Next season

[Wandering Warrior]

Heard SW thinks Rocky's defence is not good enough but contradicts this with playing him at full back!
Make what you want out of that, I don't doubt the source but playing full back is a bit dumb if that's the case!?!

[No straw damn us]

Heard SW thinks Rocky's defence is not good enough but contradicts this with playing him at full back!
Make what you want out of that, I don't doubt the source but playing full back is a bit dumb if that's the case!?!

He has to make less tackles at fullback than he does in the halves.

[DaveO]

Heard SW thinks Rocky's defence is not good enough but contradicts this with playing him at full back!
Make what you want out of that, I don't doubt the source but playing full back is a bit dumb if that's the case!?!

He has to make less tackles at fullback than he does in the halves.

That is a rather useless statistic because at full back he can and will end up as the last line of defense.

At half back how often do you see Smith or Williams pull off a one on one tackle? Even if they get to the opposing player first they will soon have one or two men coming in to help complete the tackle.

You also do what most teams with small half backs do which is shift them out of the middle when defending if the need arises as well as have your forwards look after your half backs.

He'd be far less exposed at half back defensively.

[nathan_rugby]

Heard SW thinks Rocky's defence is not good enough but contradicts this with playing him at full back!
Make what you want out of that, I don't doubt the source but playing full back is a bit dumb if that's the case!?!

He has to make less tackles at fullback than he does in the halves.

That is a rather useless statistic because at full back he can and will end up as the last line of defense.

At half back how often do you see Smith or Williams pull off a one on one tackle? Even if they get to the opposing player first they will soon have one or two men coming in to help complete the tackle.

You also do what most teams with small half backs do which is shift them out of the middle when defending if the need arises as well as have your forwards look after your half backs.

He'd be far less exposed at half back defensively.

Defence as a fullback often involves one on one tackles around the legs.

Defending as a halfback is often inside the winger and centre or even inside 2nd rower and centre. This often requires strong defenders to tackle 2nd rowers and centres running angles and creating space out wide.

I often see Smith and Williams having to make 1 or 2 man tackles on much larger and faster opposition and I believe this is where Shaun Wane sees Hampshires weakness.

George Williams is our 6th top tackler, Smith 10th, Matty Bowen 25th.

Smith and Williams 2nd and 6th for missed tackles. That doesn't make Williams the 6th worse defender, its just the type of defending and situations.

Hampshire has made 4 more tackles than Bowen but missed 9 less.

[DaveO]

He has to make less tackles at fullback than he does in the halves.

That is a rather useless statistic because at full back he can and will end up as the last line of defense.

At half back how often do you see Smith or Williams pull off a one on one tackle? Even if they get to the opposing player first they will soon have one or two men coming in to help complete the tackle.

You also do what most teams with small half backs do which is shift them out of the middle when defending if the need arises as well as have your forwards look after your half backs.

He'd be far less exposed at half back defensively.

Defence as a fullback often involves one on one tackles around the legs.

Defending as a halfback is often inside the winger and centre or even inside 2nd rower and centre. This often requires strong defenders to tackle 2nd rowers and centres running angles and creating space out wide.

I often see Smith and Williams having to make 1 or 2 man tackles on much larger and faster opposition and I believe this is where Shaun Wane sees Hampshires weakness.

George Williams is our 6th top tackler, Smith 10th, Matty Bowen 25th.

Smith and Williams 2nd and 6th for missed tackles. That doesn't make Williams the 6th worse defender, its just the type of defending and situations.

Hampshire has made 4 more tackles than Bowen but missed 9 less.

I really do think these stats are contradictory and also rather pointless. If Rob Burrow can have such a long and successful career as a half back being about as tall as a blade of grass so can Hampshire.

No one thinks Burrow needs to go and be a full back because the defensive duties of a half back are too great.

I think this so called defensive frailty of Hampshire and/or overstating the defensive duties of a half back is just yet
another excuse for Wane's mystifying team selections.

He simply hasn't been given a long enough run at half back to find out one way or the other and if he's made more and missed fewer tackles than Bowen at full back then where is the issue regarding his defense?

[nathan_rugby]

That is a rather useless statistic because at full back he can and will end up as the last line of defense.

At half back how often do you see Smith or Williams pull off a one on one tackle? Even if they get to the opposing player first they will soon have one or two men coming in to help complete the tackle.

You also do what most teams with small half backs do which is shift them out of the middle when defending if the need arises as well as have your forwards look after your half backs.

He'd be far less exposed at half back defensively.

Defence as a fullback often involves one on one tackles around the legs.

Defending as a halfback is often inside the winger and centre or even inside 2nd rower and centre. This often requires strong defenders to tackle 2nd rowers and centres running angles and creating space out wide.

I often see Smith and Williams having to make 1 or 2 man tackles on much larger and faster opposition and I believe this is where Shaun Wane sees Hampshires weakness.

George Williams is our 6th top tackler, Smith 10th, Matty Bowen 25th.

Smith and Williams 2nd and 6th for missed tackles. That doesn't make Williams the 6th worse defender, its just the type of defending and situations.

Hampshire has made 4 more tackles than Bowen but missed 9 less.

I really do think these stats are contradictory and also rather pointless. If Rob Burrow can have such a long and successful career as a half back being about as tall as a blade of grass so can Hampshire.

No one thinks Burrow needs to go and be a full back because the defensive duties of a half back are too great.

I think this so called defensive frailty of Hampshire and/or overstating the defensive duties of a half back is just yet
another excuse for Wane's mystifying team selections.

He simply hasn't been given a long enough run at half back to find out one way or the other and if he's made more and missed fewer tackles than Bowen at full back then where is the issue regarding his defense?

The Burrow example does not really apply to Wigan. You are forgetting the point that the number one focus in Wane's mind is Defence. Wane wants all of his players to be very capabable and strong defenders.

[cpwigan]

Wigan will play the way Wane wants. There is no alternative and you, we, everyone is stuck with Wane for another 3 years :eusa17:

[Mike]

Smith going nowhere, wane going nowhere and Hampshire playing well somewhere else, get used to it.

Such positivity Mick

positive or not its true unfortunately

Mine was also a comment on what I though would happen, not waht i wanted to happen.

I think we are ready to trial some new partnerships next season TBH. We have quite a few options, but we'll have to stick with one from quite early in the season.

[Wiganer Ted]

If defence is everything how do the points against total at Catalans and Cas come into it?
We are always told that defence win matches.
Most matches though are won by the team that scores most points. You have to outscore the opposition. Your own attack has to be better than the oppositions.

CPW's comments that we are stuck with Waney for another three years. Do you think IL will go 5 years without a trophy before he gets a new head coach?

[jasonnlouise]

Definitely think we need fresh ideas at half back we seem devoid of ideas in the opposition 20 metre area if the kick to the corner doesn't work we're lost,I'd like a half back with more pace and to take the line on more often Williams seems to do this but Smith lacks the pace or confidence to take on the line imo