too high in the scrum

Question
hey i recently have just played in the finals of our tournament, i normally play prop but was brought on from substitute to play hooker...this seamed to be a bad choice as five never played hooker and our scrums suffered. In the scrum i couldn't get under the opposite hooker which not only was dangerous as he pushed down on my neck but severely limited my ability to hook the ball, how can i make sure i get right under him? as a prop i can always get under my op number which is why this is really bringing me down.

secondly, how do you cope with defeat? as I've progressed into senior rugby (1st team and 2nd team when 1st was finished) I've found my self being beaten by other play more and him loosing confidence, not to mention how bad i feel for letting 21 players down in the finals after how hard we have all worked for it, i couldn't partake in the pub crawl back home, i really take my rugby  seriously and so it hits me really hard.
thanks in advance,
Gazz,

Answer
Hi Gazz this might help, it is a recently answered question, have a look in my old questions for more tips. Sounds like you also need to work on the "crouch" part of your scrums' set up. This link might help:

Srummaging:

My favorite:  http://www.coachingrugby.com/rugby/coaching/unitskills/scrum/buildingthescrum.ht...

http://www.usarugby.org/media/EDocs/scrum.pdf

http://www.texasyouthrugby.com/download/748/docs/Building_the_scrum.pdf


Questioner:   Scott Hartley
Category:  Rugby
Private:  No     View Published Answer
 
Subject:  Hooker help
Question:  Hi. Just a line to see if you can help. I play hooker and was wondering if you have any tips. I'm fine with line-outs and in the contact situation and my ball handling is good but I'm having problems in the scum,getting pressured too many times and finding hooking the ball difficult on my put-in.

 
Answer:  Hi Scott

I will put some links to help but in the scrum it sounds like you need to utilize your props more.

Start with the binding. You need to create more room for you to hook. Your tight head needs to bind first. He should stand directly behind you, reach around you and get a firm grip and then step out to your right and pop his shoulder. He should be square to the opposition but his hips, shoulders and feet need to all be ahead of you while having a tight bind. You might even have your hips on a slight angle to the left which is ok.

Your loose head then bind up , just the same method but to your right, only the loose heads should be slightly "behind" you. His feet behind your, hips with should well popped out and a tight grip. His feet need to be just a little wider than his shoulders to allow the ball through.

The loose head has the job of trying to push the opposite tighthead up and keep a bigger tunnel. On the engage the tight head needs to lead in and with all this you will have a better angle and more room to hook.

Try hooking with you right leg, if you aren't already.  

As for the dealing with loosing, well that is a tough one. Each person is different. You should go on the pub crawl though that is a team event not to be missed like the game itself.

Don't forget that each player on your team will have a moment that they personally feel lost the game. Like a kicker who misses the drop goal or last minute penalty - he didn't loose the team did as they are all responsible for putting themselves in that position.

From loss comes learning and personal growth. You are seeking to learn more about hooker and it will make you a better all around player. If you feel you left all your fight on the field then let it go mate. You did your honest best and at the end of the day only one team can win. Look to next season and look to improve it is all you can do. You have the hunger don't let it fade because you have had a set back,  set backs should make you come back harder.

I hope this helped. Please ask me more questions if you need help with anything.