Quote: DaveO "Wane has said thisGeorge Williams started the game as the second Hooker off the bench, a move that Wane admitted he was talked into by Assistant Coach Paul Deaconand that's where he'll be staying in the near future."[/i
Well if Williams is bench hooker and Powell is the 6 in front of Hampshire. I give up.'"
I'm well and truly baffled. Williams wasn't tearing teams apart at 6 but he was playing in a poor side. He also produced some very good play, made some half breaks, created breaks for others, created tries and caused problems with some excellent short kicks and generally offered a more direct approach that made the team a little less one dimensional in the halves.
Powell is a decent player but he has some big drawbacks. He's got a good passing game but his kicking is poor (despite being a strength of his at academy level) and he offers very little in the way of a running threat. Smith is the same. He's probably a better runner than Powell but defences know that if Powell or Smith get the ball they may as well slide out because it's almost inevitable that the pass will go out.
A halfback who can pass well and is a dangerous runner is always going to have a huge advantage because defences won't just slide across every time they get the ball, they'll hang off an be wary of them running it. Williams' passing will improve and he could easily become a very well balanced halfback. Hampshire is already like this. He already has a good passing game and is already a dangerous runner. The physical aspect is still an issue but that's the case with a lot of young halves. I think we need to start including Hampshire in the side. He's got a lot to offer and at the moment it's wasted.