KEY POINTS:
The Air New Zealand Cup will trial a variation of the scrum engagement law in an effort to reduce the amount of collapsed scrums, the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) announced today.
The International Rugby Board (IRB) has granted the NZRU special dispensation to use a three-step engagement process, doing away with the "pause" step that is currently in use.
Since it was first introduced in January 2007, the "crouch, touch, pause, engage" sequence has applied at the scrum. But a three-step scrum engagement sequence will be trialled in the national provincial competition, comprising only the crouch, touch, engage commands.
NZRU High Performance Referee Coach Colin Hawke says the trial is going ahead because the four-step process showed no decrease in the amount of collapsed scrums.
"It was found that some players had problems with the four-step sequence as they were 'primed' to engage following the touch call, and the extra call often resulted in an early engagement," he said.
"Through this Air New Zealand Cup trial we will be able to determine whether the three-step sequence helps to further reduce early scrum engagements, resets, and collapsed scrums."
Hawke added that the scrum engagement trial is separate from the experimental law variations that are also being used in the Air New Zealand Cup.
Scrum engagement law
In essence, the IRB agreed that the following scrum engagement under Law 20 1 (h) will apply in the 2008 Air New Zealand Cup:
- The referee will call crouch then touch
- The front rows crouch and using their outside arm touches the point of the opposing prop's outside shoulder. The props then withdraw their arms.
- The referee will ensure that there is a pause until the arms of the props have been withdrawn and will then call engage. The front rows may then engage.
- The engage is not a command but an indication that the front rows may come together when ready.
- NZHERALD STAFF
