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Scrum changes excite Cooper
By SAM WORTHINGTON - The Dominion Post | Saturday, 22 December 2007
Scrum changes excite Cooper - Rugby news & coverage - Stuff.co.nz
Hurricanes coach Colin Cooper says the Super 14's new scrum laws will provide the perfect platform for his enterprising loose forward trio and halfback to attack.
A feature of the new laws is the requirement of backline defenders to stand 5m behind their own No8's feet, freeing up room to move for players such as Rodney So'oialo and Piri Weepu and the chance to get creative from the set-piece.
Eight new laws will be used and other key changes include reducing the punishment for minor infringements from a penalty to a freekick and tidying up the breakdown rules.
"I think the exciting thing is the scrums, it's going to open up space big time," Cooper said.
"Some people thought, well you've got the option of a freekick or scrum, but with the space that's happening at scrum time, you're more likely to take the scrum."
The Hurricanes concluded a month long pre-Christmas training programme yesterday. Cooper said the work has been "80 per cent fitness and 20 per cent rugby" and included a training and promotional trip to the Hawke's Bay.
Magpies rugby is on a high, with new Hurricanes flanker Michael Johnson, hooker Hika Elliot and wing Zac Guildford all rewarded for stellar Air New Zealand Cup campaigns.
Cooper was pleased with the training efforts of all three.
Johnson, 29, had delivered the expected leadership and maturity, helping ease the transition of 18-year-old Guildford and 21-year-old Elliot into professional rugby.
"I'm very impressed with Michael Johnson," Cooper said.
"Not just his physicality and his fitness but his leadership and we're really happy with what he's going to bring to the team."
All the Hurricanes' All Blacks had popped into training, with the exception of Jerry Collins (Britain) and Andrew Hore (South Island), who were training individually under specially tailored programmes.
Cooper said the fresh faces of seven new Hurricanes had prevented staleness at pre-season training.
"It's been different. To excite players you've got to do things differently all the time but you've also got to have competition and a challenge for them, so the trainers have done a tremendous job on bringing stuff that's new but also doing the hard work."
The Hurricanes reconvene on January 7 and will begin upping skills work before moving into contact and their first pre-season hit-out against the Crusaders in Motueka on January 25.
"It will grab hold of us pretty quickly," Cooper said.
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