I think our back's need a proper revamp...I'm happy with the forwards.
13 -Dog should not be considered a 13, he has one mode and that's trying to beat the defender, he has no kicking game, isn't a distributor, def can't read a game and quite frankly can be narrow sighted at times. He has to remain on the wing.
Fek's - as much as I like the guy, I also don't think him moving on is a bad idea, he does some good but hasn't been consistent enough for the $ he'll command.
Spink - Looks like he could develop, haven't seen enough yet.
12 - Mills used to be the best 12 in England, when he wasn't injured, only problem is he has been injured most of his career, he's 12's Henry Trinder. His contract was a gamble, which didn't pay off sadly. I don't know what Ryan Mills of 2022 provides but I'm tired of players that are unfortunately constantly injured/unavailable.
Gop - I wonder if it's now a season too far, he looks fit but his game savvy seems to be evading him. He used to control games, not so much these days.
Of the other notables:
Minnozi just hasn't hit the highs of his pre ACL play and I'm not sure he has lived up to his billing.
Watson, still a 7's player in 15's, requires space to provide anything special and constantly injured.
Kiberige i'm torn on, I still can't figure out if he's good enough..he perplexes me.
Mehon - I'd like to see more of what this guy has, early glimpses, he looks alright.
Miller is a tough one, the most injured man in rugby based on minutes played - yet when fit he covers multiple positions and is decent at them all...but just never available.
Wolstenholm - Has to be considered 4th choice, behind Hoogs then Porter.
Booj - 12/13 cover, nothing more.
I'd like to bring in either of the Cardiff centers or their equivalent, pacific islanders that have gain line, offloads and rugby IQ to read the game and see opportunities. SA must have more Delandes, Eusterhaeizens...just below Intl standard?
Worc's Oli Morris looks a real player, likely contracted but i'd love a sniff around him.
As a point of differnec, what about Nayavoira from Saints, isn't playing and I dont think he was used correctly, but he is a point of difference and rumored to be on the move.
We need players that can do more than just take a ball, take contact or ship it on. I'm desperate for some creativity, a WLR, Beale that isn't quite at the elite level...they must be out there.
Lastly..Is Kock the right move. Great player no argument, but is it an area that we need to be improving by spending what is likely a lot of money for someone that wont be available for large chunks of the year. I struggle to believe this makes sense. again, SA must have more Kock's just under the top 3 slots?
I think our recruitment needs some real focus this year, if contracts are up.
In general, I agree. However, as contracts expire at different times, and players leave whether you want or not, getting it all together is tough.
Our backs are not a threat. Not in any position. That allows a team playing against us to organise their defence based on zone marking/coverage.
Our best two backs, if fit, are likely to be Dobby and Ali. But, if you ranked our players against their 1st choice equivalents in each team of the Prem, we would barely scrape 4th of 5th from bottom. Worse, I do not think any would be in the top 6.
So, it is in our pack that we live or die at the moment.
We need a full compliment of 1st/2nd choice backs in each position. A top 3 player as 1st, a top 6 as second.
Here is where we stand 1st tier, 2nd tier, 3rd tier, 4th tier:
9. 1st NA, 2nd Dobby, 3rd Hooguard, 4th Porter and Woolstenholm
10. 1st NA 2nd Charlie, 3rd Jacob, 4th Miller
12. 1st + 2nd NA. 3rd Jimmy, 4th MLB. Mills AWOL.
13. 1st NA, 2nd Fekitoa, 3rd NA Spink and McHenry 4th
14. 1st NA, 2nd Odogwu, 3rd Kibrige, 4th Watson
11. 1st NA, 2nd Josh, 3rd Mehson
15. 1st Crossdale, 2nd NA, 3rd Minozzi
And we will see some of them leave this year (I hope). We have a BIG problem to solve in the backs. Bringing in a 12 and a 13 will not solve the issues at 9 and 10, nor on the wings.