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Ken Catchpole (46)
It's a test match - I reckon we should always be playing our best team in a test match.
It's not like France are ranked in the high teens or anything.
Hypothetical: say Hooper is rested and Pocock totally dominates at 7 (he already does anyway) and the back row is clearly better than what we have had with Hooper in there. What happens then?
Do we just forget that performance altogether and say "thanks for filling in so admirably, but Hooper has a mortgage on the position and there's nothing you guys can ever do to unseat him"? Do we then say to Hooper "sorry mate, you were playing really well, but we thought it would do you a favour to rest you, but now we realise that you shouldn't be in the run on team at all from now on"?
Similarly for the Cooper/Foley situation. What if Cooper blitzes France? Does he then get told that Foley has a mortgage on the position and Foley gets the nod against Ireland and England? How's that for a kick in the guts?
Given there's no games being played by these guys outside the wallaby tour ones, it's up to whoever is training the best as to who gets selected. This resting and rotation stuff should be reserved for mid week matches only. The tests have the best players irrespective of the opposition.
IMO.
It's not like France are ranked in the high teens or anything.
Hypothetical: say Hooper is rested and Pocock totally dominates at 7 (he already does anyway) and the back row is clearly better than what we have had with Hooper in there. What happens then?
Do we just forget that performance altogether and say "thanks for filling in so admirably, but Hooper has a mortgage on the position and there's nothing you guys can ever do to unseat him"? Do we then say to Hooper "sorry mate, you were playing really well, but we thought it would do you a favour to rest you, but now we realise that you shouldn't be in the run on team at all from now on"?
Similarly for the Cooper/Foley situation. What if Cooper blitzes France? Does he then get told that Foley has a mortgage on the position and Foley gets the nod against Ireland and England? How's that for a kick in the guts?
Given there's no games being played by these guys outside the wallaby tour ones, it's up to whoever is training the best as to who gets selected. This resting and rotation stuff should be reserved for mid week matches only. The tests have the best players irrespective of the opposition.
IMO.