Montpellier and Castres boost top-six hopes

Many of them are lovely people though.

1) They normally don’t stay on the pitch for more than an hour, so even if a particular prop has a great game, they will hardly ever be great for the entire game.

2) Scrums are actually quite a small part of the game, and don’t influence the result on their own. In cases where the scrum does win the game (e.g. the 2023 RWC SF), this is only because absolute parity exists in every other facet of the game. Its possible for a winger, or a flanker, or a fly-half, to completely dominate a match and play an identifiably lead role in taking their team to a dominant victory, but that is almost never the case for props.

The first problem is at the ruck, where Jac Morgan sticks his head in to no effect instead getting around the corner.

But the main problem is that you don’t see Sione communicating with anyone either inside or outside him. He doesn’t call forwards across and he doesn’t try to adjust the spacing with Freeman. As the first back on that side it is his responsibility.

If he’s not going to talk and organise, they might as well have started Freeman or Daly at 13. What else do you think he is there for?

Sure Smith and Duhan are both late, but the main issue occurred well before that.

Having grown up in the era of regularly seeing players in bars on nights out I have stood next to many and some of the heights listed are comical, almost always exaggerated. Nonu is probably the best one - there is no way he is 6ft tall. 5’10” at a stretch but I would say 5’9”.

I had a very loose association with some players the early 2000s and saw Blues players occasionally. Kaino is definitely taller than 6’3”. I am taller than that, and he was at least as tall as me. Mark Cooksley was easily the tallest I saw in person. I am not used to looking up to people and he absolutely towered over me.

If they’ve a 9/10 in-one player on the bench it would open things up. Even Jordan starting is an 11/14/15 and Reiko starting is centre and 11/14.

Super fit too. I’ve read the articles about the Bronco Runner training drills which he holds the record for. Think he was just back from injury last time when he aced it.

I think the Lions showed enough at scrum-time v Argy - and that plus the BD will be their main contact weapons v the WBs. The Lions may do more running and passing than Aussie in the Test series!

Then the bread and butter of the 6N and RC every year.

Something will have to give.