Jonathan Kaplan

Prominent ex-Test referee Jonathan Kaplan has joined the chorus calling for scrutiny of the Crusaders scrumming action after their win over the Toyota Cheetahs last weekend.

The Crusaders scrum has dominated in their contests against both the Emirates Lions and Cheetahs in their 2 Vodacom Super Rugby games over the past fortnight, and in both cases it seems as if the scrum – and All Black prop Wyatt Crockett in particular – have gotten away with murder.

Crockett’s supposed dominance in the scrum has seen both Julian Redelinghuys and Coenie Oosthuizen, both Springbok props, being sin-binned during the game and a plethora of penalties given against their teams by referees who believe the tighthead can’t handle the pressure when the loosehead packs down.

But on a number of occasions – and ironically picked up by both former All Blacks Jeff Wilson and Justin Marshall – the scrum has never packed down straight.

The Crusaders tend to be using an old trick among props where the entire front row takes a step sideways, therefore negating the opposition scrum and stopping them from scrumming straight. The result is that the set scrum is never square and the tighthead has no option but to go inward.

This tends to be penalised time and again by referees without sorting out the basis of the problem.

The Crusaders head to Loftus Versfeld this weekend to face the Vodacom Bulls and are sure to try the tactic again against a scrum which has come under a lot of scrutiny at times.

At one stage against the Cheetahs, Crockett was even seen to shift his hips outward and change angle scrumming in, leading to the yellow card for Oosthuizen and a penalty try given against the Cheetahs.

The Lions have apparently raised the question privately with officials, but nothing was done, and the Cheetahs privately were seething at some of the scrum calls.

Kaplan, writing in his weekly column for Rate the Ref, hinted that “either there is a lack of will, or confusion on how to address” the Crusaders scrum, which wasn’t always legal.

“The Crusaders beat up the poor Cheetahs. They were at their ruthless best… Once they got their scrum going and forced a yellow card as well as a penalty try. The Cheetahs folded and the rest is history,” Kaplan wrote.

“People this week (were) moaning about what was said last week, actually what I have been saying for some time – that their scrum, however powerful is not always legal.

“Crockett’s angles at scrum time have forced two of our tight heads to get yellow cards and essentially rendered the contest over. I do not agree with those decisions, when the player is doing his best under the most testing of environments.

“I’m not the only one. There are many senior referees who have expressed concerns over these yellow cards. As did, the very knowledgable (sic) and admirable Justin Marshall.

“Time and again, they made comment on the fact that the Crusaders scrum on the loose head side was not square and parallel to the touch lines. When is something going to be done about it? I’m not sure. I’ve been talking about it for at least five years now, and my sense is that there is either a lack of will, or confusion as to how to address this. Enough said.”

The referee for the contest is Angus Gardner of Australia, who gave three red cards in the Sharks-Chiefs game last week for foul play incidents.

How will he react, and will he take note of an apparently illegal way of gaining advantage for a team? Will he call out the Crusaders for their infringements or simply – like the past two weekends – choose a side to penalise and disregard the way the scrum is set?

Only time will tell.

SuperSport