SCRUM

also called Scrummage, in rugby football, the packed formation of opposing forwards who, heads down, lock themselves against each other when the referee has halted play for a minor infringement of the rules. No more than three may be in the front line of the formation. A player from the nonoffending team, usually the scrum half, then puts the ball into the tunnel midway between the opposing forwards. The hooker, the centre man in the front row, is primarily responsible for obtaining the ball for his side and then, with the others, heeling the ball backward, out of the scrum to the awaiting scrum half. The side losing possession of the ball tries to push its opponents off the ball and then breaks up quickly to minimize the advantage gained by the opposing backs.