Resets at scrum - 2006 vs 2007
A commentator on the match between the Blues and the Cheetahs, lamenting the regularly disintegrating scrums, bet that things were better in 2006 - before the change in scrum procedure that is.
In 2006 there were virtually two words of command in setting a scrum - Crouch'nhold - Engage!
In 2007 there are four distinct words - Crouch Touch Pause Engage!
We shall look at a set of statistics, kept by the same little man with the same black book, doing it week after week as he has done for some years and recording them.
It is not a bad thing to do as you have the same sort of teams playing in the same sort of competition with the same sort of referees. That sounds like a control group.
The little man with the black book had no idea which way the statistics were heading - and they are only statistics after all.
1. Resets
The reset figures do not include wheeled scrums.
In the first week of Super 14 2006, 62 scrums out of 136 were reset - 45%
In the first week of Super 14 2007, 41 scrums out of 134 were reset - 30%
In the second week of Super 14 2006, 41 scrums were reset out of 129 - 32%
In the second week of Super 14 2007, 37 scrums were reset out of 128 - 29%
In the third week of Super 14 2006, 56 scrums were reset out of 158 - 35%
In the third week of Super 14 2007, 35 scrums were reset out of 146 - 24%
In the fourth week of Super 14 2006, 40 scrums were reset out of 128 - 31%
In the fourth week of Super 14 2007, 32 scrums were reset out of 107 - 30%
In the fifth week of Super 14 2006, 56 scrums were reset out of 131 - 43%
In the fifth week of Super 14 2007, 54 scrums were reset out of 146 - 37%
In the sixth week of Super 14 2006, 45 scrums were reset out of 140 - 32%
In the sixth week of Super 14 2007, 45 scrums were reset out of 127 - 35%
In the seventh week of Super 14 2006, 29 scrums were reset out of 127 - 23%
In the seventh week of Super 14 2007, 49 scrums were reset out of 130 - 38%
In the eighth week of Super 14 2006, 39 scrums were reset out of 133 - 29%
In the eighth week of Super 14 2007, 49 scrums were reset out of 119 - 41%
In the ninth week of Super 14 2006, 37 scrums were reset out of 126 - 29%
In the ninth week of Super 14 2007, 33 scrums were reset out of 107 - 31%
Totals:
2006: 409 rests in 1208 scrums = 34%
2007: 345 rests in 1144 scrums = 30%
The number of free kicks at scrums:
2006
Week 1: 11
Week 2: 16
Week 3: 13
Week 4: 4
Week 5: 14
Week 6: 19
Week 7: 7
Week 8: 6
Week 9: 13
Total: 103
% scrums: 8,5
2007
Week 1: 2
Week 2: 6
Week 3: 13
Week 4: 13
Week 5: 11
Week 6: 10
Week 7: 8
Week 8: 10
Week 9: 7
Total: 80
% scrums: 7
The number of penalties at scrums:
2006
Week 1: 9
Week 2: 9
Week 3: 7
Week 4: 5
Week 5: 8
Week 6: 6
Week 7: 7
Week 8: 4
Week 9: 2
Total: 57
% scrums: 4,7
2007
Week 1: 6
Week 2: 8
Week 3: 15
Week 4: 10
Week 5: 8
Week 6: 7
Week 7: 14
Week 8: 7
Week 9: 5
Total: 80
% scrums: 7
There may be a slight case for 2007's procedures - maybe. One thing is sure and that is there is no fun at all in watching scrums being reset. It's easy to chuck blame around by it is after all the players' responsibility to scrum properly. Wasn't there a time when a front row player thought it a disgrace if the scrum dropped down?