'Crouch, bind, set' will be the call next season

'Crouch, bind, set' will be the callThe props must not grip the opponent’s chest, arm, sleeve or collar. Following a pause, the referee will then call ‘set’ when the front rows are ready. The front rows may then engage. The “set” call is not a command but an indication that the front rows may come together when ready. The sanction for any infringement will be a free kick.
A crouched position is the extension of the normal stance by bending the knees sufficiently to move into the engagement without a charge. A front row must not form at a distance from its opponents and rush against them or pull them. The sanction for ‘charging’ will be a penalty kick.
The 25 per cent reduction of compression forces is based on peak compression forces under the current sequence averaging 16,500 newtons for elite men’s packs and 8,700 newtons for women’s international packs.
The research was based on two phases of examination under the University of Bath Scrum Forces Project: Phase one included six levels of the Game from international to under-18 with six teams at each level and six different engagement processes. The packs scrummaged with an instrumented scrum machine which measured the forces on engagement and the secondary shove post-engagement.
Phase two was live scrummaging with players in both front rows wearing pads which measured the forces on engagement. The results from the elite teams showed that, averaged across all teams, the 'crouch, bind, set' condition generated lower peak forces during the engagement phase, demonstrating a 25 per cent reduction compared with the ‘crouch, touch, set’ or ‘crouch, touch, pause, engage’ sequence.
The Scrum Steering Group comprises: David Barnes (IRPA), Mike Cron (NZRU), Didier Retière (FFR), Brian O'Shea (ARU), Norm Mottram (USA Rugby), Richie Dixon (GRU), Ken Quarrie (NZRU), Graham Mourie (IRB Rugby Committee member), John Jeffrey (IRB Council Member, SRU and Chairman of IRB Rugby Committee), Gavin Williams (RFU), Dr Martin Raftery (IRB Chief Medical Officer), Joël Jutge (IRB High Performance Match Official Manager).
The group is supported by Dr Grant Trewartha, Dr Mike England and Dr Keith Stokes, members of the University of Bath research team.