Hey there Mr. Scrum Half,

You know that Netflix show you’re planning to watch tonight? Forget about it.

That video game marathon? Cancelled!

We have something else cooked up for you, dude.

Look, you’ve got an important job this season and we’re just trying to help. Scrum half is a badass position that requires a lot of mental and physical skill. You are the metronome that keeps the forwards ticking. You are the delivery man for the offense and the brains behind all those box kicks.

We’ve put together a list of 3 games that are MUST WATCH. Pay close attention to the scrummies in these games and take notes to improve your game. This is the kind of analysis that takes your game to the next level.

Ready, set, go!

1. South Africa vs Wales RWC 2019 Semi-Finals

If Faf de Klerk doesn’t immediately come to mind when you’re thinking about defensive scrum halves then you haven’t been paying attention! This isn’t the most exciting game on the whole, but does feature an excellent piece of heads up defensive work from Faf.

While Faf doesn’t have any of his signature aggressive tackles (except for one blind side tackle on opposite 9 Gareth Davies) he is constantly prowling behind the ruck keeping the explosive Welsh scrum half contained.

Next Level moment: At 62 minutes game time Wales are building an impressive and sustained attack at the South African goal line. De Klerk follows the play from the base of the ruck until Referee Jerome Garces indicates a penalty advantage for Wales. De Klerk immediately peels off the ruck and books it to cover a possible grubber from the Welsh backs.

The important take-away is that this defensive masterpiece is not the result of athleticism, pure aggression or even luck. It is a great example of situational awareness and the confidence to decisively act on what you see in front of you.

2. France v Scotland 2021 Six Nations

This is a great game! If you haven’t seen the ending make sure you watch the whole thing, there are plenty of lessons to be learned and it all comes down to the wire, maybe even a little past that! Antoine Dupont is considered by many to be the most complete scrum half in the game today. Much of the praise revolves around his strong and elusive running, his phenomenal fitness, offloading ability and his intelligent support or ‘cheat’ lines.

Instead of re-hashing the same highlight reels, in this video I want to focus on a different skill, his vision and willingness to encourage an expansive playing style. It’s a little bit of a slow burn so I will need to spotlight a few clips to make my point.

For much of the first half the Scottish defense held “Les Blues’ in check, good tackling and an organized, coherent defensive shape consistently thwarted the French attack.

At 35 minutes game time Dupont decides its time to change that. After an 8-9 interchange from the base of a scrum Dupont lofts a big over-the-top pass to his wing. With the ball in hand French winger Damien Penault breaks the tackle of his opposite winger, Duhan van der Merwe and plays an inside ball to his full back for France’s fist try of the match.

At 39 minutes game time Dupont tries the same thing with France on the attack after a line break. He throws another over the top pass trying to put the dangerous Damien Penault away in the corner. Unfortunately the pass lacks a little bit of power and the Scottish defense is able to drift over and cover the threat. But once again the willingness of Dupont to play with such an expansive mindset is not lost on the Scotsmen — the wide channels need to be covered.

At 45 minutes game time Dupont has another long cut-out pass following a line break. There is still plenty of work for the backs to do, but Dupont is again stretching the point of attack and forcing the Scots to be mindful of their wide channels and the need to defend them. An intelligent inside step from France’s outside center to commit two defenders, combined with an offload in contact gets the ball in winger Penault’s hands where he is able to showcase his skills and finish off a beautiful try.

Next Level Moment: It has all been leading to this moment. Dupont has manufactured two tries in the outside channels and the Scottish backs are keenly aware of the threat his long cut-out passes pose. Just before 65 minutes game time France sets a maul from the line-out near Scotland’s 5m line. After a few phases of forwards rugby Dupont has a quick look to Damien Penault on his short side. I can promise you that Scottish winger Duhan van der Merwe noticed that look, and if he had somehow managed to forget the threat a Dupont long ball to Damien Penault posed, I’m sure he quickly remembered. With van der Merwe hugging the short side touchline to defend Penault, Dupont is easily able to feed a French lock moving around the back of the ruck to the short side for the try. It looks incredibly simple, and it is, but it is all the result of the threat that Dupont’s long pass poses.

Takeaway: Even though Antoine Dupont has excellent physical skills, he created three tries in this match using his awareness. He recognized that to beat the strong Scottish defense he needed to quickly move the ball to the wide channels where his talented wingers could thrive. As a result, the interior channels began to open up throughout the game, creating the opportunity for the third and final try that he was involved in.

3. Wales v Uruguay RWC 2015

I imagine this will be a throwback game for most of you, but if you are looking for a great example of a sniping scrum half this is the game for you. Wales’ Gareth Davies is well known for his explosive running and willingness to take on defenders at the fringes of the breakdown.

Gareth Davies showcases his finishing ability on two separate occasions this game.

At 58 minutes game time Wales is hunting for the try line, a series of forward-dominated movements has left the Uruguayans scrambling back to set their defense. Recognizing his chance for a quick strike before the defensive line is completely set, Davies takes the ball himself from the base of the ruck and, head down, drives to the line for the try.

Next Level Moment: With a dominant Welsh maul once again lumbering towards the try line at 79 minutes game time, Gareth Davies knows the Uruguayans must commit more defenders to stopping the maul. As soon as the ‘post’ player on the short side commits to the maul Davies takes the ball himself to the weak side utilizing a dummy pass to his winger to preserve the space and dives over for an easy try.

Takeaway: If you are a scrum half that prefers to be a threat around the breakdown and near the try line the lesson here is to pick your moments and your methods. If Davies had tried a dummy pass at 59 minutes his body position would have been too high to burrow his way over the line. Conversely, at 79 minutes had he just lowered his head and darted for the line without the dummy pass there is the possibility (albeit small) that the defending winger wouldn’t have hesitated and either made a tackle or potentially held up the grounding.

-Brian Redmond, Rugby Rioter