Why does the hooker throw in lineouts?

[PaarlBok]

Wingers did it in the past. Scrummies also had a period in SA and then it switch to the nr2s.

 

[Riptide]

The precision required to throw in a ball, requiring that the finer small muscles are engaged in a consistent fashion really mean, and the constant repetition and training required mean that the last person to throw a ball in should be the prop. Fatigue plays a role. The tighthead's responsibilities at scrum time leave him with jelly legs and tired shoulders. Guys like Franks who can get about the field as well as he does and be effective as a ball carrier are freaks. A loosehead doesnt far much better but again the strain at scrum time takes it's toll.

So if not a prop, who else? A 9 is required to clean up poor off the top or loose ball, or to be in position to offer a relieving kick, but he cant be a part time thrower. That would require a second player to be available to throw-in the ball. There is not always a bench lock or loose forward available, and again that places too many restrictions on the type of cover you'd require.

Wingers may actually be an option but again, not a desirable one. You may not have specific wing cover on the bench, and several players in the squad would then need to get in their reps with the jumpers. Lineout practice would need, require more time just to get wingers up to speed. It's not practical.

The hooker feels it at scrum time, but not as much as the props. He also always has relief on the bench. He remains the best choice. Some one like DuPlessis, with his height, may be ideal at lineout time.

 

[Lee Grant]

I can recall a time when the French used to have halfbacks throwing the ball in.

Indeed they did. I remember the current Racing Metro coach, Pierre Berbezier, throwing to the lineout in the 1987 RWC and he was their scrummie.

I had a look back at some of my archived games involving France and in 1958, 1961, 1964, 1968, and 1971 they used the winger to throw the ball in. They changed in 1973 to use the hooker, but in 1979 they used the winger again.

This swapping, and swapping back, during the transition was fairly common. The change from winger to hooker started in the mid 60s and by the end of the 70s most had changed to hooker permanently, but there were exceptions. Béziers, the dominant force in French rugby from the early 1970s to the mid 80s, used a scrummie to throw to the lineout; so that is probably why France was the odd man out for a while.

But the winger didn't always throw the ball into the lineout. In the old days teams used two scrummies, one for each side of the scrum and around 1890 most teams were using one of them to throw the ball in .

In 1905 the All Blacks, who used only one scrummie, toured Britain and they used a short forward to throw the ball in. They used the lineout to launch attacks and needed their half back to be there to pass the ball. In Britain the locals typically got the ball on the ground and advanced it up the field at their feet, in what was called a loose scrum. Mauling as we call it now was illegal – but I digress.

What the All Blacks did amazed them up north but they kept using the half back to throw in for a long time, but after WWII the winger started to be used more and more to do the job. They had the speed to whip out to support the backs running with the ball and if a lineout was lost they were fast enough to run back to help out there to.

I remember reading comments in the paper that this winger or that was a better choice because he was more accurate thrower; so in the days or Rafferty's Rules lineouts their throwing skill was highly prized.

Then the rugby world changed and much of it had to do with the abolition, in the late 1950s, of the tackled ball law, an archaic relic from the olden times of rugby. This was one of the most significant law changes in the history of the game and it had effects all over the park which were not expected but were generally good for the sport.

One of the side effects was that set pieces became more valuable; so the wingers became used for set piece attack more often. Therefore the short forwards came back into the frame to throw the ball into the lineout. Because the props had their jobs to do in the scrum and the hookers didn't push but hooked for the ball (because the scrum put in was straight in those days), the more rested hooker got the job.

 

[Jnor]

The history and changes of this game over time make me love it more. Thanks Lee.

 

[pissedoffihavetoregister]

i have often wondered why (if they have a tall lightish winger like tuqeri) they don't have the 2 tall second rowers just lift him. There is no way any other team would have been able to get close to him as he would have been really high.
The eastwood winger john grant would be really good too.
Means you would never lose your own lineouts and you could cause havoc with the opposition lineouts by having him at the front.

 

[Dan54]

We quite often have had a loosie throwing ball in at lineout time anyone can do it. I have a nephew who played a few years back in NZ and he used to jump in lineouts, was tallist in team etc. Teams just have to use resourses as best they can.

 

[Proud Pig]

The best argument for props not throwing is that they generally are the players with the most upper body strength, therefore are the best people to do the lifting of a 120 Kg second rower at line out time. Outside backs could be taught how to throw but then you lose a valuable attacking option in an open play situation like a lineout. The scrummie is needed to be available to either take first ball or clean up should things go to crap in the line. Really the only alternative to the hooker would be a loosie but they are probably needed to help with the lifting or as an alternative jumper themselves.

It just makes sense given that the hooker is the one player who does not really have another role at lineout time.
As an aside Props are not always the shortest player in the side. There are a large number now who are well over 6 foot, even in my day, back in the 80s there were many tallish props. I myself generally played Loosehead and am 6 foot 2 tall.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Indeed they did. I remember the current Racing Metro coach, Pierre Berbezier, throwing to the lineout in the 1987 RWC and he was their scrummie.

Yep, Berbezier is exactly who I was thinking about when I posted my original reply.

 

[farva]

I think each position has something else to do on the field at lineout time.

The backs with the exception of the scrummie get in position to run the ball - both wings, the centres, fullback and the flyhalf all need to be out there. Even if they dont they need to look like it in case things change, and also they need to spread defenders.
Locks need to be there to take the ball.
Scrummies need to take the ball from the forwards if they decide to go to the backs.
The blindside flanker and 8 are typically taller and are there as lineout options.

So it is really one of the front rowers or the openside to throw.

Now we go back to the arguement of having to train them to throw. There is always a hooker starting and a hooker on the bench. That is also true of the props. There isnt necessarily an openside on the bench.

As far as I can tell, there is no reason not to have your prop throwing, but rugby is a bit of a traditions thing and so it has become the hookers duty.

 

[ChargerWA]

Last week in the ITM Southland V Waikato clash, the hooker for Southland ended up in the bin (actually 4 players ended up in the bin, 2 from each team twice for fighting), Jamie MacKintosh steeped up and threw to the line out like he had been doing it all his life. Threw to the second jumper, all very impressive stuff.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Is there anything that Mackintosh can't do? Good prop, saves a restaurant patron's life, throws into the line out. He's very well spoken too, from memory. A true renaissance man!

 

[PaarlBok]

Is there anything that Mackintosh can't do? Good prop, saves a restaurant patron's life, throws into the line out. He's very well spoken too, from memory. A true renaissance man!

Must be Ollie le Roux!

 

[lincoln]

No point having attacking options if you can't win your throws into the line out - should be non-jumper with best throwing ability - first priority must be to win the line out.

 

[Riptide]

Is there anything that Mackintosh can't do? Good prop, saves a restaurant patron's life, throws into the line out. He's very well spoken too, from memory. A true renaissance man!

He can't scrum at Test level, that's for sure. His back/levers are just too long. Great leader.