Ryan Mills absence explained and Elliott Stooke update

[backdoc]

Garbage.

Really.

[Hymenoptera]

Garbage.

Really.

How would you categorise what you witness on the field?
I'd love to hear an alternative POV..if you have one of course.

[JonnyD]

Well if we’re moaning about our coaches ability to make decisions, Borthwick I assume we can all agree has made some good coaching decisions taking an almost relegated side up the table last year and to the top of the table this year. If he thinks Jimmy is worth a two year deal we can surely understand Blackett playing Jimmy this yeat outside an inexperienced 10 when the alternatives were Mills getting broken again or Booj.

[DGP Wasp]

I'd love to hear an alternative POV..if you have one of course.

Plenty on here.  Try reading some of them with an open mind!

[Shugs]

Much as Jimmy has been a legend for us I think in this instance Borthwick has made an error. I really hope Jimmy gets some game time but I doubt it. 12 is a funny position. At the moment there seems a dearth of good ones in the game.

[wasps]

Much as Jimmy has been a legend for us I think in this instance Borthwick has made an error. I really hope Jimmy gets some game time but I doubt it. 12 is a funny position. At the moment there seems a dearth of good ones in the game.

It always feels that the role of a 12 is constantly changing.


Sometimes the priority is a straight hard running big guy to hold defenders, punch holes and offload.


Other times it's a second play maker to take pressure off the 10 and allow attacks to be launched in multiple directions.


Sometimes, the 12 should be a defensive rock capable of covering the 10 channel too, other times that seems to fall more on the shoulders of the outside centre with the fly half holding their own.




And in general, most fans would want their 12s to do all of the above.
If you have a powerful, running 12, the contents will be that they can't/don't pass the ball. Similarly if they're a distributor, there will be comments that they don't give a team any go forward.




The role of a modern 12 seems very complicated and is essentially a Jack of trades that also needs to be a master in them too

[Rossm]

I'd love to hear an alternative POV..if you have one of course.

Plenty on here.  Try reading some of them with an open mind!

Hear, hear.

[baldpaul101]

I'd love to hear an alternative POV..if you have one of course.

Pretty much everyone on here has an alternative point of view, sadly I don't think you are interested in anything that doesn't support your view that the coaches are "clowns" and should, I assume, be sacked asap (you may or may not have suggested they be removed, I can't remember)

[Peej]

Well if we’re moaning about our coaches ability to make decisions, Borthwick I assume we can all agree has made some good coaching decisions taking an almost relegated side up the table last year and to the top of the table this year. If he thinks Jimmy is worth a two year deal we can surely understand Blackett playing Jimmy this yeat outside an inexperienced 10 when the alternatives were Mills getting broken again or Booj.

That's an interesting point actually. I would have thought that playing Mills over Jimmy (and Paolo/Sam over Fekitoa) would have been better given they are leaving and weren't exactly setting the world on fire, but I'm not paid to coach.

However, I do think there continues to be some poor management decisions over our back row. Did you see Shields made the Prem dream team? And at 8 too. Yet he was the one frequently subbed to bring on Tom rather than take Alfie off (regardless of how well he was playing). I just don't think we were getting the most out of our talent in that unit for the last half of the season, and I think that is down to selection/coaching/management issues. 

[backdoc]

Well if we’re moaning about our coaches ability to make decisions, Borthwick I assume we can all agree has made some good coaching decisions taking an almost relegated side up the table last year and to the top of the table this year. If he thinks Jimmy is worth a two year deal we can surely understand Blackett playing Jimmy this yeat outside an inexperienced 10 when the alternatives were Mills getting broken again or Booj.

That's an interesting point actually. I would have thought that playing Mills over Jimmy (and Paolo/Sam over Fekitoa) would have been better given they are leaving and weren't exactly setting the world on fire, but I'm not paid to coach.

However, I do think there continues to be some poor management decisions over our back row. Did you see Shields made the Prem dream team? And at 8 too. Yet he was the one frequently subbed to bring on Tom rather than take Alfie off (regardless of how well he was playing). I just don't think we were getting the most out of our talent in that unit for the last half of the season, and I think that is down to selection/coaching/management issues.

Yes, - we have had a fit Nizam Carr who has hardly played this season. Minimal rotation or nuanced selection in the back row, and Cardell has hardly started a game.

[JonnyD]

Yes quite different to how Dai used to work near the end of the season. If you were on your way you were well and truly phased out (probably with the exception of a few galacticos and Daly) and the game time was given to a younger model.
The balance however was that we still could have got 8th so a tricky one.

Will be interesting to see whether Macdonald is being signed as 3rd choice or whether Cardall and Theo are there in the mix as realistic competition for Stooke’s spot until he’s back.
Cardall is definitely good enough to play more.

 




Basset got a lot of extra games when we knew Halai or Varndell were off.


Having

[Shugs]

Well if we’re moaning about our coaches ability to make decisions, Borthwick I assume we can all agree has made some good coaching decisions taking an almost relegated side up the table last year and to the top of the table this year. If he thinks Jimmy is worth a two year deal we can surely understand Blackett playing Jimmy this yeat outside an inexperienced 10 when the alternatives were Mills getting broken again or Booj.

That's an interesting point actually. I would have thought that playing Mills over Jimmy (and Paolo/Sam over Fekitoa) would have been better given they are leaving and weren't exactly setting the world on fire, but I'm not paid to coach.

However, I do think there continues to be some poor management decisions over our back row. Did you see Shields made the Prem dream team? And at 8 too. Yet he was the one frequently subbed to bring on Tom rather than take Alfie off (regardless of how well he was playing). I just don't think we were getting the most out of our talent in that unit for the last half of the season, and I think that is down to selection/coaching/management issues.

Yes, - we have had a fit Nizam Carr who has hardly played this season. Minimal rotation or nuanced selection in the back row, and Cardell has hardly started a game.

The lack of Carr in the match day squads was bewildering. I rate him alongside Willis/Barbeary. And Cardall too. I know it’s personal opinion but for me he was a better option than Fifita or Gaskell.

[backdoc]

Eliot Stooke now weight bearing and has posted this picture.
Clearly had a diastasis [ruptured ligaments between tibia and fibula] which was treated with a screw now removed.

The fracture was not reduced when it was fixed and that explains the 6 months off.

GGMS.

[Neils]

I assume the gap in the break will knit/ fill in over the next few months.

[backdoc]

Yes, but it will remain slightly misaligned [and a bit rotated]. 30 years ago we would have taken it back to theatre.