Why scrums need to come back

By the time the 2022 season starts, it’ll almost be two full years since the last time we saw a scrum in Super League and it still doesn’t look right.

I’ll say from the start, I understand the precautionary logic behind the decision but I truly miss scrums. Now when there’s a knock-on or someone is tackled into touch, everything just looks a bit messy. There seems to be no natural direction, everything just sort of stops suddenly. Players stand around waiting for a play-the-ball and shuffle into position.

Not only does it look messy, it’s also incredibly bland. There’s nothing really to get excited for when you see a play-the-ball, but with scrums there was always something to get enthusiastic about.

That’s because it used to grant the attacking team with a bit of an advantage. That might seem weird to say, but it did. It opened up more space.

Now, if a team knocks on near the opponents’ line, they can quite easily trap their opponents in their own end at the resultant play-the-ball making a knock on no different from a turnover or a delicate kick that’s not made it into the in-goal. This is not harsh enough punishment for me.

But with scrums, there was space. It became a tough ask denying a team metres from a scrum because your defensive line simply could not be so compact due to the threat of quick hands out wide. This meant that powerful runners were given time and space to get up ahead of steam due to the fear they might pass it. All of this punishes the mistake more, turning it into a real change in momentum rather than just a non-event.

Furthermore, I used to love scrum moves. Tries from scrums used to be some of the best to watch as side’s put together intricate plays to open up gaps and get through the opposition defence. Scrums became the one occasion where you might see both centres combining to create as all your team’s attacking players take part in a free-flowing attacking play.

But these days we don’t see them anymore, nor are sides truly punished for their errors. To me, that has to change. I understand why they went away, but scrums need to come back in 2022 and I’ll cross my figures and hope that they do.