Eastmond is not coming back anytime soon. Playing at centre against the All Blacks and worldcup coming.

Chris Ashton?
Steven Myler?

Never rated Joel Tomkins anyway so not fussed.

Whilst my knowledge of union ain't all that good, I'd have thought Burgess would be a reasonable fit playing number 8 in kick and clap.


Certainly hasn't got the body type to play any other position

His lack of RU experience would be badly exposed at 8. Apparently they're looking to play him at inside centre as centre play in RU has 'developed' into biff and bang. I think, after last Saturday, that we might find Eastmond disappearing again. He was badly exposed by the All Blacks and was taken off at HT.

I always figured that 8 was the closest thing to a RL backrow, but you needed to have significent size/bulk (using dallalligo as an example) but still be fairly mobile, which Sam does have. Whats the requirements/expectation of that position then?

Lineout work, control at the back of the scrum, covering across with the rest of the back row, work in the ruck and maul, it's endless. These days the nearest thing to a Rugby League back row is probably centre, which sums up the way the game has gone, it's all size these days. If they carry on playing Eastmond at centre he'll get eaten alive, he simply isn't big enough.
Sam's problem will be learning the endless rules at the lineout, scrum, ruck and maul, and the techniques in those four facets, that's why they'll play him at centre.

Dead in the water, hopefully along with the idea that England RL are going to play Australia RU at Wembley!