Law change reminder
Scrum engagement
From 1 January 2007, the procedure for scrum engagement will change.
Earlier this was spoken of as an Experimental Law Variation. That is not the case. It is a law change and will carry through to the World Cup.
The only change it has made is to the engagement at the scrum. It does not change other scrum laws, such as binding, collapsing, and off-side.
At present Law 20.1 (h) reads: The front rows crouch and pause, and then come together only when the referee calls "engage". This call is not a command but an indication that the front rows may come together when ready.
Penalty: Free Kick
The only command the referee was required to give was Engage. In practice the referees were also sawing Crouch and hold. The crouch and hold tended to be made into one command. Then the referees would wait and then call engage.
The law from 1 January will read: The referee will call “crouch” then “touch”. The front rows crouch and using their outside arm each prop touches the point of the opposing prop’s outside shoulder. The props then withdraw their arms. The referee will then call “pause”. Following a pause the referee will then call “engage”. The front rows may then engage. The “engage” call is not a command but an indication that the front rows may come together when ready.
The IRB's demonstration has distinct pauses between each.
On crouch the players bend at the knee and at the waist so that each front row is level with the other.
Then the referee orders the players to touch. Each prop then reaches out with his free/outside arm and touches his opposing prop on the point of his free shoulder.
Having touched, the each prop would then pull his hand back without dropping the arm or swinging it outwards. It would be in a position ready to bind.
The referee would then call Pause. This would ensure that the players are steady and level and that neither side would simply rush in.
The referee would then require the teams to engage. The law says that this is not a command but if one side goes forward to engage and the other side withdraws the referee will award a free kick – as is the case now.
The four-command sequence need not be laboured.
