The first scrum machine Matt Corkhill built is still in Canberra, at Wests Rugby Union Club. Almost 30 years on, the Enforcer machines that followed it are used by the Wallabies, international sides and community clubs across the country. "It was very, very basic," Corkhill said. "The original one was a sled with no braking system." Corkhill has built Enforcer machines at Corkhill Engineering in Boorowa since about 1997, and he has had to keep pace with the game. When he started, packs charged in from well apart on the call of "crouch, touch, pause, engage". University of Bath research for World Rugby found the hit from an elite men's pack averaged about 1.7 tonnes of force. The laws changed to "crouch, bind, set" in 2013, cutting that force by about 25 per cent. Packs now start almost ear to ear, but Corkhill said the hit was still sharp. "When it goes bang, it's like striking an anvil with a hammer," he said. Every change flows back to the workshop, where Corkhill designs, builds and tests the machines with input from the coaches who use them. "Talk to the coaches, find out what we need to do, make sure the price is right," he said. Custom jobs range from adjustable lineout platforms to a machine for second-rowers, built at the request of the NSW Waratahs and ACT Brumbies. Corkhill uses Australian-made steel wherever he can. "It bends better, the finish is better, and it's more predictable to work with, even when you're welding it," he said. "You typically pay a little bit more for Australian made, but you know the product is going to be spot on." The workshop employs about eight people, and Corkhill is still on the tools most days. He is keen to highlight the work of the Australian Rugby Foundation (ARF), the philanthropic arm of Rugby Australia. In 2026 the foundation set aside $125,000 in grants for clubs and schools to buy scrum machines, to help teach safer scrummaging at community level. It has chosen Enforcer as its supplier for the past two years. Corkhill said the grants added about 25 machines a year, and many clubs topped up their grant to buy a bigger machine. "It gets product out there to the clubs and the schools that may not be able to afford it," he said. "If our sport is going well, our country is going well." The ARF's next grant round opens in 2027. Details are at australianrugbyfoundation.org.au.
