Differences between tighthead and loosehead props?

By general consensus, the Edinburgh/Dragons semi final was won by Edinburgh's scrum. The Dragons had terible injuries which led to a TH starting on at LH and getting his backside handed back to him. The Dragons brought on a speciist LH at half time which stabilised the scrum for a while but, and here is my question, what makes TH and LH so different?
My basic understanding is that the TH needs to stronger but why then would he struggle on the loosehead?

As someone who was a back rower that moved to hooker, I am not an expert.

However I would expect the main difference is that a TH is driving with both shoulders as he has opposition either side of him, while the loosehead has a free shoulder. My gut feel is that LH requires more technique to avoid twisting in, and many THs would struggle if asked to play LH.

It is certainly harder to play TH than LH because as LT stated above you are pushing against two sets of shoulders and both are trying to push you up/back.

It is a different mindset betweem the two. On the tight you are generally trying to stop the LH getting under you and pushing you up. If you can do that and you have enough weight coming through you can push him back.

As a LH you are trying to get underneath your TH and push him up/back.

There is far more to it than that and each scrummager does things slightly different in terms of technique etc but that is the crux of it.

In terms of the Dragons match Brok Harris on the LH wasnt the issue, it was a sub par semi pro player on the TH against an international that was the difference

TH = knackered neck and shoulders
LH = only one knackered shoulder

Where is RuggerRadge when you need him?

I have often wondered the same thing. As far as I know, the loosehead can do his own thing far more as the hooker is commonly required to stablise on the tighhead side and stop the scrum wheeling too far and the 2 and 3 are the only two who can actually push completely straight if they choose to.

I was a 10 though so what I learned from playing is that tightheads tend to be (a) completely mental, (b) fatter, (c) better at drinking and eating red meat and (d) angrier, than loosies.

As John Oliver would say, those are Scientific Facts.

Interesting comment at the weekend from one of the commontators was that generally it is the loosehead that causes the most destruction at the scrum - the tighthead in mainly focussed on anchoring the scrum and becuase he is pushing against 2 people it is more difficult to push them backwards.

Suppose that's why you usually see dominant scrums going forward on the loosehead side.

RDW_Scotland wrote:Interesting comment at the weekend from one of the commontators was that generally it is the loosehead that causes the most destruction at the scrum - the tighthead in mainly focussed on anchoring the scrum and becuase he is pushing against 2 people it is more difficult to push them backwards.

Suppose that's why you usually see dominant scrums going forward on the loosehead side.

Yes, it's the reason that scrums tend to wheel clockwise.

RDW_Scotland wrote:Interesting comment at the weekend from one of the commontators was that generally it is the loosehead that causes the most destruction at the scrum - the tighthead in mainly focussed on anchoring the scrum and becuase he is pushing against 2 people it is more difficult to push them backwards.

Suppose that's why you usually see dominant scrums going forward on the loosehead side.

yep thats about it, but the WC TH's can be destructive too, think Adam Jones in his prime

The packs weights are through the TH shoulders, whereas the neck takes more pressure with the LH. The TH gives the pack a foundation and attacks the hooker to weaken the bind between H and LH. on own ball should look to drive forward to get the nudge on.

The LH needs to support H on own ball, keeping the TH from boring in and provide a clean channel for ball to be stuck through. On oppo ball LH will try to manipulate TH, take them low, to make it harder for oppo H to strike and look to wheel if possible. Also as mentioned above will try to get under TH to drive up on own ball.

Tightheads (good ones) are amongst the better paid rugby players (if not the highest) so there must be something very special about their jobs

Brok Harris the Dragons tighthead who was asked to play loosehead at the weekend is one of the few prop i have see that isn't as effective going from tighthead to loosehead, it's a lot easier than the other way around as tighthead requires a lot more strength.

whocares wrote:Tightheads (good ones) are amongst the better paid rugby players (if not the highest) so there must be something very special about their jobs

Hhhmm, let me guess that you wear/wore a top with either a 1, a 2 or a 3 on it?
By the way, whocares, there is another French guy. He is a Montpellier fan but can't remember his log in name. He was getting involved in a right good rammy in a couple of other threads recently

Haha my top did have a 1 but also a 3 when I occasionaly played the game