The Ikey Tigers are the proud ‘owners’ of a brand new scrum machine, “the Predator”, made available by the national lotto fund.
The news is excitedly welcomed by the team and coaching staff alike at a time when their scrum is a force to be reckoned with in the world of university rugby.
UCTRFC caught up with Ikey’s scrum coach Paul Day, who has been with the team since 2008, playing an instrumental role in their winning of the 2011 and 2014 Varsity Cup titles.
Day explained that the “old machine is still effective, but the cost of maintenance of the wheel jack system was becoming a problem.” The machine itself was a sled with a 1000 kg water tank attached to it, which was moved by raising the front wheels on a jack system. However, “the bearing and wheels are not really strong enough to carry the weight of the water tank and bend or break,” he said.
The new machine is menacingly called “the Predator.” It is also a sled on four wheels, but resistance is created by a spiked drum connected to a breaking system. Day explained that “this allows the operator to increase or decrease resistance on the left or right shoulder, as requires.”
Further pointing to the key advantages of this machine, he went on, “it is also much easier to move if, for example, the ground is too muddy or soft.” And in the infamous Cape Town winters, this is often enough.
The Tigers have immediately begun putting the machine to use, practicing with “the Predator” on average twice a week for 10 to 15 minutes.
With the WP Super League due to start up again on the 26th of July, the boys will want to make the most they can of the new machine and continue to dominate with their powerful scrums.
