It's not just our catching at full back either from bombs. We seem really laboured when chasing a long kick back from them, mostly we allow it to bobble and bounce. Most other sides would stand 10 yards deeper and come forward to meet the ball on the full.

Our back 3 have been good of late but we really missed Phelps today IMO. I doubt so many balls would have been left alone had he been playing.

Preferably at Harlequins, yes he is fast but the rest of his game is a liabilty.

Both wingers are guilty sometimes too of not showing enough urgency and from being out of position. Agree we missed Phelps though, saying that, it's probably the worst i've seen Whiting play. He normally wouldn't have let us down like that.

Like Tom Briscoe?

Utter rubbish.

You can see from the warm ups that we are now training our backs to catch "Aussie rules style".

It will never work in RL.

Who ever is introducing this tactic is seriously deluded it will work.....granted Briscoe got away with one.....got away with it being the operative.

the rot set in as rich tried to take the ball as it was going out steeping into touch a try resulting from the next play

He had to play that ball or else Saints would have gone in. Credit the kick. It was the bombs that he and Briscoe seemed unable to sort out between them.

I'm not so sure. The ball would have bounced before Meli got there and it would have bounced on, or just over the line IMO. Even if it didn't, Whiting could have just shoved Meli into touch as soon as he attempted to take it.

maybe so but no way was that ball going to stay in the field of play

Briscoe looked out of sorts in the second half and made a few errors from kicks, he did take a knock in the first half so not sure if that was an issue. Whiting has to take some blame and Sharp made that one mistake near the end.

a player more used to playing fullback ie phelps, would have been more aware of the position of their feet but hey ho whiting has been mostly superb

Again the gane has shown out 2 areas of weakness.

Full back and halfback, two areas we need to recruit well for next season.

If we could get a halfback who can kick and organise, Horne would be a much better player IMO.

Absolutely. Obst is great off the cuff and I actually saw him organising the line quite frequently in attack yesterday, but he has no where near the long kicking game of Long and was something we dearly missed.

Horne's footwork was vintage at times yesterday.

Fullback and halfback for me for next season.