Boring scrums
The Australian Rugby Union were great proponents of law changes in the interests of making the game more entertainment to help them in their battle for support against Australian Rules, Rugby League and soccer. It is ironical that the two least entertaining teams in the Super 14 are Australian teams - the Brumbies and the Waratahs.
Those two teams met on Saturday and provided proof of their reluctance to entertain. Just one aspect of the match is worth looking at.
At the start of the Super 14 certain aspects of the game were emphasised. One of them was scrumming. The authorities also announced that teams failing to comply would receive a letter and if they continued with noncompliance the would receive a public rebuke.
In the match at AZ Stadium in Sydney there were 18 scrums. There were 17 collapses, 7 resets, 7 penalties and 2 free kicks.
That's a mess.
The team found most at fault were the Brumbies for they were freekicked twice and penalised six times at scrums. In the second half the Brumbies were penalised six times - five times at scrums. Four of those five penalties were against Ben Alexander. One wonders what repeated infringement is!
Perhaps the excuse was the weather. Sydney was damp on Saturday.
So was Dunedin when the Highlanders played the Hurricanes.
Scrums: 25; 2 resets; 3 collapses; 1 free kick.
Stack that up against Sydney when the Waratahs played the Brumbies:
Scrums: 18; 7 resets; 17 collapses; 7 penalties; 2 free kicks.
Perhaps it was the playing surface. After all few playing surfaces in the world are as good as Carisbrook's.
Compare Pretoria - wet and a surface that cut up because it was being prepared as a venue for the soccer World Cup when the Bulls played the Lions.
Scrums: 14; 1 reset, 0 collapses; 1 penalty; 1 free kick
Here is a list so that comparisons cane be made:
Chiefs vs Cheetahs: 22 scrums; 2 resets; 4 collapses; 1 penalty; 1 free kick
Western Force vs Crusaders: 20 scrums; 2 resets; 6 collapses; 1 penalty; 3 free kicks
Reds vs Stormers: 17 scrums; 2 resets; 4 collapses; 1 penalty; 1 free kick
Highlanders vs Hurricanes: 25 Scrums; 2 resets; 3 collapses; 1 free kick
Bulls vs Lions: 14 Scrums; 1 reset, 0 collapses; 1 penalty; 1 free kick
Sharks vs Blues: 16 scrums; 3 resets; 4 collapses; 1 penalty; 1 free kick
Totals: 114 scrums; 12 resets; 20 collapses; 5 penalties; 8 free kicks
Percentages: 10,5% resets; 17,5% collapses; 4% penalties; 7% free kicks
Waratahs vs Brumbies:18 scrums; 7 resets; 17 collapses; 7 penalties; 2 free kicks
Percentages: 39% resets; 94% collapses; 39% penalties; 11% free kicks
There is a vast difference.
Now what gets done? Will the teams get a letter telling them to pull up their socks, or will it be only the Brumbies?
The Brumbies were penalised 6 times at scrums - 33% of the scrums.
Of those Ben Alexander was penalised 4 times - 22% of the time.
In the 10 rounds of the Super 14 in 2010, Alexander was penalised 12 times at scrums.
We are assured that letters have been sent about bits of noncompliance but this one is way out of line with what is going on in the Super 14.
Will there be public notice of noncompliance?
Action has been taken against three referees and two assistant referees and the action has been made public. Will this happen in the case of this messing up of scrums, spoiling the game, running counter to the Australians' avowed intent to make the game more attractive?
It's facile to blame the referees. When the SANZAR coaches met last December, they agreed that they and their players had to take responsibility for poor scrumming. Referees do not collapse scrums.