That was our best performance so far this season
Can’t really fault anyone

Hastings and Hardaker both first class again

I thought both Bullock and Byrne had their best game of the season

Personally I thought Smith gave us that extra edge in attack that we had been missing

Really pleased with the performance and the game

Harry Smith showed some outrageous skills tonight I thought. He is still getting to grips with when to stick and when to twist but he constantly tested the Cas defence. He’s over playing at times but he’s certainly entertaining to watch and isn’t lacking in confidence to try things.

Only seen the highlights but Smith looked like he took the line on a lot more than he had so far this year.

Pass to Zack looked forward but deserved the bit of luck as it was a cracking bit of play from him to create the opportunity.

It was the most I’ve seen him take the line on. Some of it reminded me of a certain coach of ours. He’s making a few overly ambitious errors of judgment at times but he’s a talent. It all goes hand in hand but if we get that bit more go forward we need in the middle and that then gives him the room to move in, he’s just going to get better and better.

Fine game best performance of the season getting better each week.

Is that the one where the player hits the floor and throws it up in the air? Fine IMO if so, just unconventional. They always look worse when the passer stops and the catcher continues moving forward.

He’s my type of player
Confident and not afraid to try something a bit left field

One kick tonight Crabtree criticised him for the wrong kick option
It wasn’t the the wrong option but a kick not executed to perfection
I want maverick plays and accept sometimes it doesn’t work

Our fitness as a squad looks to have moved up quite a bit
Again really encouraging

Really chuffed tonight with Byrne’s performance

Seen it a few times, still looks forward.

It’s not a criticism some go for you some go against you.

He hits the deck and throws it up but it goes slightly forward. Great play non the less.

Crabtree was talking out of his backside there. It was very nearly a piece of magic but he just got slightly too much on the kick. He seems like such a nice guy Crabtree but he has to be the worst commentator there’s ever been.

As for Byrne, he’s having a good start to the season. I’ve just seen our props stats last night though and it’s still a huge area of concern. Tony Clubb carried the ball 3 times! Bullock made 5 tackles and 4 carries and the top metres gained from any of them was Havard with 64. We grow and grow as games go on but the ground is all being made from the outside backs and the second rowers. The young props do well when they come on but the way things are going we’re going to need to rely on them more and give them longer minutes because the more senior ones aren’t producing the goods.

It was the wrong option in that we didn't need a magic play, we'd been under a bit of pressure, but from regathering the ball on our own 10 we'd frog marched them 70 yards up field in 5 tackles and he went for the magic play alone.
Last thing we needed was to give them easy ball back, 7 tackles and time to recover and find ourselves back in our own 20 coming out next set, and that's what happened.

He had a good game, but we don't need to be afraid to learn from things. I knownwhats vomit next, we like players who try something etc etc, play what they see, yip, fine with that i.e. Hastings kick for French. But big difference in timing of when it happened, game scenario at the time, execution, end result (even if French doesn't take the ball or someone beats him to it, never going to happen BTW, ballndoenst go dead etx.)

As for BFUT, TERRIBLE

Wasn't forward

He was a couple of inches off at least trapping Evalds in goal. I thought the option was absolutely fine but the execution was slightly off. I know what you’re saying about a magic play in that situation but that kick had two potentially positive outcomes. He can score from it or he can get you a repeat set by trapping Evalds. He just needs to execute it better but I’d rather him take a positive option. It’s refreshing to see a kid prepared to back his skills.

We can agree on Clubb anyway. How has he got in to a starting shirt from not even being in the side?! It’s as though we’ve decided to get the spells of the props who make the least ground out of the way early doors in the knowledge that things can only improve.

I personally thought that Singleton was average yesterday. A couple of really dumb pens and then the walking back, finger point threatening at Watts must be something he's learnt from Clubb.

I don't think that I've ever seen a team, crying out for a prop more than this one is.

I like Singletons aggressive side but we’re never going to get much ground out of him. Sadly that’s the same for Partington and Clubb and we can’t have all three in a starting side. I looked at the Saints stats from last night and whilst our top metre making prop was Havard with 64, they had Walmsley on 170ish and Passi on 125 metres and even their lowest metre making prop was higher than our best. We’ve got them covered in all other areas for me and our back rowers and outside backs are making more ground than there’s in general but when we come head to head again, it’s difficult to see how we do anything other than play the game from our own half more often that not.

Looking at the packs it was an area that we expected there would be a struggle, although the lack meters made is a big issue the defensive line speed was up a couple of notches from the earlier games.

The defence has carried on from last year, due to injuries the attack is disjointed but will improve when we have the players in their usual positions.