Well spotted but I think I get his meaning!

On a positive note (and to try and put some balance in) I thought Mullen showed up well - certainly didn't let anyone down.

A 17 games winless run

Very well I thought and it’s sadly been lost a little due to the result. He looks very very confident and I’d love to see him in a more involved position to see what he’s made of.

I'll say this to those who say, play Escaré at 7: how many tackles does Sam Powell make each game, and do you think 'Grab-an-arm Escaré' would make them successfully?

Don;t mind giving him 20 mins in the halves, but play him there permanently and opposing side will target him mercilessly.

I must admit I don’t understand the high regard Escare is held in,he’s at best a competent fullback and wouldn’t add much to the halves if he was put in there full time.

Whilst I see your point, it's also a damming assessment to pin point how many tackles a scrum half makes as his best point. If Powell was organising and creating, there wouldn't be a need to suggest playing Escare or anyone else there (for the record, Escare isn't the answer) .

Well I'm not convinced that Escaré is any better at "organising and creating" than Powell. He's a greater running threat, yes, but that's only one facet of the game.

I wasn't particularly 'making an assessment' of Powell, either, just saying that half-backs always tend to be targetted in the defensive line, for good reasons, and Escaré, even allowing for his size, seems a worse defender than average to me.

We are probably making different points to be honest. I was more referring to the fact that if Powell was a quality half back performing well, there wouldn't even be a discussion about Escare playing half back. The fact he is limited opens up all kinds of discussion. I said on anither thread, it's not his fault that's he's been given the 7 shirt, it's the coaches. I said at the start of the season that despite his willingness to work, his attitude and defensive attributes, he's just not a quality scrum half.

I don't personally think either Escare or Powell are the answer to who should play 7 for us. Escare, good cover when needed, can slot in to 1, 6/7 and wing. Powell can cover 7 and 9. Neither should be first choice starter in any position in our first 13.