Why do rugby players scrum and maul at such different body heights?
Scrums and mauls are the two great dominance contests within the game of rugby. Marked superiority in either of these forms of engagement can affect the morale of both teams in a way that a corresponding supremacy at say the lineout does not.
Forward packs spend countless hours developing scrum technique but very much less attention is given to the maul, particularly in a defensive situation. Scrums are also elaborately structured whereas mauls tend to be chaotic. To a large extent this is due to the relative extent to which the two are regulated by the Laws of Rugby. Law 20, relating to the scrum, comprises three times as many pages as Law 17 pertaining to the maul.
Unlike the scrum, the Laws are largely silent on what players can do in the maul. Within the maul itself the most relevant clauses are that “Players joining a maul must have their heads and shoulders no lower than their hips” (17.2 (a)); they “must endeavour to stay on their feet” (17.2 (d)); and “A player must not intentionally collapse a maul” (17.2 (e)). Thus there remains considerable...
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