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Bit of a interesting watch didn't expect Youngs to be so grilling tbh
PSTD also just that generalist, starting at lock, struggling early, transitioning to 6 and now can cover both while being the best 6 on the planet. I think it is more meta, we saw a massive shift to wanting your 6 to just be another lock, another lineout option and tackling machine, and that still holds, not many true 6's at the top level and coles, chessum and martin are all very young and came through during that change in tactics.I wonder how much of that is the need for decent 6s and then bulking as they grew.
If we'd had CCS smashing it up at 6 as he has been, I wonder if we'd have looked at Chessum at 6.
On the flip side you'd never need Eben at 6 when you have mini Eben in a storming PSDT there.
I always thought it was going to be Lawes and Attwood as the locks for years! What a pairing.Agree to some degree but Will Evans and Reffel both still cause havoc in the premiership.
The back row had and will always be about balance bot just of the backrow but also the locks as well.
For me Itoje has and is the problem with him being such a 'poster boy' player and yet he's not really a 4 or 5. Very good player but he's caused problems with balance in the park for quite some time. Almost wished he'd have focussed on 6 so we could have had a monster at 4 and a taller monster at 5.
Imagine if we'd have kept Attwood around with a lineout specialist next to him, Itoje at 6 and then a proper 7 and a carrying 8.
Not sure about that at all. Itoje, Chessum and Martin are all very good locks. I think it's grossly unfair to say Itoje is not a 'master' of his craft at lock. I'd argue Martin and Chessum are well on the way. I'm not keen to see Itoje, Martin or Coles on the flank ever again, but fine with Chessum double hatting. He's good at 6.Pretty much. Jack of all trades master of none.
I always thought it was going to be Lawes and Attwood as the locks for years! What a pairing.
I agree if only Itoje has focused on 6...
I'm not saying they are not good locks. But that's it, they are good at being locks.Not sure about that at all. Itoje, Chessum and Martin are all very good locks. I think it's grossly unfair to say Itoje is not a 'master' of his craft at lock. I'd argue Martin and Chessum are well on the way. I'm not keen to see Itoje, Martin or Coles on the flank ever again, but fine with Chessum double hatting. He's good at 6.
It's not unusual for players to swap between the back row and second row earlier in the careers and TBH, I see it as a good thing in terms of broadening their overall skillset. Few do both well. I think Martin is now mostly settled as a lock and Coles definitely seems to be going that way at Saints.
I've never been overly impressed by Isiekwe. For a huge, athletic guy I've always felt he's punched below his weight. However, I'm not sure how much his heart issue held him back and the fact that he's still relatively young means it may that his best years may be yet to come. He's time as a 4th or 5th choice IMO.
The best lock pairing we've had in recent years has been Itoje and Kruis by some distance...we need to find a new world beating combo.Attwood was criminally underrated. Lawes and Launch looked like they had it nailed for a while.
I've never been overly impressed by Isiekwe. For a huge, athletic guy I've always felt he's punched below his weight. However, I'm not sure how much his heart issue held him back and the fact that he's still relatively young means it may that his best years may be yet to come. He's time as a 4th or 5th choice IMO.
I think we have stopped accepting that sometimes just being a big, consistant brute is something a team needs. Not every player needs to be x factor players, sometimes you just need a guy who will do everything to a very high level game after game.The best lock pairing we've had in recent years has been Itoje and Kruis by some distance...we need to find a new world beating combo.
Totally agree. Sometimes you just want a huge lump to hit things repeatedly in attack and defence - hard!I think we have stopped accepting that sometimes just being a big, consistant brute is something a team needs. Not every player needs to be x factor players, sometimes you just need a guy who will do everything to a very high level game after game.
Underhill is exactly this sort of player. His x factor is just his sheer, consistent physicality.
In big Courts defence and with my Saints bias he was a very, very good back row player.I hate it when athletic locks like Itoje, Lawes and Chessum play in the back row. Their USP is that they are more mobile than all the other locks and so this gives them the potential to be world class. If you stick them in the back row where everyone is athletic and mobile you have taken their USP away from them and just created an ordinary back rower.
Aye, corporate ******** and 65% of the tickets will be comped. It's a rancid idea and any quality player should be steering well clearMy understanding is it's an eight team franchise that travels the globe like F1. It's more 'events weekend with rugby' rather than just rugby.
It'll die a death like rugby X did and probably not even get off the ground.
That's not Saints bias. Lawes developed into a truly top class 6.In big Courts defence and with my Saints bias he was a very, very good back row player.
In big Courts defence and with my Saints bias he was a very, very good back row player.