I've had a thought. Could put this in the match thread, but it's just as relevant here.
Given the way rugby has changed, the idea of specific positions doing specific tasks has largely gone out the window. Like the 7 being solely a jackal, a 12 being a defending link player, a 10 defending in the front line, a lock being a lineout specialist.
When Cheika picked Hunt at 12 (a position he has never played) there was some online concern. Likewise when he put Kerevi at 12 last year. Or Horne on the wing. Or Pocock at 8. Or Timani at 8.
Which brings me to one of the most interesting things about the Cheika regime - the bibs the players wear at training. For those not aware, the players wear bibs with letters on them, which obviously stand for something (though we never knew what). Some I saw were 'SS' and 'PM'.
Apparently they represent skill-sets, ie 'Short Side' and 'Play Maker'. I'd love to know the others.
Anyway, this is a long-winded way of saying that I think Cheika has moved beyond 'positions' in the way he picks a team, and towards a mix of skill-sets where the number on the back is more or less irrelevant.
If anyone knows more of those training acronyms I'd love to know. I could be totally off the mark. Which is not unusual.
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