Late changes to scrum laws may aid Stormers

THE Stormers scrum was unconvincing in a 28-6 win against the Lions at Newlands on Saturday, but the latest law changes may breathe new life into the pack.

Zelim Nel – The Argus

Lock De Kock Steenkamp wreaked havoc in the lineout, repeatedly poaching possession, and applied the pressure that inevitably led to prop Steven Kitshoff driving over from short range to give the Stormers a 13-6 halftime lead.

But not even a brace of thrilling third-quarter scores from flyer Gio Aplon could wash away the aftertaste of a stale scrumming exhibition, and the prospect of another season of mediocrity at the set piece overshadowed the Stormers’ superior physicality and defence in their first warmup match at home this season.

After the match, Allister Coetzee confirmed that referees would be applying new law interpretations to the scrum.

“The refs had their meeting in Australia and there are a few changes,” said the Stormers coach. “It has to be a front engagement, not initiated from the guys at the back.

“In the past, we got our timing right because we had our No 8 and locks engage from behind, but this year it’s going to change – that’s what the ref told me before the game.”

“We didn’t expect to be perfect tonight,” said captain Schalk Burger. “The call is very long – I mean we’re down there for five minutes before the scrum happens – so it’s pretty tough to get your timing right.

“It’s different to what we experienced last year, there’s a deliberate pause from the ref.”

Introducing such changes with less than a month before the Super 15 kicks off smacks of poor planning from Sanzar, but the Stormers may benefit from a move to have the front row initiate the engagement.

Current convention has the front row in a “preloaded” stance with the rest of the pack holding them back. The decision to have props and hookers initiate the hit may favour shorter front rows that are quicker to reach full extension at a lower scrumming height.

The Stormers started against the Lions with hooker Deon Fourie (1.76m) and props Kitshoff and Brok Harris (both 1.83m) and in this regard they may have a leverage advantage over the likes of Crusaders juggernaut Wyatt Crockett (1.93m), Bulls tighthead Werner Kruger (1.9m), and the Sharks’ tandem of Bismarck (1.89m) and Jannie du Plessis (1.88m).

“The hit is everything in the scrum,” added Burger. “If you get jumped there, you are under pressure.”

The Stormers will have an opportunity to jump the Cheetahs when the teams meet in a pre-season match at Newlands on Saturday (5pm).

Tags: Scrum Laws, Stormers, SupeRugby