Quote tvoc="tvoc"Smith got injured and couldn't return but which other player/s are you thinking of to justify using the plural there?..'"
Obviously you have forgotten that Watkins got injured in the warm up.
Quote tvoc="tvoc"In what way did losing Smith on 25 minutes or thereabouts impact the pre-game substitution plan? In what way did using Clarkson to replace Smith effect the plan they had made to introduce McShane? Did they use their full allocation of substitutions?.'"
Having lost a centre in the warm up meant having to move a backrower into the centre. With Smith then injured and another backrower moved into the backs this restricted any pre-game substitution plans. The coaches chose to keep Sinfield at 6 (perhaps to keep him fresh for the WCC) and not to play 2 small men in the pack at the same time (Burrow & McShane) and preferring to keep to keep Burrow on for the full 80. So they had to keep back the interchange options to rotate the big forwards as needed.
Quote tvoc="tvoc"I appreciate you will know these answers as you are way too savvy to just accept any old crapola coming out of the Headingley spin machine at face value..'"
I do not accept "any old crapola" whether it comes out of Headingley or indeed from your goodself!

But I do accept that coaches make decisions that sometimes seem odd to the spectators but none the less have some validity. None of us always know the answers and can only express opinions and mine is that the coaches plan to play Burrow as a starting hooker in preparation for the WCC has born fuit. Would you agree?
Quote tvoc="tvoc"Assuming Sinfield is going to be a fixture at six, if McDermott wants to play Burrow the full eighty he could and if McGuire doesn't up his game he probably should at his expence.'"
I tend to agree with you on this point. However I am sure McGuire will regain his sharpness and then you would want both on the field for the full 80. We should also remember that we have lost the influential Buderus and this together with the Hood injury meant the coaches needed another strategy prior to the WCC as they may have doubts about McShane despite his good promise. Burrow may not remain first choice hooker when Hood is fully fit. But the coaches have earned the right to try things their way wouldn't you say?