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In professional team sports, the playmaker gets the plaudits when they do something right and

conversely the opprobrium when they screw up. The quarter-back who throws the winning

touchdown pass, knows on another given day the pass could be intercepted for a 40 yard return by

the defense. The soccer centre-forward that scores the winning goal goes about his business in the

knowledge that one day he is a hero and another day a chump. Same goes for the rugby out-half,

who drops the winning goal or slots over the penalty. These professionals know only too well thecapricious nature of sport. The rewards, the plaudits are huge. To the victor the spoils.

However there are also other players in every team sport that may never win MVP or man of the

match awards but who are no less critical in determining the success or failure of their teams than

their more lauded team-mates. Ironically the importance of these players to their teams is often

only appreciated when they make an error. Pity, the soccer goal keeper who makes one calamitous

mistake to cost his team the game. All his previous efforts up to that one moment are forgotten.

In rugby union truly the overlooked hero is the prop forward. The modern prop plys his trade at

the unglamorous coalface of the game. He is lynchpin of the scrum, lifter in the line out, and guard

dog at the ruck. Prop forwards are in the frontline of the ultimate collision sport. Tight-head prop is

the most physically demanding position on the rugby pitch and possibly in any team sport. The force

generated when two international packs engage (for the scrum) is akin to two family hatchbacks

colliding at 25 mph. After the physical strain of a scrum, a prop is expected to hit rucks, make tackles

and carry the ball. The tight-head for example is effectively scrummaging against two players the

loose-head and the hooker.

Anyone who watched the Lions V South Africa Series 2009 will remember the sight of a broken

Phil Vickery on the sideline during the first test. Arguably Vickerys poor scrummaging performance

in the first test cost the Lions that game. Vickery was savaged by the beast - coughing up three

penalties in the first half for dropping his bind. He was psychologically broken after the first scrum,

when he was driven up and out of the scrum. However Vickery got his chance for redemption in the

final test (due in part to injuries caused by the attritional nature of the second test) and gained

parity at scrum-time against the Beast. The only test the Lions won in the series.

There have been other recent examples of how a dominant scrum determines the outcome of a

game. Ireland won the Grand Slam in 2009 and went through the year unbeaten a remarkable

achievement considering the burden of the second weakest scrum in the Six Nations. However this

season, the limitations of the team were badly exposed by powerful French and Scottish

scrummaging performances. France were easy Grand Slam winners in the end. During the recent

Heineken European Rugby Cup semi-finals both Irish teams Munster and Leinster (the dominant

European powers since 2006) were obliterated in the scrum by their French opposition. The results

were comfortable victories for Biarritz and Toulouse respectively. It was the year of the French inEuropean rugby. Irish teams in contrast endured a trophy-less season year. The crucial difference-

France have a destructive scrum and Ireland dont.

Scrummaging is quite a technical skill and technique can triumph over brute strength. Paul Wallace

of Saracens, Ireland and British and Irish Lions was considered small in stature (for a prop forward)

but was an excellent technical scrummager. A skilled tight-head prop will try to bring his opponent

as low to the ground as possible this effectively means that the loose-heads strength is negated as

the only force he can generate is downwards and not forward as desired. A top class loose-head by

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contrast will try to force the opposing tight head up as this removes the scrums anchors and upsets

any chance of a solid scrum. Of course some props scrummage illegally, to negate any opposition

advantage a tight-head will drive diagonally, to attack the hooker as he is not square he cant be

driven backwards and this also disrupts the hooker, preventing a clean strike. Most experienced

referees should be able to spot this illegal technique known as boring.

Without a solid scrum, the back-row cannot break off the base of the scrum blunting some of the

teams most potent weapons (flankers and number 8 will tend to be some of the most dynamic ball

carriers on the field). However, more importantly the scrumhalf and particularly the out-half will be

under severe pressure and susceptible to being hit by the opposing teams back-row this prevents

the three-quarters from getting the necessary space to run at the opposition. Imagine if the Patriots

offensive scrimmage crumbled each time, the ball was snapped to Tom Brady?

Unfortunately the technical side of the game is not receiving enough attention from coaches in

countries like Ireland, England and Wales. This demonstrates a lack of understanding of the role of

the prop by professional coaches. It is time for more appreciation for the prop forward and for the

important game changing role that he plays in modern rugby. In contrast, countries like South

Africa, Argentina, Italy and lately France place considerable emphasis on scrummaging to great

success. Despite the importance of the scrum many teams dont practice scrummaging in training.

According to some Munster players, the Munster management apparently did not think it

worthwhile to practice scrummaging in the weeks leading up to the Biarritz clash. The result was a

demolished scrum and a convincing victory for Biarritz.

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