Crusaders and All Blacks front rowers Joe Moody, Owen Franks and Codie Taylor. Photo / Getty
Crusaders and All Blacks front rowers Joe Moody, Owen Franks and Codie Taylor. Photo / Getty
COMMENT:
Scrum battles aren't everyone's cup of tea. There's not universal love for the strategy of scrummaging for penalties and goodness knows when England, or any side from the Northern Hemisphere does it, they are accused in this part of the world of ripping the soul out of rugby.
Butit would seem that scrummaging for penalties is going to sit high on the agenda for the All Blacks at this World Cup judging by the way the Crusaders played in the Super Rugby quarter-final.
All those years of berating Six Nations sides for holding the ball in and heaving their hearts out in the hope of winning a decision from the referee are going to have to be conveniently forgotten by New Zealand's rugby following public, as the All Blacks are highly likely to be building a scrum for penalties mentality into their game plan.
It's not that they are going to go to Japan with just this one idea, but they are clearly going to want to utilise the extraordinary destructive power of their tight five – most of whom were in Crusaders' jerseys on Friday night, giving the first glimpse of what lies ahead.
There were about a thousand things to admire about the way they played – their ability to pass under pressure and out of the tackle being quite magnificent - but the sight of the Highlanders front row being driven up and back in almost every scrum became the defining highlight.
A scrum between the Crusaders and the Highlanders. Photo / Getty
That, and the way Kieran Read looked to keep the ball in the back of the scrum long enough to ensure the Crusaders, whatever else happened, would be playing with a penalty advantage.
It was an impressive display of tactical and destructive scrummaging and the foundation of the Crusaders' victory. How many times did they win a scrum penalty and then kick for field position?
The Crusaders' power at the scrum also had a definite impact on the morale and confidence of the Highlanders.
The opportunities they gave themselves in the first half were dependent on them being able to set a steady scrum and they just couldn't do it and without that stability, they weren't able to buy the time and space they needed to free their backline.
The Crusaders have scrummaged well all season but this was different level. The Highlanders' tight five are a good unit – Tyrel Lomax, Liam Coltman and Jackson Hemopo are hoping to squeeze into the World Cup squad and Tom Franklin has been on the verge of the All Blacks' too for the last few years.
Yet they were crushed and this is because for the first time this year, the Crusaders were able to unleash their first choice tight five.
Injury and rest requirements meant that the quarter-final was the first time this season the Crusaders had been able to put Joe Moody, Codie Taylor, Owen Franks, Sam Whitelock and Scott Barrett in their starting XV.
All Black captain Kieran Read. Photo / Getty
Having that collective made all the difference and as the Crusaders went about destroying the Highlanders, it was hard not to imagine how much more damage could be caused when that group switched into All Blacks duty and also includes Dane Coles and Brodie Retallick.
As mentioned, it won't be everyone's cup of tea but the All Blacks would clearly be remiss if they don't look to cleverly use the scrummaging weaponry they will be taking to Japan.
In those big World Cup games a scrum penalty can turn the game. It can be a means to win the chance to pick up a critical three points; a way to kick deep into opposition territory and launch a lineout drive for a needed try or simply a means to relieve pressure and take the opposition out of kickable penalty territory late in the game.
In October last year against the Wallabies in Yokohama the All Blacks gave the first hint of how they might balance their game at the World Cup.
There, they spent most of the first half playing controlled but aggressive rugby where they kicked for territory, scrummaged for penalties and built pressure on the scoreboard.
When the Wallabies were struggling, the All Blacks opened things in the second half, upped the tempo and played with width and enterprise to score three tries that saw them ease to another comfortable victory.
It was an effective mix and come the World Cup we are almost certainly going to see something similar.
