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He's played one game at fullback this year and sporadically over the past and you think he will be a lock at 15? You know what you will get with Hodge no matter what number he has on his back; a strong defender, big boot and mostly a hard straight runner (last couple of games he has seemed to...

Swap DHP with Wright and I think that backline is nearly spot on- great balance of form and potential.

I've seen him force more than one or two offloads...

Maddocks isn't a huge running threat in outside channels off the set piece- he's more dangerous using the blind side on phases, or generally on counter-attack.

That backline is probably more potent and you don't really need the defensive nous of TK when you're marking Hunt, Walton and Newsome.

I agree- tackle % as a metric is meaningless in isolation. I remember a while back, certain posters were using that metric to suggest that Rob Horne was an average defender, when it was quite obvious it was his task to aggressively lead the defensive line and subsequently would miss...

I wouldn't have a huge issue with Ramm in the 23 jersey. His skillset is rounded enough that he could fill in at fullback if needed, which Daugunu can't/ shouldn't and probably to an equal level to Hodge. Hodge's main advantage is that he can potentially play in the centres (although you...

In what way has he come along a fair way? He's not making any more impact on games- he's continued to be fairly mediocre (not a slight at him) for the last 3 years.

I don't think that necessary matters- Cowan wasn't able to at least attempt to make a tackle. HJH (Harry Johnson-Holmes) should have made more effort to get through the line.

Knox went to a private school and his original code of preference was Union. However he is a general sports commentator/ opinion journalist and his views have probably been warped by the lack of relevance rugby has compared to the other codes in the organisations that he has worked for. He...

I don't think we should retain JOC (James O'Connor), To'omua and Kuridrani in the starting 15 - combinations of them sure but not all of them together. At this stage they are known quantities and we probably know their limitations. Of 3, IMO, Kuridrani deserves selection the least when comparing recent form...

In what world did Prior outplay Gordon?

One more stream of consciousness; If we're going to select White as the starting 9 (and I'm not sure that he really has the runs on the board to deserve it through incumbency, but putting that to the side), then the reserve scrum-half should be either McDermott or Gordon. Both these players have...

I think at this stage this is probably the strongest/most pragmatic backline (balancing experience vs potential) that we can put on the field- which can be refined over the next few seasons. JOC (James O'Connor) is still not a great 10; he lacks a long passing game and ability to really unlock the backline. In...

So again it was more due to poor recruitment choices rather than a Wallabies development issue. If those players had been successful or the 'better' players in these teams, would nationality have been an issue?

So basically you want to revert back to the previous model that didn't work with Super Rugby, where it acts primarily a talent developer rather than a solid stand-alone product. Why make everything so complex with ARU Approvals etc- give each team a salary cap and let them manage their squad...

How strong is their English and in reality how good is a 'fringe' Puma? Not a xenophobic comment but are fringe pumas really better value than the someone of comparable talent from Aus (or NZ) when you factor in the support structure they would require.

The ironic thing is that the 30m hit up he took was probably the best thing that happened to rugby over the weekend.

How did Kepu turn out?

BR, do you see Kata as long-term wing or someone better suited to the centres who requires some upskilling? I lean towards the latter, and would love to have him running around at 12/13 for the Waratahs.