NRL Round 14 Review: Scrum Season, Olakau'atu Destruction & A Sea Eagles Switch Play

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The NRL is the gift that keeps on giving. As the Top 4 starts to pull away, only four points separate 5th from 15th at the moment.

State of Origin will decimate the competition in Round 15, but every result is significant as the middle of the NRL ladder cannibalises itself every week.

Until then, though, I’m digging into the week that was and how coaches are making the most of scrum time.

Table of Contents

• How Teams Are Making The Most Of Scrums

• Quick Play-the-Balls

  • ICYMI: Thursday Night Footy Recap

  • “How did they get five on two?”

• Setting Up For A Shot: Sea Eagles Switching It Up

• Try Time: Katoa Sitting The Defence

Big Takeaway From the Week: How Teams Are Making The Most Of Scrums

Tackle one can make or break a set of six. First up here, we’re breaking down what makes for the biggest talking point of the week.

It’s scrum season in the NRL!

Credit where credit is due, the ability for teams to choose where they can pack a scrum has changed the game. We’re seeing detailed plays and sets from a scrum start as teams look to make the most of what has always been, and finally being recognised, as a prime attacking opportunity.

However, as is often the case in rugby league, trends change. The best coaches in the game stay one step ahead, and with 13 weeks of footy under our belt, we caught a glimpse of how teams are using trends from the opposition to their advantage.

First, we go to Benji Marshall and the Wests Tigers after putting their scrum defence on the watchlist after Round 13:

“While Benji Marshall put a lot of emphasis on the two sin bins and a Bunker decision following Wests Tigers loss to the Cowboys, he also mentioned needing to address ‘things they can control.’

Their splits for defending scrums are likely to be one of those things.”

The North Queensland Cowboys got the better of them last week by putting six against Wests’ five in yardage. Field position may have caught them off guard this time, but leaving the winger marking nobody as the Cowboys created an overlap on the long side will have been something mentioned during the week.

Ivan Cleary and the Penrith Panthers will have made note of how the Tigers set up this scrum. Assuming more of a focus on their splits, the Panthers changed things up again.

This is an unusual spot for Nathan Cleary to be lining up for a scrum, but it isn’t an accident. He’s presenting himself to Jeral Skelton on the wing to keep him from flipping over to the long side.

As Cleary swings around at the last moment, Skelton doesn’t know whether or not to follow or hold the shortside. As a result, the best player in the NRL at fixing defenders and creating a numbers advantage is able to do his work for Thomas Jenkins to go over in the corner.

The Canberra Raiders, who the Tigers face after the bye in Round 16, are an ideal team to add another adjustment by forcing Skelton into the line, engaging him in the tackle, and firing the ball straight back towards his wing on the following play.

The Brisbane Broncos used a late swing for Reece Walsh to score an individual beauty, too. But first, we go back to Round 13 when the Gold Coast Titans defended a Melbourne Storm scrum from the same field position.

It’s a little bit difficult to see with the angle, but note the gap on the Titans left edge (feed side) and how the defender closest to the scrum is following Cameron Munster over. The Gold Coast are looking to match numbers when defending good ball scrums.

We see that same gap a week later. The Broncos have sent the centre and winger as far to the edge as they can, which forces the Titans to move out further than they would like. They also have their defender closest to the scrum following Walsh as he appears to survey the field.

He’s only going one way, though.

Timing is run to perfection, Walsh is instantly on the outside of the man opposite him. Chris Randall doesn’t get off the line square, and with his speed and footwork, along with the wide start off the scrum base, Walsh is catches him off balance back inside to score.

Walsh v Randall is a favourable matchup for the Broncos already, but the most simple of plans from a scrum start improved upon it further for points.

It’s not only on the attacking side that teams are learning and adjusting. The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs read the Parramatta Eels like a book for Matt Burton to score an intercept try on Monday.

The first chapter of the book came in Round 13 when the Eels tried the same wrap play on the Panthers. It works relatively well, but that will be why the Bulldogs were so prepared to face it a week later.

We’re only halfway into the season and the chessmatches at scrum time are already becoming edge-of-your-seat moments. We can lock in a few bangers when the best coaches in the competition get together for September football and dig deep into their bag of tricks.

Quick Play-the-Balls

We’re generating momentum through the middle of the article with a couple of quick carries.

ICYMI: Thursday Night Footy Recap

Newcastle’s early-game cycle clearly needs some work. Eight scoreless first halves is a stat I couldn’t quite believe when I heard it the first time. But while they need to tinker with things to start matches, this comeback win will inspire confidence in the process and offer hope for a rapid improvement when key players return to the field.

“How did they get five on two?”

Andrew Voss couldn’t believe it when he saw the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles strip the Newcastle Knights in the build up to Lehi Hopoate’s near-try on Thursday night.

Haumole Olakau’atu is how you get five on two…

His ability to drag in defenders is second-to-none in the NRL right now, and Daly Cherry-Evans knows precisely how to make the most of it.

What might look like a simple drop play is a direct response to the Knights rushing defence. Olakau’atu being able to stand in the tackle to engage four defenders before releasing an offload only adds more stress to the line.

Left in the wake of the Olakau’atu carry and offload are three defenders still tracking back after failing to get him to ground, and James Schiller, who ended up above the ball with a long way back to the 10 metre line by the time Ethan Bullemor is tackled.

With the Knights defence in tatters without the three players involved in the previous tackle able to travel, the Sea Eagles create a massive numbers advantage on the edge which falls inches short of producing the opener.

Olakau’atu is a tackle-breaking machine who creates plenty of highlights on his own, but it’s the following tackle that can catch defences out most often.

Setting Up For A Shot: Sea Eagles Switching It Up

Teams play to points with the following tackle in mind. Here, I’m touching on something to watch next week as we try to keep ahead of things happening on the field.

More Sea Eagles…

You might remember the play for Tolutau Koula’s speed and tackle breaks before falling inches short of the line. However, with Manly one of the few teams to play in Round 15 and Daly Cherry-Evans available, it’s the play before the Koula run I’m keeping an eye out for in the upcoming round.

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