Scrums are good for the game says ex-Castleford Tigers and Wakefield Trinity prop

The Rugby Football League’s laws committee this week recommended removing scrums from all fixtures for the rest of 2020, on health grounds.

They also suggested following the NRL’s lead in restarting play with a play-the-ball rather than a scrum following a kick out on the full or a mutual infringement such as the ball hitting the referee or a trainer. So far this year there has been an average of 12 scrums per game in Betfred Super League.

Huby, 34, played for Castleford Tigers from 2003 to 2014, then had two seasons with Huddersfield Giants before joining Wakefield Trinity. He retired last December because of a persistent shoulder injury and now runs a coffee shop, Plan Bee, in Castleford Town centre.

The ex-prop admitted his initial reaction to the prospect of fewer - or possibly no - scrums in the game was “what about the big fellas”.

He said: “The game is quick enough as it is, so where do you get your rests?”

Huby predicted: “I think it’s a good thing for the spectators if it speeds the game up, but from a player’s point of view it is going to have a big effect on the bigger, middle-unit players who try to do longer stints. It is going to affect their game time, I would imagine.”

Huby, though, believes most props could cope.