ABSTRACT
There are approximately 19 scrums per game in rugby union (rugby) (International Rugby Board, 2003a), with many teams using the scrum as a means to establish both dominance over the opposition and initiate attack. An indication of the importance of the scrum to the game is reflected by International Rugby Board statistics from the 2003 Rugby World Cup which indicated that 29 per cent of tries originated from a scrum (International Rugby Board, 2003b). Although the scrum is a key aspect of the game, it has been the subject of considerable comment from the medical community for many years (Quarrie et al., 2002). Some practitioners have called for significant changes to scrum laws, such as banning pushing in the scrum, in an endeavour to reduce the potential for injury (Bourke, 2006). The arguments against such a radical change are extensive (Cameron, 2006; Standfield, 2006; Wilson, 2006) and so extreme changes to scrummaging laws are not likely to occur in the near future.
