Tom Croft....

First topic message reminder :

Simple...

Should he be the England 6 or not....and give your reasons for and against....

Not to mention George is getting appearences for Sarries and Tom Youngs was looking good before injury at Tigers. George might be a bit on the young side but that's alright and he's learning from Smit and Brits whilst Youngs is in the Tigers finishing school and looks like he'll have Chuter's shirt in a years time.

We just need to start getting the first couple of these players (Grey/Paice/Webber) in the EPS challenging Hartley so that when the others are ready to step up there's some nice healthy competition for shirts.

I like Lindsay.... but the guy can't throw in.
Out and out scrummaging doesn't really seem to be a big requirement of a hooker these days.
Realistically, the requirements of a hooker now seem to be lineout first and foremost, and secondly, be a combination of all 3 back row positions.

Lindsay is fast and mobile, and carries the ball well.
Someone with his kind of open play attributes would be good for England... however, he needs to be better at the lineout, and better at scrumtime.


If we can get a front row capable of playing as flankers, then we have the luxury of having a much more mobile backrow and using the front row to add the physicality

Ah Sam yes i forgot about Youngs...

How long is he out for?

Unknown Geordie, nothing has been confirmed by the club but as he is a Leicester boy there are some who know him and I've heard from one of those it could be a couple of months as he's got a bulging disc in his back. Bad news for him as he was starting to look good for Tigers, he already offers more in the loose and the scrum than Chuter.

A thats a shame...

Brits has three caps for SA I believe,.

I always hear that "Croft isn't a traditional blindside flanker" and "He could be the best depending on who he plays with" etc etc.. but the point is not every 6 plays the same way, they are just effective in the position and have their own way of adding to the team. The team shouldn't have to be build around Croft to suit him. He is either good enough for the team or he isn't. If he isn't putting the hard work in as he should, that is his fault and no-one elses. He has to improve his own game.

The only reason i can think of him being in the team is his lineout skills apart from that i rate Wood much higher than him. But i could see Croft at 6 and Wood at 7 but then you would need a massive ball carrier at 8. Maybe Ben Morgan of the Scarlets, although id like him to play for Wales

I agree Wood over Croft. Whatever happened to Rees?

I think hes still recovering from yet another injury. Rotten luck that man has

He was FEC. Croft is a clasy player in a back row with a heavyweight 8 e.g. Easter. But as a typical 6 he is lacking physicality and since England favour big packs his selection has always been under scrutiny. I rate him though after Lions 09 and feel he woudl be a good skipper but pick the team first, if he is in it then he can be a Capt, if not pick Wood and mkae him Capt