Introduced this season the option for a Centre Field scrum position has opened up exciting attacking options. With a standard field width of 68 metres this gives the attacking side the chance to setup flank attacking plays covering 34 metres.
What I’m struggling to understand is why teams are choosing a 3/3 split in defence in some circumstances when the attacking team goes for a 4/2 split in attack. Check out the below video and images:
Defending 4 vs 3 over 34m width within your own 20 is asking for trouble – especially the non-scrum feed side. It is quite easy with a good out-ball from the base of the scrum to have the 1st attacker engaging the 3 defender (ie third defender in from the wing) with the second rower/lock scrambling to get across after breaking from the scrum.
Melbourne are taking advantage of this by turning strong runners Asofa-Solomona and Fa’asuamaleaui under from Papenhauzen – best case they score – worst case a fast play the ball due to difficult 1 on 1 tackle from the scrum based covering defender.
But even the standard block play run by Parra below is damaging – in this case Lee/Earl are forced to guess where Brown plays – is it short to Jennings, to sweeper Gutherson or straight to Sivo?
Defensive Options
So what could be done instead? I’d suggest always manning up 4 vs 4 on the scrum non-feed side thus negating the scramble and overlaps created. This does leave you 2 vs 2 on the feed side with a lot of space – however your ace is that you have the defending scrum half who can immediately slide to assist the 2 defender from getting beaten on the inside. This option does expose the defence to an attacking scrum half run but at least your lock/second rower are very close by to cover this. I much prefer the risk profile of this defensive setup compared to 4 on 3.
If the attacking team goes with 4 attackers on the feed side I’d experiment with either sticking with a 3/3 defence utilising the defending scrum half to make the ground across (it’s important they immediately slide leaving the lock/second-rower to cover the scrum half) or man up 4/2 with defending lock/second-rower breaking immediately to assist 2 side.
Of course – why not just break from the scrum early? it’s only a differential and allows you to reset your defence. So far no one has been sin-binned for this offence and there has been plenty of blatant abuse of this rule.
Rugby League Strategy 