What are the main strengths you expect from your #7?

Having just seen Pocock play for the first time this year I was reminded of his ability to make vital turnovers and to continually be a meanace to opposing teams in the ruck. This requires opposing teams to commit more numbers at ruck time and generally disupts their flow. Other flankers of his type would include McCaw etc
However some teams prefer to choose 3 larger confrontational loosies. Think S Afr with Burger. Spies+Smith etc
Which do you prefer?
Personally i like the "fetcher". After all the contested ball situation plays a large part in making the game what it is and causes so much controversy and discussion.

A number 7,cleans out rucks,tackles,slows down opposition ,[legally or otherwise,links with his own forwards or backs,Pocock,Broussow do some of these well.Juan Smith is the premeir bok 7.Burger is a 6 or 8,Spies not sure what he is a 7 he`s not.McCaw does ALL these things and adapts to law changes better than most.Unfortunately certain refs now consider most of his game illegal at best.He may cost 3 or6 from penalties but is just as likely to win you 7 or 14

Alan, the Saffas play their openside at 6 and their blindside at 7, Burger is an openside

I am aware of that but Burger does`nt play as a classical 7,indeed think Boks play right and left.so do Crusaders often with McCaw and George
Whitelock.

True Burger plays less of a fetcher role and more of a ball carrier and link man. Similar to Wallace for Ireland and Martyn Williams for Wales.

It's all about balance across the backrow. SA get away (or did) with Burger at 7 because - whilst he's a bit of a nuicance at the breakdown - Smith gets through a good amount of what might be considered typical 7 duties as well.

...I think there's still a trend towards backrow all-rounders rather than specialists, though - especially in England. I'd much prefer coaches to pin their colours to the mast with young, upcoming backrowers and allow them to really hone their skills, but the week-in, week-out pressure of the premiership means that a utility backrower is more useful to a club. I look at someone like Haskell and just think he could have been a far better 6 or 8 than he is today if only he'd been given consistent gametime in just one position. I understand that there's a danger of Carl Fearns going the same way: a very promising number 8, but he just can't get gametime at the back of the scrum, and keeps getting chucked-in at 6 or 7. No wonder we have no 8's.

As I said Juan Smith is nearer a 7 than Burger,Broussow is an out and out 7.In NZ especially the back rows have been utility rather tha specialist.The classic 8 ,a third lock[often a converted one] line out option,contols the back of the scrum,cleans out ,rucks links is seldom seen often a beefy 6,or 7 dumped there. Also tendency to play a 6 or 5 as inter changable like Croft,reuben Thorne a few years ago.

You want a super-fit, ball-winning and ball-carrying tyro at seven who dominates the breakdown and is always on the ball-carrier's shoulder a la Josh Kronfeld. In the NH, the likes of Barclay and Warburton are classic examples.

For both Flankers its really about workrate. They are the guys who should see the most action through a game. Aspointed out the tendancy now is toward haveing a spread of skills and interchangable "left right" rather than the pure specialist "6 runs with the ball 7 sits on the ball" positions

Andy Hazell is my idea of what an openside should be. It's insane that he only has seven caps.

In all honesty, when I look at the players we have in the EPS, my preferred seven is Fourie. I'd much rather pick an Englishman, but they simply aren't as good at the moment.

That Martyn Williams cheats like hell and doesnt get yellow carded. Warburton needs to learn this quickly.