Crichton Gunner wrote:Well, it's an interesting team selection! Things to conclude from it?.....
- Ford seems to be well out the picture
- Johnstone seems be preferred to Dean
- Watson has had remarkably little game time this season
- Harries seems to be dropping out of favour.
Not sure I would draw any particular conclusions from this week's team selection, it still looks like rotation and Cockerill looking at his options and combinations. Dean, Harries and Watson have all had good game time so far (5 +1, 4 +1 and 3 +1, where the first digit is starts and the + is bench), so I doubt they are out of favour. Would think Rasolea, Brown and Hoyland are being rewarded for good showings last time out and Watson is tactical.
Krasny has a big, tough pack and I can understand putting in a couple of hard, mobile ball winners in the back row in the shape of Carmichael and Crosbie and resting Watson for this one. I wonder if Ford has a niggle or something, this would have been an ideal game for him, his drive in the loose and near-on 18 stone would have been big plusses in what is sure to be a route one forward battle. Given that the national selectors will be watching on anxiously in Brown's absence for the AIs and that Ford hasn't featured in the team for 4 games in a row now, it sort of suggests that he maybe isn't fully fit or is carrying some injury?