start the scrum and waits for teammates to kick the ball out. The ball then gets passed to the runners (back players). Good teams vary their strategies to win ball possession within the scrum and keep opponents off-balanced.

  1. Spinning

    • A team can plan on spinning the scrum left or right physically with a coordinated cartwheel effect. A player can use a code word to tip off teammates to all move one way or the other to enact the spin.

    Scrum Half/Hook Strategies

    • The scrum half standing outside the scrum has to throw the ball into the scrum, but the throw has to be straight--if it's angled in any way to favor his team, the throw will be disallowed. The scrum half/hook strategy is a coordination between the thrower and one teammates inside the scrum. The hook may use a hand gesture to let the scrum half know when he's ready for the throw. If the throw is timed correctly, the hook should be able to make contact with the ball before any opponent does.

    Pushing Forward

    • This tactic can only be used if one side knows it has a stronger scrum than the opponent. Instead of trying to get the ball out to a runner right away, the stronger group will just push forward together, forcing the opponent's scrum line back by sheer force. This will pick up five yards or so at a time. It is best used to give players outside of the scrum a few moments of rest.

    Stalling

    • The players in the scrum can also plan to fall down and collapse the scrum to cause a delay. This is merely a way to buy more time for players to rest. It has to be done shrewdly as there are penalties for obvious stalls.