Rugby World Cup 2023

[MillionMilesAway]

For the uninitiated, like me, what's a step over and what is the boring in? I watch scrums and can never tell who has committed a foul.

Step over - I think he probably means that he believes the SA pack shuffled sideways which makes it harder to line up.

As has been said, the front rows are all usually up to something at every scrum!

Boring in, as @bluemoon32 says, is usually the no. 3 not pushing straight which is painful at best for the opposing hooker, and makes the scrum unstable. Many props over the years have got away with that type of thing - I've seen some on spidercam who don't look anywhere near straight.

 

[VOOMER]

If you look closely, their hooker seems to slip and then puts his knee down, before Genge did. Perhaps the ref was only looking at our players!

Taking it low then, shifting and driving up.

 

[MillionMilesAway]

The step over is when they pack down and shift their pack usually onto the oppositions tight head (Kyle Sinckler). They all move left slightly, its actually not hard for a ref to detect, if the said ref has eyes in the back of his head. The boring in is usually done by the tight head and if done correctly obscures the hooker's vision on the put in and and can stop them striking (hooking the ball back).
The boring in, is no where near as dangerous as the step over, but its still illegal, but once again the ref's have very little working knowledge as few if any have ever played regularly in the front row.

I can't remember the last time I saw anyone have to hook the ball. It is almost never put in straight or in fact close to the hooker's feet.

Hadn't heard before that boring in blocked vision, just that it hurt.

 

[VOOMER]

Step over - I think he probably means that he believes the SA pack shuffled sideways which makes it harder to line up.

As has been said, the front rows are all usually up to something at every scrum!

Boring in, as @bluemoon32 says, is usually the no. 3 not pushing straight which is painful at best for the opposing hooker, and makes the scrum unstable. Many props over the years have got away with that type of thing - I've seen some on spidercam who don't look anywhere near straight.

100% correct, its still a vital part of the game. If you gain dominance, then you can play more expansive games as you getting the ball back from the knock on in the scrum. The higher the level of rugby, the less that scrum dominance should be, unless your playing Australia!

 

[VOOMER]

I can't remember the last time I saw anyone have to hook the ball. It is almost never put in straight or in fact close to the hooker's feet.

Hadn't heard before that boring in blocked vision, just that it hurt.

If the ref isn't on the ball then, you can slip lower and with a slight angle, the hooker doesn't see the fed clearly. Before the rule changes, I copied Probyn's style (but nowhere the same level). Against Liverpool St Helens, their hooker started punching me in the scrum. I was almost bent double, it nullified their loose head (Genge) and the hooker couldn't strike never mind see the put in. After the game he told me after he had no choice as we won almost all their put ins (against the head). If you did that now you be in the sin bin every time.

 

[VOOMER]

I can't remember the last time I saw anyone have to hook the ball. It is almost never put in straight or in fact close to the hooker's feet.

Hadn't heard before that boring in blocked vision, just that it hurt.

Its sad really, a great contest ruined.

 

[MillionMilesAway]

100% correct, its still a vital part of the game. If you gain dominance, then you can play more expansive games as you getting the ball back from the knock on in the scrum. The higher the level of rugby, the less that scrum dominance should be, unless your playing Australia!

It will be interesting to see how Fiji's scrum comes on now they have a Super Rugby side, while Argentina don't. It's always been a problem for the Pacific Islanders that they got beaten up in the scrum as they didn't get enough top level practice.

About 10 years ago, Australia's front row was fairly flaky but managed to finagle penalties in the front row a staggering amount.

 

[homerdog]

If you slow it down, then you can see their hooker's leg is forward, then when the ref says set he moves it backwards and their whole front row drops in height, causing Genge to go down on his knee. Their hooker's knee also goes down on the ground at this point.

Probably should have given the penalty the other way, but at this point O'Keefe was blind to it - a bit like Atwell not noticing Rashford being 5 yards offside!

 

[meltonblue]

If you slow it down, then you can see their hooker's leg is forward, then when the ref says set he moves it backwards and their whole front row drops in height, causing Genge to go down on his knee. Their hooker's knee also goes down on the ground at this point.

Probably should have given the penalty the other way, but at this point O'Keefe was blind to it - a bit like Atwell not noticing Rashford being 5 yards offside!

If you slow it down, then you can see their hooker's leg is forward, then when the ref says set he moves it backwards and their whole front row drops in height, causing Genge to go down on his knee. Their hooker's knee also goes down on the ground at this point.

Probably should have given the penalty the other way, but at this point O'Keefe was blind to it - a bit like Atwell not noticing Rashford being 5 yards offside!

That’s as much because George moves his foot back before he should though, which would have been a free kick to SA anyway.

 

[meltonblue]

For safety reasons he should have reset the scrum

Yes I said it could have been reset in a different post, he did that earlier in the game for the same reason.

By that point in the game though, he was clearly influenced from previous scrums and looking for England discretions more.