One of the most important details of any team's play in Rugby League is the formation of the scrum, where technique is as vital as weight and strength.
There is just as much call for skill in forward play as in the backs and the old theory that forwards needed only brawn, has long been discarded.

  Possession is the key to any match and the first place to get possession is from the scrum.
  Here, as in the backs, every man needs to be a specialist.
  Forwards have much to learn and the earlier they start the better.
  In the forwards, more than anywhere else, Rugby League is a team game and a pack has to play as such with the emphasis on formation and position.
  The successful hooker always relies on the full support of his five mates in the scrums.

ESSENTIALS DO NOT ALTER
  They must give their weight when he wants it and then assist in clearing the ball from the scrum as fast as possible.
  In the actual scrums the hooker must be boss and forwards find different hookers have different requirements.  So it must always be remembered that if the hooker wants a scrum packed a certain way - that's the way it should be.
  The essentials, however, will remain unaltered.
  The first of these is how the hooker grasps his props.
  Before going down he should place his arms around their necks and grasp their jerseys for firm holding.
  The two prop forwards are known as the tight prop and the loose prop.
  The loose prop is the front forward on the side from which the ball is being thrown into the scrum.
  The tight prop binds the scrum on the far side of the hooker.
  The hooker must be free in his movements but with the front row firm around him and balanced.
  The second row should lock with their arms around each other's waist before moving in to the scrum.  Second rowers should keep low, with their backs flat, and most weight on the outside foot, this leaves the inside foot free to rake the ball back if need be.  The direction of push should be towards the hooker.
  The lock should hold second row together, his arms around their buttocks, legs wide apart to allow the ball to come out cleanly.
  The aim of the pack is to give the hooker weight, so as to get the hooker over the ball.

Complete scrum packing down