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In rugby union a scrum is a means of restarting play after a minor infringement. It involves up to eight players from each team, known as the pack or forward pack, binding together in three rows and interlocking with the free opposing teams forwards. At this point the ball is fed into the gap between the two forward packs and they both compete for the ball to win possession. Teams can be penalised for intentionally causing the scrum to collapse, and for not putting the ball into the scrum correctly. A scrum is most commonly awarded when the ball is knocked forward, or passed forward, or when a ball becomes trapped in a ruck or maul. Because of the physical nature of scrums, injuries can occur, especially in the front row. == Overview == To prepare for a scrum, each team's eight forwards (referred to as the ''pack'' or ''forward pack'') bind together in three rows — the front row, second row and back row. The front row is composed of the two ''props'' and the ''hooker''. To the left is the ''loosehead'' prop with the hooker in the middle, and the ''tighthead'' prop on the right (jersey numbers one, two and three). The "tighthead" prop, number three, earns that name as his head and shoulders sits between the hooker and the loosehead prop of the opposing side, meaning he sits in a "tighter" scrum position. The loosehead prop, by contrast, has one shoulder open to the outside of the scrum, and so is in a "looser" scrum position. The three bind together tightly and there is no gap between the hooker and either prop. According to the laws of the game; "When a player binds on a team-mate that player must use the whole arm from hand to shoulder to grasp the team-mate’s body at or below the level of the armpit." Failing to bind properly results in a penalty, and the opposition team being awarded a free kick. The two ''second row'' forwards (jersey numbers four and five) bind together and directly behind the front row with each putting their heads between the props and the hooker. They are more commonly referred to as ''locks'' as they "lock" the scrum. Lastly the back row is made up of the two ''flankers'' and the number eight. The flankers bind on each side of the scrum — next to a lock and behind a prop.〔 Generally the number seven flanker is referred to as the ''openside'' flanker, and with the number six flanker as the ''blindside'' flanker.〔This is not universally true, some teams operate a left and right flanker rather than openside and blindside.〕 "Openside" and "blindside" refer to the wide and narrow side of the pitch respectively, as scrums usually occur closer to one of the touchlines than the other. The openside flanker's job is to get to the next ruck or maul as quickly as possible, so they will usually bind on that side. The number 8 binds behind the two locks, with his/her head between them. To form a scrum the two forward packs approach to within an arms length of each other. The referee gives the command ''crouch'' and the opposing front rows then crouch so that their backs are parallel to the ground and their head and shoulders are no lower than their hips. Then the referee calls ''bind'' and "using their outside arm each prop binds onto the point of the opposing prop’s outside shoulder." This command is to ensure that the two front rows are not too far apart. Finally the referee then says ''set'' (this is not a command, but rather permission to the front rows to engage) and the two front rows come together. When this happens both front rows thrust forward with the tighthead props heads going between the opposing hooker and loosehead prop. The props then bind by gripping the back or side of the opposing prop's jersey. The scrum-half from the team that has possession (referred to as having ''the feed'' or ''put in'') then throws the ball in the gap formed between the two front rows. This gap is called the ''tunnel''. With the ball in the tunnel the two hookers (and sometimes the props) compete for possession by trying to hook the ball backwards with their feet, while the entire pack tries to push the opposing pack backwards. The side that wins possession usually transfers the ball to the back of the scrum — which is done with their feet. Once at the back it is picked up either by the number 8, or by the scrum-half. From here the ball is in play and the player with possession will either run, pass or kick the ball. On other occasions the forwards will hold the ball in the scrum and try to push the opposition backwards. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Scrum (rugby union)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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