Strong scrums must be rewarded – Adam Jones
Adam Jones has called on the lawmakers to ensure sides with a strong scrum are rewarded amid rising fears throughout the rugby world that attempts are being made to depower it in the name of entertainment.
Jones, who won 100 caps for Wales and the Lions on the tight-head and is now coaching at Harlequins, said teams that struggled up front should work on ironing out weaknesses rather than be bailed out by rule tweaks.
“Every season breaks me,” said Jones.
“The goal-line drop-out is nonsense and now if you are awarded a scrum free-kick you cannot opt for another scrum.
“We will happily watch box kicks which eat up the seconds. Crowds must love it, spending their hard-earned money to watch the spectacle of one box kick after another.
“The scrum has always been a huge part of the game. I would argue that a big shove can change the momentum and atmosphere of a game.
“Attempts to depower it dishearten me. If your attack is not very good, you train to improve your skills and make it better. It is the same with defence but the thinking seems to be different when it comes to the scrum.
“My career was kiboshed when they changed the engagement rule at the scrum and you could no longer hit and chase. I was dropped by Wales and it always seems to be the scrum they want to change.”
Springboks’ Scrum
South Africa have won the last two World Cups but have been criticised for having six forwards on the bench which allows them to have a new tight five in the second half of matches.
“Everyone goes on about South Africa and yes they have massive men,” said Jones.
“What is more important is that they have technique. It is not about picking the biggest players, as other teams have found.
“It frustrates me that things in the game I feel they should change, like the box kick, they do nothing with. As long as they do not make it like rugby league, teams will need a strong scrum. As they say in France, no scrum, no win.”
England’s Prop Options
When England last month announced the 17 players who had been awarded hybrid contracts, there was not one tight-head among them but Jones believes that will soon change.
“There are some really good young props coming through in England, on both sides of the scrum,” he said.
“It took a bit longer a few years ago, but now they have been in the gym since they were 15 and many are freaks in terms of strength and power.
“Dan Cole is still doing a great job on the tight-head and Will Stuart, Joe Heyes and Trevor Davison are class, but a brilliant generation is coming through that will soon push them hard.
“Afolabi Fasogbon (Gloucester), Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale) and Billy Sela (Bath) are all making their mark and we will see how they deal with the challenges of a long season.
“The generation coming through is good news for England and I am sure Steve Borthwick is delighted. Loose heads tend to carry the ball more than tighthead whose primary role is to ock the scrum out.
“It is all very well doing the fancy stuff, but if a tight-head cannot lock the scrum they are not doing their job.”
Harlequins’ Scrum
Quins lost their England tight-head Will Collier to Castres in the summer.
He was replaced by Titi Lamositele, who joined from Montpellier and has started all six league matches, and Jones is looking for an improvement in the set-piece when the Premiership resumes after the November inter nationals.
“Will was brilliant for me and I was disappointed he left,” said Jones.
“Titi is doing well, but there is a different way of scrummaging here. It is more technical than the hit and drive up in the Top 14. I want the three tight-heads here to challenge each other so we get back to the standard of previous years.”
Quins went into the break fifth in the table after three victories and three narrow defeats. “We could have done a bit better but we are tracking ok,” said Jones.
“We are heading in the right direction. We have lost to some late scores, a contrast to last season when we did not turn up on occasions. It is a totally different vibe now.”
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