Alex Sanderson has passionately defended the scrum and its place in the game amid cries to depower the set piece.
The Springboks‘ demolition job of Ireland’s scrum during the Autumn Nations Series fixture in November has been met with fierce backlash after loosehead props Andrew Porter and Paddy McCarthy were sin-binned for technical infringements at the set-piece.
Pleas to depower the scrum
It is reported that the Six Nations unions will discuss whether front rowers should be sin-binned for indiscretions at the set-piece ahead of next year’s tournament and are then expected to recommend changes to World Rugby.
“In what other sport can you be sent off basically for not being as good or as strong as your opponent?” One senior rugby figure told The Times.
“The dominant scrum is already gaining a penalty as an advantage and then that is compounded by a yellow card. A yellow card should only be shown if a player tries to gain an advantage by breaking the rules or for dangerous tackles.”
Sanderson disagrees and has launched a passionate defence of the set-piece, blaming World Rugby for the current state of the scrums and how it has dominated games recently.
He argues that teams that don’t sufficiently coach players to perform well in the scrums deserve to be disadvantaged, as they then benefit in other facets of the game.
“The scrum is such an important part of the game,” Sanderson was quoted as saying by The Rugby Paper.
“I coached it early in my career and appreciate the mental dominance you can gain over a side by being physically dominant in a scrum.”
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Law tweaks have resulted in more scrums
He added that depowering the set-piece would be criminal: “The scrum is special to the sport and if you are unable to front up or pick players able to do that because you are going for lighter players or you are not robust enough, or you have not spent the time coaching props, technically you should be at a disadvantage.
“You are probably gaining an advantage somewhere else, probably in mobility around the park. It is such a big part of the game that to lose that element of being able to apply pressure and get rewarded would be criminal.”
Since 2023, World Rugby have cracked down on ‘escorts’ and altered laws accordingly to prevents players running blocking lines to protect a kick receiver. This has led to more contests for the ball in the air and, ultimately, more knock-ons.
Gloucester and Ireland fly-half Ross Byrne recently hit out at the law tweaks, stating that if he were a coach, he’d be looking for athletic locks to play on the wing in order to exploit the rules that have allowed for greater competition.
“Unfortunately I think it’s changed how everybody plays,” Byrne told the Guardian.
“Everybody knows the stats: because of the new rules whoever kicks the ball is most likely to get it back.
“If those are the stats, which the top teams generally tend to follow, why would you not kick the ball?
“If I was a head coach of a country right now and the World Cup’s in two years, you’re going: ‘OK, is there anyone who’s 19, 20, a second-row or back-row who’s a really good athlete? Can we make him into a winger in two years? Go chase some kicks?’ Genuinely, why would you not do that?”
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A crying shame
Sanderson agrees with the fly-half, saying that World Rugby created its own beast with the scrums through the change in the laws around escorts.
Rugby claims to be a sport for all shapes and sizes, but the Sale boss believes that depowering the scrum would take opportunities away from kids who wouldn’t fit into other sports.
“They have created their own monster,” Sanderson said.
“They want ball in play time and to emphasise and encourage athletic and physical prowess, like big hits and the aerial contest, but the scrum is special.
“Big kids of seven and eight years old could probably not find another sport if it was not for rugby union and the scrum. It is a talent in itself.
“You know what is coming from South Africa and it would be a crying shame if they took some of that emphasis away.”
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