Rugby: How referees tackled the problem scrums

Referee Paddy O'Brien. Photo / Getty Images

Scrums remain the most debated Super 15 topic among coaches and former test forwards but Sanzar officials note they are also the most improved part of the game.

Referees have been told to concentrate most on scrum, tackle and offside issues in the Super 15 and game manager Lyndon Bray says statistics show improved compliance in all areas.

"The big one is the scrum which has been terminally ill up until this year as a phase in the game," Bray told the Weekend Herald.

"We put a massive effort in with the teams and referees pre-season because we felt 45 per cent of scrums being completed on the first go in 2011 was pretty poor."

There had been inevitable, and understandable, criticism about resets and Sanzar understood why spectators became annoyed.

"We keep statistics and we're up to 60 per cent after six weeks of the series," he said.

"That means 40 per cent of scrums result in a decision made or a reset so there's still a way to go."

Bray pointed out that Six Nations scrums were tracking at well under 50 per cent so Sanzar was pleased their changes and demands for frontrows to scrum higher were bringing fewer collapses.

He and Sanzar number crunchers were building up a collective pattern about decisions which they were delivering to team coaches.

Scrums had improved and there were also fewer offsides around the breakdown areas.

"There's more space around the ruck, we're seeing halfbacks with time to run or pass to channel one or their No 10, they're getting more freedom," Bray said..

Staff who coded Super 15 games thought referees were only missing about three offsides in each game.

The biggest bugbear for the game was the tackle area. Coaches felt if they got 70 per cent of recycled possession within three seconds of a tackle, they had attack chances.

However, if referees over-managed players at the breakdown, defences were able to regroup and that nullified attacking chances.

Sanzar's greatest focus early in this year's series was to penalise players who sealed off possession because that negated chances for opposition players on their feet contesting the breakdown.

"That's why we attacked the sealing-off issue and players who dive in to protect their ball.

"Heinrich Brussow, Richie McCaw and David Pocock are so good because they manage to circumnavigate those areas," Bray said.

"We were tough and technical early with this area but we've eased a shade and what we have now is a change from 20 penalties each weekend to about 15.

"It's the toughest area to referee, getting that picture right all the time is nigh impossible."

It was, by definition, a dynamic phase. Referees had to judge the actions and intentions of a ball carrier, the tackler, the arriving player, whether it was a ruck, if players had come through the gate - all that in a couple of seconds.

Scrums were the most debated topic, even by experts, and a referee's biggest challenge. Who caused the collapse, whose technique was wrong, who was at fault - an awkward assessment for a referee.

Sanzar was prepared to make some allowances for props placing their hands on the ground for balance but not on repeated occasions.

Tighthead props would be penalised for binding on their rival's elbow and looseheads would not be allowed, as a trend, to sag and then come up to save scrums.

Bray felt Jaco Peyper had developed well as a referee and was now capable of dealing with any match. Chris Pollock and Steve Walsh were yardsticks for consistent performance while Glen Jackson was continuing to develop.