Quote: The Yellow Giraffe "I think you have Paasi wrong. In 2018 he played 23 times, starting 22 at front row. In 2019 he had the exact same stats. This year because of Covid-19 he has played 6 times, all off the bench. So 44 out of his last 52 games were started at prop. He isn't a hybrid anything. Matautia falls more into that category to be fair.
Paasi, Walmsley and Lees will be our regular props with Amor and LMS as 4th choice/cover along with Dan Norman who is a huge lump coming from London. I know little about him though to be honest. He could be another Richard Beaumont who doesn't play a game or he could be another late bloomer like Walmsley. You never know.
As I say, I think on the whole our pack is better as a collective but I don't expect everyone to share that opinion. You're right to say your back row is stronger. Nowhere have I suggested otherwise. Not wanting to drag up the old "combined 13" debate but in such a scenario, Batemen and Farrell would clearly walk in. However so would Walmsley, Roby and Knowles in my opinion.'"
I understand he generally plays with 8 or 10 on his back at club level (2nd row for Tonga). My point was more concerned with how he plays rather than where. He has a strong-running 2nd row approach with a good offload and reminds me of a BMM type rather than a metre making grafter like Walmsley. I'm not saying he isn't good, more that his game isn't suited to the Walmsley role which leaves you in a similar position to this year (especially with Woolfe still in charge). I think he and Walmsley could make a very effective partnership, as it goes.
As I said earlier, once you move past the starting 2, it becomes a lot less convincing that even your front row is 'better'. Lees is an unknown quantity. He has shown very little since his return. He may come good but it's not a given. Then we're into your 4th prop or, to put it another way, a prop that will play as often and for as many minutes as Walmsley and Paasi, and that, like it or not, is LMS or Amor. That's weak. If he was 5th/6th choice I'd take your point. However, he's essentially your Clubb; someone who will be playing far more than he should.
Roby has been a great. He's still excellent, but he's coming to the end of his career. End of next season, when the big games come around, he'll be a year older. As good as he is he's been no better than Powell this year (obviously you may disagree). Next year, who knows?
Where I would absolutely disagree though is on your contention that yours is better as a unit. You've had 'better' packs than us for years yet we've almost exclusively been able to bully you. We showed it again that, minus Walmsley, we were able to bully you. Next year we won't be starting with the same disadvantage as we have over the last decade or so. Even if you think you still shade it, I think you'd have to agree it's much closer than in recent seasons.
Add another top prop, which rumour suggests we are doing, and the balance would tip strongly in our favour.