The Number Eight Situation.

[Cutter]

As CR said, 8 is a specialist position. TPN is a hooker. Rocky is a 6. Those are the positions where we will get the best out of them. If Rocky could so easily be converted to 8, wouldn't it have happened before now?

Last month the "TPN to 8" brigade were saying he should move to tighthead. Where next month?

The 8 options are Brown, now he's fit, Hodgson, Mowen, Higgers (though he hasn't shown he can handle 8), Houston and Hoiles. Not particularly awe inspiring. Subject to form, the Force boys are my favourites. Mowen will need to lift his game to be considered. Higgers, with Dennis, is a back up 6, Houston hasn't shown enough and Hoiles is too loose.

 

[chief]

Higgers isn't good enough for Wallabies yet. He's off the pace, still has some years to go.

 

[Sully]

A totally unbiased piece in the Courier Mail disagrees. Headline reads
"Higginbotham firms as Wallaby chance "

 

[TOCC]

A totally unbiased piece in the Courier Mail disagrees. Headline reads
"Higginbotham firms as Wallaby chance "

its obviously not unbiased since its in the couriermail

In saying that, undoubtedly Higginbottam has incresed his chances in the wake of palu's injury, there arent to many backrowers in australian rugby his size.

 

[James Buchanan]

As CR said, 8 is a specialist position. TPN is a hooker. Rocky is a 6. Those are the positions where we will get the best out of them. If Rocky could so easily be converted to 8, wouldn't it have happened before now?

Last month the "TPN to 8" brigade were saying he should move to tighthead. Where next month?

The 8 options are Brown, now he's fit, Hodgson, Mowen, Higgers (though he hasn't shown he can handle 8), Houston and Hoiles. Not particularly awe inspiring. Subject to form, the Force boys are my favourites. Mowen will need to lift his game to be considered. Higgers, with Dennis, is a back up 6, Houston hasn't shown enough and Hoiles is too loose.

There's a problem with the logic you use here. Firstly you say that 8 is a specialist position and then you list Hodgson, Mowen and Higgers (and arguably Brown, really) as options for 8. Admittedly you qualify the Higgers suggestion but you're suggesting a bunch of people who have played in 6 and 8, or 7 and 8.

Rocky's played 8 at as high a level as pretty much all of those players if we're willing to equate his time in Leinster with approximately Super 14 and he's probably had about as many caps as Brown has for the Wallabies in the 8 spot.

Further, you ask (rhetorically, I note) why Rocky hasn't made the transition. Simply put, because he's been in sides with established/other number 8s and/or we haven't had appropriate 6 replacements. When he played at the Tahs, Palu was in the frame. In almost all of his wallabies experience Palu has been there too. Last year we had basically no-body (except Mumm, who hadn't been all that inspiring - and had been playing 2nd Row at s14) to play 6 - and Brown had been one of the form 8s of the competition. He's played 6 because that's been the best fit for him with the team. If you asked him to play 8 because this year we have next to no 8s ready for that level and a bunch of up and coming 6s, I'm sure he'd shrug amicably and say 'sure thing'.

 

[Sully]

A totally unbiased piece in the Courier Mail disagrees. Headline reads
"Higginbotham firms as Wallaby chance "

its obviously not unbiased since its in the couriermail

In saying that, undoubtedly Higginbottam has incresed his chances in the wake of palu's injury, there arent to many backrowers in australian rugby his size.

Obviously.

 

[Cutter]

As CR said, 8 is a specialist position. TPN is a hooker. Rocky is a 6. Those are the positions where we will get the best out of them. If Rocky could so easily be converted to 8, wouldn't it have happened before now?

Last month the "TPN to 8" brigade were saying he should move to tighthead. Where next month?

The 8 options are Brown, now he's fit, Hodgson, Mowen, Higgers (though he hasn't shown he can handle 8), Houston and Hoiles. Not particularly awe inspiring. Subject to form, the Force boys are my favourites. Mowen will need to lift his game to be considered. Higgers, with Dennis, is a back up 6, Houston hasn't shown enough and Hoiles is too loose.

There's a problem with the logic you use here. Firstly you say that 8 is a specialist position and then you list Hodgson, Mowen and Higgers (and arguably Brown, really) as options for 8. Admittedly you qualify the Higgers suggestion but you're suggesting a bunch of people who have played in 6 and 8, or 7 and 8.

Rocky's played 8 at as high a level as pretty much all of those players if we're willing to equate his time in Leinster with approximately Super 14 and he's probably had about as many caps as Brown has for the Wallabies in the 8 spot.

Further, you ask (rhetorically, I note) why Rocky hasn't made the transition. Simply put, because he's been in sides with established/other number 8s and/or we haven't had appropriate 6 replacements. When he played at the Tahs, Palu was in the frame. In almost all of his wallabies experience Palu has been there too. Last year we had basically no-body (except Mumm, who hadn't been all that inspiring - and had been playing 2nd Row at s14) to play 6 - and Brown had been one of the form 8s of the competition. He's played 6 because that's been the best fit for him with the team. If you asked him to play 8 because this year we have next to no 8s ready for that level and a bunch of up and coming 6s, I'm sure he'd shrug amicably and say 'sure thing'.

Lets see what happens.

 

[RugbyReg]

A totally unbiased piece in the Courier Mail disagrees. Headline reads
"Higginbotham firms as Wallaby chance "

and when we say "headline" we mean 8 or so pages in from the back. After all the league talk.

 

[Gagger]

Some stats looking at this question.

For me, the leaders become clear

http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/why-why-why-wycliff-part-2-the-stats/

 

[Spook]

Good work G&GR. However, rating Mumm on his line break ability? :nta: Will not happen against NZ and SA.

 

[Gagger]

Thanks mate.

I rate him more on the sheer metres.

As for the line breaks, it's what the stats say, and um, he has been breaking the line.

What else should we ignore?

 

[Scotty]

its obviously not unbiased since its in the couriermail

In saying that, undoubtedly Higginbottam has incresed his chances in the wake of palu's injury, there arent to many backrowers in australian rugby his size.

We might need a sarcasm smilie for TOCC.

 

[#1 Tah]

Quote from TPN: "Nah mate, I'm not a No.8, just a hooker."
Me: "You gotta make sure cliffy dosen't eat too much and stays fit"
TPN: "Yeah, I gotta find him a girl to keep him busy"

 

[TOCC]

its obviously not unbiased since its in the couriermail

In saying that, undoubtedly Higginbottam has incresed his chances in the wake of palu's injury, there arent to many backrowers in australian rugby his size.

We might need a sarcasm smilie for TOCC.

i was tired and a bit slow last night

 

[Scarfman]

Quote from TPN: "Nah mate, I'm not a No.8, just a hooker."
Me: "You gotta make sure cliffy dosen't eat too much and stays fit"
TPN: "Yeah, I gotta find him a girl to keep him busy"

Nice work, #1. Please also pass on how much we are all freaking out about Cliffy. "Get well soon" is the gist of it.

 

[Scarfman]

On the issue here, I think we need to rename it The Backrow Situation. For me, there's no such thing as a Number 8, or number 6, for that matter.

Do you reckon Cliffy plays the same as Zinzan Brook? Or Pierre Spies? Or Dallaglio? Or Jerry Collins?

Cliffy out means a back row reshuffle. Pocock and Elsom select themselves. Elsom can play 6 or 8, but he'll need to do a bit more running.

Rocky's good in the air, so we don't need an extra jumper. I reckon what we're really short of now is a destructive defender. We haven't really got one, but somehow I still think it points to Mowen.

 

[Gagger]

If you want a guy who tackles his arse off, the stats say its Hodgson

 

[cheezel]

We need more second rowers to standup, then we can move Mumm to 6 and Elsom to 8.

As we're short of quality locks, we have to use Mumm and Sharpe(?) as locks, and then either bring in Hoiles or Hodgson. Higgers too loose, Leroy is too lazy and Brown shanked his chances last year.

 

[Grandmaster Flash]

Rocky's good in the air, so we don't need an extra jumper. I reckon what we're really short of now is a destructive defender. We haven't really got one, but somehow I still think it points to Mowen.

Mowen is probably the least destructive out of all the candidates, and he already gets driven back too regularly in S14.

 

[Viking]

The choice for me is definitly Hodgson. Their is no use in trying to find another Palu, No-one at the moment or anytime soon for that matter will have the same impact on a game as Palu so theirs no point in trying to find a replacement.

Hodgson however has proved this season he has probably the biggest impact on a game as anyone in the super 14. Hodgsons impact however is much different to that of Palu's. Hodgson has experiance at 8, he's playing better then anyone and pocock is all-class at 7. The back row has got to consist of Elsom, Hodgson, Pocock.