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should scrum half's be taking up more responsibility

johnlad

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i have always thought when watching a rugby game that if anyone on the field has the most say on how a team plays its the scrum half. He has the choice of slowing a game down speeding it up and changing the direction of attack. however especially it seems in the british and irish teams, fly half is the position which gets all the plaudits and has the say on the backs move. so i'm wondering why is it not the scrum half doing this.
 
The 10 always gets the media attention because the UK media loves someone who kicks a ball. Jonny Wilkinson was rugbys Beckham so they've always made 10's out to be vastly more important and over-rated then they really are.

Everyone who understands the game knows that the Scrum Half is the main man in a team.
 
Thats why Ireland are having such problem ATM( I know that there are other things) we have crap 9's or al least our coach wants to pick a crap 9.
 
Thats why Ireland are having such problem ATM( I know that there are other things) we have crap 9's or al least our coach wants to pick a crap 9.

Equally, it's no co-incidence that England were great when Dawson was playing, **** when Ellis was playing, okayish when Care was playing and about as good as they've been since Dawson retired now Youngs is playing.
 
Yeah have to agree with Bullitt here, it is so important to have a good 9. If a 9 can get to the breakdown early, secure quick ball and make a good decision on the next play then they decide the direction of your team. Youngs has been a breath of fresh air to England and a main part of the reason we are playing such good Rugby at the moment. All good teams have a brilliant 9 in their team which then often helps make the 10 look like a better player, and often a contributing reason to why a team struggles when they lose their best scrum half. SA struggled last tri-nations without Du Preez as England did for nearly 6 years after Dawson left, which is why whenever I see Care lining up to come on I always let out a sigh because personally I think he is pretty rubbish.
 
whenever I see Care lining up to come on I always let out a sigh because personally I think he is pretty rubbish.

Don't forget the Scotland game - Youngs was a rabbit in the headlights while Care steadied the ship. Be grateful it wasn't Ellis or Perry!

Gommersall in the 2007 world cup is the stand-out point to consider. His experience (and flat-out old-gitness) after replacing Perry (who always was and always will be a fat welder) carried England.
 
Yeah, I think for SA and France scrummies do take a lot of the responsibility. It is also no coincidence that SA won 2 WCs while Joost van der Westhuizen and Fourie du Preez were wearing the no.9 jersey. We looked helpless last year without du Preez.
 
Don't forget the Scotland game - Youngs was a rabbit in the headlights while Care steadied the ship. Be grateful it wasn't Ellis or Perry!

Gommersall in the 2007 world cup is the stand-out point to consider. His experience (and flat-out old-gitness) after replacing Perry (who always was and always will be a fat welder) carried England.

Yeah sorry you are right about that. Youngs hasn't had his best games against France and Scotland and sometimes does seem too keen to snipe off the base and run into trouble but maybe is down to inexperience and in the same situation in a few years time he would opt for plan B. I don't know what it is about Care but I just don't like him that much, maybe just in comparison to Youngs at his best he isn't as electric.

Gommarsall was brilliant in the WC. Perry on the other hand was brilliant for Bristol (so I take you welder insult personally! :p) but shocking for England. Now hes f'd off to France its probably the last we'll see of him. There was never any consistently good scrum half after Dawson left though until now - we had Ellis, Perry, Gommarsall, Wigglesworth, Care and now Youngs, and only now are we playing Rugby like we did in 2003 (2007 was more 'once more into the breach dear friends' type play) which does show the value of a good scrumhalf.
 

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