Scrum law to be changed

Press, 2 June 1984, Page 72

Scrum law to be changed

PA New Plymouth New Zealand Rugby Union councillors engaged in mock scrums yesterday on the way to adopting wide-ranging law changes intended to limit neck and spinal injuries in junior and social rugby. The former All Black props, Richie Guy and Ivan Vodanovich, both on the council, came shoulder to shoulder to demonstrate to their colleagues recommended changes in scrum binding techniques which are designed to lessen the risk of injuries to forwards. The two grappled while councillors looked on, gaining first hand experience of the effects of law changes regarding binding on the construction of a scrum. Guy tabled a personal proposal on binding techniques which differed from that recommended to the council by a study group comprising three councillors, Bob Stuart, Bill Freeman and Vodanovich. Council members were unanimously impressed with Guy’s demonstration and agreed that the technique

should be adopted as law, becoming compulsory for junior grades covering players up to 21 years of age and all social grades. They also voted to recommend that the procedure be adopted in all other grades up to senior and premier level under a code of ethics to be distributed to all unions. The method demonstrated by Guy would make it impossible for a tighthead prop to pull his loosehead opponent down, thus removing the danger of scrum collapses which were a major cause of back and neck injuries. The new technique which will pass into law on June 23 and will remain in force experimentally until the end of the current season. The system requires a loosehead prop to pack under the arm of his opponent, gripping his opposite’s jersey between his shoulder blades. The opposing tighthead would bind under the arm of his opponent and, as Guy demonstrated, would not be able to exert enough pressure on his opponent to force him down.