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Sound like my son. Tighhead prop and can play loose as well.
He is aiming to try hooker but he is 114kg - is it too heavy to be a hooker? He play a few games as hooker but can't throw but now he is practising his throwing.
Being told that hooker is an extra loose forward. What is the bench mark skills for a hooker?
I've got a different take on this to others who have commented - but that's been the story of my life.
We're told that the lad is a tight-head who can play loose-head and is aiming to try out as a hooker. He is 114kg at age 16.
My strong advice is that at this stage he should not even think about specialising but rather take whatever opportunities there are to play any of the three positions. The very best way to learn the technical side of scrummaging would be to gain an understanding of the role and challenges of each position. Also, position versatility can often get you onto the bench if you can't make the run-on team.
I would encourage him to keep a notebook where he records anything he has learnt in a particular game, particularly the tactics of anyone who has got on top of him. Encourage him to read about scrummaging.There is quite a lot of material available on the internet if he searches.
If he turns out to be particularly adept at the throw then hooker is probably his go as a senior player. But you also have to take into account temperament. If he has a tendency to tighten up on the pressure throws then it might be safer to switch to propping.
Smaller hookers have to justify their selection by being very active around the park, but for a bigger man it's best to concentrate on the grunt work and in particular delivering force in the scrum. You tend not to be noticed from the sideline but your fellow forwards and thus the scrum coach are well aware who is really putting in. As an example I recall a Wallaby frontrower telling me that Brendan Cannon was a particularly powerful and effective scrummager.
Given his size I wouldn't even think of trying to develop him into a hooker who plays like a loose forward. He was put on this earth to be a tight forward and we should not meddle too much in the natural order of things. It's not as if this country has a superfluity of players who are both adept at and satisfied with toiling away in hand-to-hand combat. One piece of advice I would give you, supporter, is that the first time you see your boy loitering among the outside backs, you should clip him soundly about the head and ears - metaphorically of course, not literally in this enlightened age.
My blood pressure rises when I see front rowers having a blow at outside centre. One thing I learnt early in my playing career was that if you were unfit the best place to hide was in the middle of the pack.
If he is keen to succeed he should be training for strength and explosiveness. He should also watch his diet. Bodyweight doesn't matter but he needs to keep the skinfolds under control
