As a clumsy ex forward who doesnt know the intricacies of half back play I find it amazing to see the difference in the performance of Monaghan when playing at hooker rather than scrum half.
Of late he has taken the ball at dummy half run straight at the defence and has been able to spot the gaps as evidenced by his setting up VAnderson at Wembley.
I would have thought that as first receiver, a scrum half would have had a bit more time to spot an opening and feed a runner coming in on the angle as players such as Andy Gregory was a master at.
Is it because at dummy half he has the ball in his hands for longer as the players other than markers are 10 yards away or is it something else I am missing.
I am certainly not complaining about Monas play certainly in the later rounds of the Cup as hooker he has been sensational, but what makes this difference?

the play the ball speed in the modern game means that jumping from dummy half is almost a sure-fire way of catching the A and B defenders cold and creating a gap close to the ruck area, especially if you are targetting players like Feka, who aren't as quick or agile, or even as fit, as other forwards, who are likely to be defending in and around the ruck area.


Sorry to use that phrase, "ruck area" so many times, but that's the cool name for it these days, it seems.

Nail on head there ( apart from it is metres not yards). It also plays to the strengths of Monaghans short passing game as his range is rather lacking, particularly to his right.

As happened against wigan in the semi he seems good at picking out the bigger guys so when there at the marker he works them so the next set there too tired to do anything!

his all round passing seems to have improved at Hooker which i don't understand at all

im sure pc once said that on boots n all