Quote: XBrettKennyX "Lockers has improved massively over the last 2 or 3 years.
I still maintain that previous to that he was often a liability. Silly penalties, offering very little in attack and massively overrated on here.
However, I am geniunely delighted to say that this is no longer the case. He is a solid, dependable player and a great asset to the team. He would be one of the first names on the team sheet for me (at 13 of course, playing him at halfback is moronic).
Nowhere near world class, but then how many Englishmen are these days?'"
Fair do's BK for being big enough to do an about turn. On the other hand many of us have rated him throughout his career and the only difference over the last 3 or 4 years (as I believe I once suggested to you back then) is that he is in a better team. The penalties you mention, for example, were never as bad a the likes of you made out. I'd be surprised, in fact, that as a percentage of his 40+ tackles every week (and given that he was rarely, if ever, spelled back then) they were any worse than most other forwards. As for offering little in attack, you couldn't be more wrong. He has always had one of the best passing games for a forward in world rugby. That hasn't changed. What HAS changed is that he now has players around him running the right lines and of the right quality to take advantage. I think it's noticable that most of the 'Lockers knockers' have changed their opinion of him only since Maguire's tenure as coach. Look into the reasons behind that. It wasn't because Maguire suddenly made him into a different or even better player. It's just that the systems introduced made the most of his game. I find it interesting that, even during the time you maintain he was a liability, he never failed to give a good account of himself at international level. I even remember Peter Sterling waxing lyrical about him during the Aussie commentary to one international and, as we know, there are few English players who the Aussies are given to praising! I don't for a minute expect you to change your viewpoint of that time. I'm am suggesting however that it wasn't the majority of us who rated him, including all the coaches he has played under and every player he has ever played alongside, who were wrong. Maybe it was those, like yourself, who just didn't see it.
