LAUNCH A RUGBY SCRUMMAGING COMPETITION

No ball, no backs - the ELITE SCRUMMAGING CHAMPIONSHIP is designed specifically for the big boys up front

- Words WILL HEAVER

PROP FORWARDS are often overlooked, but Esher RFC front-rower Conor Ganley is looking to change that when his brainchild, the inaugural Elite Scrummaging Championship, kicks off this summer.

The competition, which is taking place at Rosslyn Park, was postponed from 2 May because too many participants reached their club league’s playoffs. A new date is still to be confirmed, but it already has the support of Ellis Genge, Jamal Ford-Robinson and Dan Cole.

It's a very simple format, as Ganley explains. “It’s structured as a sevens-style tournament, with two pools of four, so each has three pool games,” he says. “The top two qualify for the finals while the bottom two will play off for the wooden spoon.”

Each team will have a squad of ten with one travelling reserve, but if that squad member is subbed for the reserve, they can’t take part in any more scrums.

The point of the championship is to provide a stage for the top scrummagers in grassroots rugby to show off, express themselves and win some money.

“It takes a special kind of person to play prop, the forces that you experience. You can go to the gym and lift any weight you want, but there is nothing that can replicate a scrum, where you have eight of the biggest guys on the pitch pushing through your shoulders.”