It's time to stop protecting rugby's most sheltered position
By Paul Dobson
Change the laws and you change the game. Add in ways of playing that are not laws and you have, perhaps, set the game on an unhappy road.
And this may be the case with altered laws to make a scrum-half’s life easier.
In the beginning it was not so, not easy at all.
When the game moved from hill and dale and from the streets of a town to the playing fields of great schools, it achieved a measure of control and even laws to regulate the way the game could be played.
The laws were important, for they determined what sort of game it was. Tiddlywinks and rugby differ because the laws/rules of the games differ.
Continue reading below…
When the game got to schools its aim (goal) changed. Instead of taking the game’s prize (later a ball) back to the leader’s house, it was taken forward to the opponents’ house. It was a game that took the ball forward – a game for forwards. But as they marched forward they left a player back at the home goal to guard it. He was the whole way back, fully back, the full-back. They filled the space, growing with the forward advance, with two players who were half-way back, the half-backs whose main task was to fall on the ball if the opponents broke back. For their trouble they risked been manhandled, especially by flaying boots.
Then there were players three-quarter way back, the three quarters, and the game developed.
Into the 20th century, the two half-backs would take turns to be close to the forwards or away from them. Then along came the famous Harlequin, Adrian Stoop, and he developed different responsibilities for each half, one called the scrum-half, who was close to the forwards, and the other further away, called sometimes the out-half or stand-off half or fly-half or, in New Zealand, the 1st five-eighth from the fraction between a half and a three-quarter.
The post-Stoop scrum-half was to be a link between forwards and backs. In essence it was to take the precious ball which the forwards won and give it to the fly-half. This he did under great pressure from the opposing forwards. It took great skill and courage to be a scrumhalf.
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A lawyer in the Boland town of Moorreesburg developed the dive pass to get the ball and his passing actions safely away from the forwards while being able to look at and concentrate on the fly-half. The lawyer’s name was Freddie Luyt. The man who developed the dive pass and made it famous was Danie Craven.
It had its place in the game though it was criticised for taking the scrum-half off his feet and out of the game. That meant that there was a place for the standing pass. But the standing pass rendered the scrum-half more exposed to opposing marauders, and so changes were made to the law to create greater space and security for the scrum-half. What he did for himself now became the law’s responsibility.
The scrumhalf was vulnerable for years because there was no offside line at the ruck. In fact there was nothing defined as or regulated as a ruck.
It is not till 1964 that the ruck came into the laws and then it was called the loose scrum. And in that loose scrum, the ball was the offside line. Which meant that opponents intent on laying waste the scrum-half could advance on him as the ball moved backwards towards him.
Then it got its own name from ancient Norsemen – a ruck, a jumble of players fighting for the ball. And inevitably this new concept got laws and an increasingly important place in rugby football. A wise old priest who coached rugby at Blackrock College in Dublin, Father Anthony Hampson, once proclaimed: “After the grace of God, the most important thing in life is quick ball from a ruck.”
Then along came changes that sought to protect the scrum-half, but which gave birth to the deliberately slow ruck, the scrum-half standing rolling the ball under the sole of a boot, the scrum-half with hands on the ball and foot back for as he prepares to kick. There is even a bit of non-law that is applied – that the ruck is not over even if the scrum-half has hands on the ball until the scrum-half lifts the ball.
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The dive pass is rarely used nowadays when the scrum-half has greater protection. No longer is the ball the offside line.
Now passing the ball as accurately as possible – in front and at waist high – is no longer the scrum-half’s prime responsibility. He came to be praised and received awards for kicking, running and tackling whether or not he could pass the ball quickly and accurately. The laws now give him room to pick the ball up and take paces before shovelling the ball at some targeted player, cutting down the space to potential creators of opportunities and leaving them vulnerable to rush defence.
But instead of creating more space for a more creative game, it may well have dumbed the game down to predictable repetition and tedium. The statistic of more ball in play may be a misleading one. Phases are counted but in effect they are often the same phases repeated, sometimes more than 15 times in one sequence.
Look at the World Cup Final, arguably the top match of four years of rugby.
The ball came back to the scrum-halves something like 137 times. The scrum-halves kicked 16 times – that new rugby phenomenon the box-kick, aided and abetted by restricting the mark/fair catch to within the defenders 22. Each scrum-half ran with the ball twice. They passed it 119 times – 62 times to a forward, 34 times to the fly-half and 23 times to another back. More than half the passes were to a forward.
It may well not have been what law-makers intended or wanted. It may well be an example of the law of unintended consequences.
It may just be a better idea to suggest that the ruck is over when the scrum-half plays the ball, i.e. touches it by hand or foot.
It may even be enough to apply an existing law.
Law 15 DURING A RUCK
11. Once a ruck has formed, no player may handle the ball unless they were able to get their hands on the ball before the ruck formed and stay on their feet.
Watch: Can the Lions beat South Africa in 2021?
Comments on RugbyPass
A wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
24 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to comments