Phil Gould, a notable figure in the NRL, has expressed his discontent with the contemporary state of scrums, calling it a "pointless" aspect of the game and an "embarrassment to the code."
Gone are the days of competitive scrums, as teams now pack down without any strategic purpose, merely serving as brief respites for players.
Speaking on Wide World of Sports' Six Tackles with Gus, Gould suggested the complete elimination of scrums since their original intent has faded away.
The once-effective scrum is now often seen as a tactical maneuver, leading teams to position centres and wingers in the front row to allow bigger players more freedom on the backline.
"They've got to give a lesson because some are putting wingers in the front row. It's ridiculous, it's not a scrum, all we're doing is keeping a group of players together so the others can attack for one play," he noted.
"They'll argue the midfield scrum now, we are getting tries on tackle one."
"But I think the scrum and whole look of the scrum is an embarrassment to the code, particularly for anyone that remotely played or followed the game back in past eras. We just look at it and giggle."
The dwindling competitiveness of the scrum led Gould to advocate for its removal altogether.
Having played in the 1970s and 1980s, he remembers a time when scrums were a genuine test of forward strength and dominance for possession.