Jeff Probyn: Front rows must discover the lost arts – or perish

I was at Twickenham this week and found myself at a Press conference outlining the new scrum engagement call, along with various members of the Press and RFU council members. While there, I got roped into a demonstration of the new scrum engagement sequence as part of a front row that last played together for England back in 1993.
It was somehow strange but comforting to be back in the front row with Jason Leonard and Brian Moore even if only for a few brief engagements against a scrum machine while trying to listen to elite referee Wayne Barnes making the call.
It was part of a presentation by England’s U20’s coach Ian Peel, who said the new call meant more scrums would be completed without collapsing or resets. As a result, it would get the scrum back to being a fair ‘pushing contest’ as neither side could begin pushing until the ball was actually in the scrum.
While I agree that more scrums should reach a completion, I am not so sure about the scrum being described simply as a pushing contest, given the variety of techniques and skills that will now have to be reintroduced and re-learned by an entire generation of front row forwards.
In fact, part of the reason for the mess of the last few years is because many coaches had decided that it is just a pushing contest and teams were allowed to flaunt the Laws with impunity by referees under the guidance of the IRB not penalising the ball being fed while the scrum is moving.
The last few seasons of hit and drive scrums coupled with the crooked feed, brought the art of front row play down to the lowest common denominator where power and weight were what mattered and technique was relatively unnecessary.
From a coaching and selection prospective it was an easy option as it wasn’t necessary to find technically proficient players, just big ‘gym monkeys’ and give them a crash course in the hit and drive ‘technique’.
If you add into that the fact that good props and hookers nowadays are few and far between and command a high salary, it is easy to understand why the conspiracy that some have alluded to by the SANZA countries to de-power the scrum, is more likely to be one by our own professional clubs to ‘de-specialise’ the front row.
The new engagement sequence in itself will make little or no difference, other than the reduced ‘hit’ because the players will now be so close it will be virtually impossible to actually hit and it will become more of a fold, but the fact that the scrum must be stationary and neither pack can push until the ball is fed and that feed must be straight, is game changing.
One thing that did surprise me was that there seemed a lack of understanding by those making the presentation that there are different techniques needed by the front row depending on whose ball it is.
On your ball the loosehead and the hooker work together and the tighthead locks the scrum, on the opposition ball it’s the tighthead and hooker that work together with the loosehead playing the supporting role.
The worry for many of our Premiership coaches is that the reintroduction of a stationary scrum and a straight put-in will expose a number of the recent converts to the front row as not having the necessary skills to win the ball.
Much as I admire Tom Youngs for his rapid rise through the ranks from centre to Lions hooker in just over 12 months, it is highly probable that he has never actually had to strike for a ball in any of the scrums in which he has played – and he won’t be the only one.
Also, a number of props currently playing in the Premiership would never have locked a scrum or driven a stationary one and will not know the techniques or timings needed.
A stationary scrum with a striking hooker needs a tighthead prop with the strength and technique to hold his side of the scrum still while the hooker strikes the ball, which in terms of time for a good hooker on one foot, is around a second or less.
If the tighthead fails to hold that ‘lock’ the hooker will not be able to lift his leg to sweep or strike the ball as he is effectively turned away from the ball.
For a tighthead converting that ‘lock’ into a drive involves repositioning your feet as your second row and flanker begin to push – and that involves a level of timing that needs to be worked at on the training field.
The squealing that has come from a number of Premiership coaches about the new sequence is born out of the fear that their dominant pack of last season may find that without the ability to hit, drive and feed the ball virtually into the second row, they become very average.
It is possible that a number of players will lose their first team status while they try and learn the traditional skills and techniques of propping and hooking which must include learning how to do it under pressure.
There is also a distinct possibility that a number of players who currently play in the front row will find that they are no longer able to effectively fulfil that role and we may even see current established international front row players dropped.
Wayne Barnes said that referees will enforce the stationary scrum and the straight put in, even if there is criticism from coaches and there will be loud and vociferous protest from those that can’t cope with the change. But I hope the referees remain strong in their commitment to this trial to give it a fair chance.
I have always said that the best technical front rows are those that play at grassroots because they have no aspirations to be running all over the pitch and concentrate solely on the scrum. It may be that those in the Premiership could, for a short time, do the same.