Resets - 2006, 2007

This week 2007 beat 2006 but overall 2006 is still winning the contest of the resets – as a percentage, not as a total, for there have been fewer scrums this year.

The free kick percentage was higher in 2006, the penalty percentage higher in 2007

There is a lot of talk about collapsed scrums, as there should be. It is a worrying aspect of the game from a safety point of view and from a spectator’s point of view.

Sometimes collapsed scrums are reset, sometimes if the ball is on its way out it is allowed to come out. The law actually requires immediate stoppage.

Law 20.3 (h) Scrum collapse. If a scrum collapses, the referee must blow the whistle immediately so that players stop pushing.

If players have stopped and the ball is on the verge of coming out, the referee will often allow the ball to emerge. If the referee feels there is danger, he will stop play.

It is a hard call indeed. The scrum at which Paul Cannon hurt his neck did not appear dangerous, but it ended his career.

There was a ghastly case in 1997 when Ben Smoldon of Sutton Coldfield broke his neck. The matter went to court in a case of negligence brought against the referee, Michael Nolan. It was found that he had not properly exercised his duty of care in the matter of collapsed scrums and was ordered to pay the amount of #1 million. Nolan appealed and lost. The judgement said: “The message from the courts to all match officials could not be phrased more clearly: apply the laws, or else.”

Dealing with collapsed scrums requires care.

Here are some figures of collapsed scrums from last weekend’s matches:

Hurricanes vs Highlanders: 17 scrums, 8 collapses (One scrum collapsed three times.)
Waratahs vs Chiefs: 15 scrums, 7 collapses (One collapsed three times)
Force vs Cheetahs (only contested scrums): 17 scrums, 4 collapses
Bulls vs Blues: 17 scrums, 6 collapses
Brumbies vs Crusaders: 17 scrums, 3 collapses
Sharks vs Lions: 21 scrums 4 collapses
Stormers vs Reds: 20 scrums, 11 collapses (One scrum collapsed three times.)

Total: 124 scrums, 43 collapses

There were more collapsed scrums than reset scrums because not all collapsed scrums were reset.

1. Resets

The reset figures do not include wheeled scrums. A wheeled scrum becomes simply a new scrum.

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%

In the tenth week of Super 14 2006, 44 scrums were reset out of 140 – 31%
In the tenth week of Super 14 2007, 45 scrums were reset out of 109 – 41%

In the eleventh week of Super 14 2006, 40 scrums were reset out of 120 – 33%
In the eleventh week of Super 14 2007, 40 scrums were reset out of 110 – 36%

In the twelfth week of Super 14 2006, 48 scrums were reset out of 139 – 34,5%
In the twelfth week of Super 14 2007, 53 scrums were reset out of 140 – 37,9%

In the thirteenth week of Super 14 2006, 48 scrums were reset out of 134 – 35,8%
In the thirteenth week of Super 14 2007, 42 scrums were reset out of 131 – 32%

Totals:

2006: 589 rests in 1741 scrums – 33,8%
2007: 555 rests in 1634 scrums – 33,9%

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
Week 10: 9
Week 11: 5
Week 12: 14
Week 13: 13

Total: 144
% scrums: 8,3

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
Week 10: 13
Week 11: 13
Week 12: 11
Week 13: 5

Total: 122
% scrums: 7,5

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
Week 10: 6
Week 11: 3
Week 12: 8
Week 13: 6

Total: 80
% scrums: 4,6

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
Week 10: 3
Week 11: 5
Week 12: 6
Week 13: 4

Total: 98
% scrums: 6,0