RUGBY: Learn the Lingo – What’s the deal with set pieces?
So far, we've gone over the types of scoring in rugby, the difference between forwards and backs, and the various zones of the pitch. This week, we're upping our game.
Are you still with me, rugby fans?
So far, we’ve gone over the types of scoring in rugby, the difference between forwards and backs, and the various zones of the pitch.
This week, we’re upping our game.
What’s the deal with set pieces – Part 1?
A set piece in rugby, as in many other sports, is when play resumes after any kind of stoppage.
In the case of rugby, set pieces generally follow a penalty, the ball going out of the field of play or touching the referee, or when a defender touches down in his own goal area (see our previous edition).
The scrum
The cornerstone of rugby, the scrum pits the eight forwards of each team (and the scrumhalf) against each other, in a true test of strength.
Numbers 1 to 8 make up the scrum pack.
The modern format of the scrum sees both sets of forwards packing into a cluster a few steps apart, awaiting the referee’s call.
At the call of ‘crouch’, the forwards hunker down.
At ‘bind’, numbers 1 and 3 on each side link their arms, before the call of ‘set’ sees the two forward packs meet.
If the scrum is stable, the referee instructs the scrumhalf to feed the ball.
Look carefully at a scrum next time – at the feed, numbers 1 to 3 try to hook the ball with their feet, while all forwards shove against the opponent’s pack.
Capturing the ball off your opponent’s feed is called winning ‘against the head’.
