Put it in straight!
IRB instruction for scrums
Paddy O'Brien, the IRB's referees manager who will be based in Invercargill home but working around the world, has send out a decree that the ball is to be put in straight to the scrum.
It does not go as far as anything as reactionary as "foot-up" but it is a step towards making scrums an area of greater competition for possession.
In a preamble, O'Brien sates: "At the Lensbury Conference in November the Elite Referee Panel unanimously agreed that the scrum feeds were not at an acceptable standard and that they would manage this situation through the November series and as part of any Law change introduced on 1 January 2007 they would ensure a firm hand on non-compliance to credible feeds."
The 1 January Law change referred to is about engagement at scrum time. (Click here). O'Brien asks that in European competition, the Super 14 and in particular the Six Nations the referees give attention to correct scrum feeds.
He says that the stricter view of boots on bodies and player dissent has worked well and is having a good ripple effect. The same needs to happen with scrum feeds.
He says: "We have 9 months to get it right before Rugby World Cup 2007 and quite frankly the snubbing of the direction taken at Lensbury and totally supported at the IRB Council meeting in November will not be tolerated and blatant disregard to this directive from Panel Referees will be taken into account when the 12 referees are named in June for the World Cup."
Law 20.6 6 HOW THE SCRUM-HALF THROWS IN THE BALL
(a) The scrum-half must stand one metre from the scrum, on the middle line.
(b) The scrum-half must hold the ball with both hands with its major axis parallel to the ground and to the touch-line over the middle line between the front rows, midway between the knee and ankle.
(c) The scrum-half must throw in the ball at a quick speed.
(d) The scrum-half must throw in the ball straight along the middle line, so that it first touches the ground immediately beyond the width of the nearer prop’s shoulders.
(e) The scrum-half must throw in the ball with a single forward movement. This means that there must be no backward movement with the ball. The scrum-half must not pretend to throw the ball.
Penalty: Free Kick
Middle line?
Law 20 Definitions: The middle line is an imaginary line on the ground in the tunnel beneath the line where the shoulders of the two front rows meet.
The middle line is not half way between the two sets of feet but under the joining of the shoulders.
