Personally IMO Sio has been quite poor SINCE RWC 2015.
Well maybe it is time for Ala'alatoa to go back to LHP. Him and Kepu can start with Smith and perhaps Lomax on the bench if he performs well as a starter over the coming matches.
^^^^^^
Slim
You are dreaming
^^^^^^
Slim
You are dreaming
On the back of the James Slipper injury, this is perhaps the position with the least depth in Australian rugby at the moment. Thank the Rugby Gods that Scott Sio has found his mojo again. He’s the attacking fulcrum of a dominant Brumbies scrum at the moment. Missed a chunk of the season with injury but is now reach peak Sio.
I really don't see how people think Hodge is better than Beale. He's little more than a crash-baller who can kick the ball a ridiculously long way fairly inaccurately.I would still start Hodge at 12 as the incumbent, and bring Beale off the bench to cover a number of positions depending on how the game is going...
1. Ala'alatoa 2. TPN 3. Kepu 16. Moore 17. Smith 18. Lomax
I was thinking bring beale to 12 and put hodge back to the wing where he started and play the same role as DHP, same position in defence, attack, has experience in the back 3 and has the boot also. Folau at 15 and speight on wing. Similar combo to when foley and quade played 10/12. Either Hunt or Naivalu on the bench. I would start Hunt for the game that beale won't play at 15, with hodge back at 12 and folau on wing. (I read that neither beale nor genia will play all 3 games). Might even take that opportunity to perhaps swap speight, foley and kerevi with naivalu, quade and TK as a ' B ' team v..fiji perhaps
9. genia 10. foley 11.hodge 12. beale 13. Kerevi 14. speight 15. folau
21. Phipps 22. Quade 23. Naivalu
9.Phipps 10. Quade 11. Horne 12. Hodge 13. TK 14. Naivalu 15. Hunt
21.Powell 22. Foley 23. Folau
i fail to understand how any Australian rugby supporter doesn't have Latu as one of the two best rakes this year. On form I'd have him 2 and TPN at 16.
Purely on form this year, Nick Phipps will not be in the 23.
I argued against him shifting to TH last year, but now that it's starting to pay off I wouldn't want to move him back to LH or we risk turning him into Ben Alexander v2...
I really don't see how people think Hodge is better than Beale. He's little more than a crash-baller who can kick the ball a ridiculously long way fairly inaccurately.