Just read this week's League Express and the decision to play Bateman out of position is criticised. For once I thought the gamble of playing an England/GB player out of position paid off. If anything he outplayed Watkins, who I think is a world class centre. Views?

Watkins needs early ball. Its almost as simple as that - early ball with space to run at the defence. A flat attacking structure doesn't suit him at all IMO (unlike say Senior who liked getting the ball in traffic), and neither does one where the passing is slow.

He does seem to lack a bit of confidence at times. I remember watching him live a few years ago and thinking that he really doesn't realise how powerful he is. He's physically almost perfect for centre - big and strong but quick - and he does have good hands. But he does need to do more than he's shown in this series.

Reed is a super player. The only problem with him is lack of pace, which can be exposed at times one-on-one in defence. Having said that, its his very lack of pace which has probably made him the player he is.

It was no coincidence that Watkins had the most opportunities to test the Kiwis in that last game with Matty Smity in the team. He unlike Williams and Widdop provided simple, early ball but he failed to use it.

He's a good player but not a great one yet. It's impossible to get players out of Leeds but he'd do well to go and rest himself in the NRL.

Get stuck into Watkins and he is poor.

I thought Bateman was excellent in the 3rd match. As someone pointed out it was a defensive type of game and as I recall, any player who went near him promptly got put on their . He had a great game and some excellent tackles

He made some good ground in that last test also. He ran an excellent line on an inside ball which got the Kiwis back peddling just before one of the 2nd half trys (can't remember which one).

As you say he was defensively excellent. Him and Whare pretty much marked each other out of games.