Ref column: Getting out what you put in for the scrum

There is usually a good number of scrums during a game of rugby.

The number often depends on several factors, such as the skill of the players and the playing conditions.

Some games seem to have an endless number of scrums as one or both teams regularly knock the ball on or pass the ball forward – despite the referee playing an advantage for most of these minor infringements, another one often occurs as soon as he calls "advantage over".

In the current Rugby Law Book there are 16 situations listed where a scrum can be awarded for infringements.

That is actually quite a lot of possible reasons for setting a scrum, but for the most part which team gets the put in is fairly straight forward.

Yet there are a few situations which can cause referees to scratch their heads and think "which team should put the ball into the scrum here"?

This often occurs when the ball becomes unplayable – by that I mean there are multiple players on the ground with the ball trapped somewhere between them, with very little chance of coming free without an illegal act.

For example, a tackle occurs in open play and the ball carrier as well as a defender or two will end up on the ground with the ball between them.

Arriving players may get driven to the ground by more arriving players and suddenly you have the classic pile-up where no-one is on their feet and the ball is buried.

Now, with the ball clearly unplayable by anyone on their feet, a sensible referee will award a scrum before a player on the ground does something silly, but which team gets the put in?

In this situation, the team that was last moving forward before the stoppage would get possession, most likely the ball-carrying team, unless that player had been driven backwards in the tackle.

If the referee cannot decide which team was last moving forward, the put in goes to the attacking team – the side playing in the other team's half of the field.

The same thought process applies when the ball becomes unplayable at a ruck – the ball goes to the team last moving forward, or if neither side was advancing, then the attacking half team gets possession.

Important to note, it is possible at a ruck that both teams have moved forward and backwards during the breakdown phases, but the scrum put-in goes to the team moving forward prior to the whistle being blown.

The maul always gets players excited.

The team which took possession into the maul will be trying to get the ball, or a player carrying it, to the ground, while the opponents will be trying desperately to keep the ball carrier off the ground.

If the maul stops moving, the ball-carrying team has two chances to keep it moving or use the ball, before the referee decides the ball is not going to come out and awards a scrum.

Another scenario is the maul may collapse, legitimately, as one team tries to advance the maul while the other tries to stop it.

In both these cases, put in for the scrum goes to the team defending at the start of the maul, even if they gain possession during it.

There is one exception to this rule.

If a player catches the ball direct from an opponents kick in open play and a maul forms immediately, then his team retains scrum possession if the maul collapses or the ball becomes unplayable.

This does not apply from a kick-off or dropout from the 22m line, only from kicks in open play.

Apart from a knock-on or forward pass, there are several other situations where a scrum is awarded, and for these infringements the choices open to the referee are well prescribed in law.

A team awarded a penalty or free kick can choose to take a scrum instead and have the put-in.

Likewise, for offside in open play, a team can choose to have a scrum where the ball was kicked, instead of taking the penalty kick from the offside spot.

The scrum choice in this case can be a huge advantage, if a ball has been kicked way down-field and an offside player advances before being put on-side.

If a kick-off or restart on the 22m line is taken incorrectly, their opponents may take a scrum option on halfway or the 22m line instead of a re-kick.

Should a team fail to play the ball at a tackle or ruck when the referee has called for them to "use it!", after five seconds of inaction their opposition will get a scrum put in.

If the ball or the player carrying it touches the referee, and either team gains an advantage from that moment, the referee stops play and awards a scrum to either the team in possession or whomever last played the ball.

And if there is a stoppage due to injury, play restarts with a scrum going to the team last in possession.

One other unusual situation may occur at a free kick awarded for a player claiming a mark.

If the player awarded the free kick is unable to take it, usually because he has been injured straight after calling the mark, then a scrum is awarded and his team will have the throw-in.

However, if a free kick is taken for a mark and the opponents charge the kicker and prevent him from taking it, then the referee awards a scrum to the defending team.

It doesn't happen very often, but I have seen it on occasions.