Matt Stevens is a tight-head

Matt Stevens played almost (if not all) his club rugby this year with Sarries at LH, but almost (if not all) the Churchill Cup at tight-head.

"They definitely see me as a tight-head so what's more important is, if I do get a chance to play in these warm-up games, to prove myself and prove that I can play at international level."

In this article Stevens states that the England upper-management see him as a tight-head (and presumably one that covers loose-head), which is good news for Corbisiero (and I suppose Payne) and means more competition for Wilson and Doran-Jones.

I know there are a few on these boards who think Stevens is a better loose-head, and one or two who might go so far as to say that he is an inadequate tight-head at this level, but that appears to be where he is going to play. We'll see how he goes in the warm-up games.

I think what we're likely to see (with the number of props in the squad) would be Corbisiero and Sheridan starting one of the first two games at loose-head each, with Cole and Stevens starting one of the first two games at tight-head each, Wilson and Doran-Jones benching and Payne just covering an injury (what chance Sheridan has a knock ), and I would expect those first four props to make it into the final 30.

I've decided to put an opinion poll in, so where do you think Stevens should be primarily used by England? At loose-head or tight-head?

To save all the hassle, why dont we move him to hooker - a bullocking powerhouse in the middle of the front row....

Seriously though, its nice that we are starting to get a few options in the front row now. Many have been hugely critical of Sheridan (myself included), but there has been noone else. Now we have Stevens, Corbs and down the line...Marler etc.
Add to that Wilson, Cole, PDJ and down the line Thomas (Sale cornerstone at what 20?) etc and options are beginning to look bright.

This is why i stick with my prediction that we wont do much this WC but we will be very very close in 2015.

Is Marler a 1 or a 3? Or able to cover both. I have an inkling that he is a tighthead.

I think he played most of his rugby at 1 last year, but I don't know where he'll end up long-term.

I said loose head prop but personally believe he can adequately play either side.

Even at international level?

Proof is in the pudding but yes.

He has played at tighthead before internationally.

At loosehead he played well at club level for Saracens.

I was very much impressed with Stevens at loosehead for Sarries he is a decent scrummager but seems to flourish at loosehead where there is slightly less pushing which frees him up to do more of his charging around the pitch. I was really hoping we'd see him combine with Cole in the front row. Cole had a solid 6N and matched all opposition in the scrum as well as doing some dog work around the field. What we lacked in the 6N was a loosehead prop happy to take on a bigger work load.

Sheridan did a good all round job but never hit the highs, injuries are starting to take their toll on the big man.
Corbisiero scrummaged well but didn't do enough in the tight and too readily wandered out into the backs rather than offering his scrummy anything around the fringes.
Stevens could have stepped in a bettered them both based on his Sarries form and having only played half a season would have been raring to go. Interesting that when Brookes came on during the Churchill Cup Stevens went to loosehead. I was hoping the England management were just checking he could hold his own at both for possible tactical selection.

On the selection topic, if the rumoured team is true Stevens will start at tight-head, although I'd be surprised if Wilson or Doran-Jones wasn't named on the bench and Stevens didn't switch across at some stage.