Inexperienced Front Rower

SpAcEd OuT

Something I heard today that I found incredibly dangerous/stupid

My mates brother has been playing rugby for 3 years during that time he was a wing, hes a big guy, not short and fat but muscular about 6'0 anyways hes never played forward in his life and apparently his senior team want to put him in at loosehead in a match due to injuries. he also told me that all hes done is about 10minutes of scrummaging against a machine the other day, apart from those 10minutes against a machine he has never been in a scrum at all.

Hes about 14stone whereas his opposite will probably be about 16-19stone that along with the inexperience and the level they are playing at instantly told me that it is a disaster waiting to happen neck injury wise, anyone else agree

EdgarAllenPoo

Simple solution - say no.

zAbbo

Sounds like a diaster alright.

From what you say, He has never been in a scrum before, 10mins against a machine doesn't really count (machines don't collapse / wheel / or go arseways )

Stev_o

Im appalled a manger would even think about making such a switch! I mean a winger going front row? All it would take is the one shove in the first scrum for it to go down on his side and for him to be in a world of trouble

SpAcEd OuT

thought so your mans only 17 as well don't think he really realises the potential dangers

Stev_o

What age group is it?? Very strange having someone that young coaching any side.

SpAcEd OuT

no meant the front rower is 17

imalegend

say no.....no no no no no...so dangerous!!and the coach shoud be reported from trying this!!

SpAcEd OuT

I've told my friend my thoughts on this he didn't seem too bothered though.

AlphaMale 3OO

Absolutely NO!

Stev_o

"On the 5th of May this year, young Kobus Engelbrecht broke his neck ( C5&6 vertebra's) in a school rugby match. The school is actually across the road from where I live, so it gave me chills when I first heard about it. The international rugby player Thinus Delport actually attended the same school.

Kobus is currently totally paralysed from the neck down. On Tuesday the 8th of May he went into surgery to repair the vertebra fracture, the operation was successful in term of the goals that the doctors had. He is currently in a stable condition in the trauma ICU unit of the Milpark hospital in Johannesburg.

His recovery process will be a lengthy and costly one. A trust account has been opened with the help of Hoffmeyr attorneys and is currently under their management. An sms line for donations has been established and we ask your help in this regard. The sms line and trust account is to assist Kobus and his family with the enormous financial obligation of his recovery."

Thats only at schoolboy level and he's a real front rower. Now imagine a winger in his place

jackbhoy

Its absolutely ridiculous that any coach would put a guy of that size and level of experience into FR. I have an old team/school friend who dislocated his neck doing exactly the same, he's now in a wheelchair, the scrum didn't even collapse as such, just the force and angle (and his inexperience) caused the dislocation.
This might be an extreme case and is unlikely to happen but all the same he should not do it!

damnyanks

It's not that big a deal in a warm up game. Worst case they will just go uncontested scrums. I've done the same before the scrum rarely collapsed

mikedragon32

Coach should be reported to the Branch and the Union. They will take a very dim view of this and the potential litigation as a result of the possible outcome is boggling. Any lawyer would have a field day on the school and the Union is that kid gets injured in a game. It's nothing short of gross negligence.

Schoolboy rugby is riddled with danger at scrumtime anyway without putting in someone with so little coaching. As someone already said, 10 minutes on a machine means nothing. If you've never practiced live scrummaging in a controlled training environment, you're putting yourself in great danger.

A lad who was a couple of years ahead of me in school is paralysed from from the waist down as a result of a collapsed scrum.

Hamo

I've coached from mini's up to J1's and have NEVER heard anything so foolish in my life, this is dangerous, unsafe for all and putting not alone himself at risk but also his fellow players.

Put simply he must refuse to do so and contact the executive in his club to communicate the danger's of such actions, I can't believe this....

Ginger

I have 15 years of scrumming and wouldnt go into the front row without going through strength training and build ups because all it takes is the other guy to try something (and it happens) and you are screwed.

Scrumming is a lot of technique and also a lot of its strength in certain areas and know how to react to the other person you are scrumming against.

Its too dangerous.. he can and should say no..

tHE vAGGABOND

Inexperienced prop = uncontested scrums = no problems..

I ran into it a lot playing club rugby in London. We had a gigantic front row [including your truly] and we would tank a team up front before Christmas, and in the return fixture they would have 3 skinny, fit back rowers in the front row and we would have to go uncontested and they would kill us all around the pitch and gain their revenge

Your mate has to say no. Maybe it will be fine, and he will have no problems at all, but if he came up against someone with a temper, who knew what he was doing he could be in *big* trouble..

A good example [I have time on my hands]. I am an experienced prop, and have played both sides of the scrum for 20 years. I moved to London about 6 years ago [back home now]. In my first game over there I was playing for East London RFC, and I was dropped right onto the first team as 2 blokes dropped out late, and was playing tight head [not wanting to get technical, I was too tall for tight head right there, as the other two in front row were small, and we were all over shop. Loose head was trying to lead into the scrum, where I was a foot taller than him

We were playing a team of old guys, and I was against this grizzly bear [think Carl Hayman]. He really had me for breakfast, he was stronger in every way and was getting right under me [Think Paul Wallace under Os Du Rant on SA Lions tour!]. but my back was in a total jock and if I did not know some tricks of the front row like dropping to my knees and messing with his head I would have been in serious physical trouble. If I did not know the score there I would have been ****ed. My back was in agony, and he was driving right into my lungs.

..that right there is why inexperienced people cant play in the front row