Buzzing for this now. It?s true, they can beat us if we don?t complete high and make as many sloppy/unlucky (depending on how to see it) individual errors as we have done the last few weeks. However, there is so much to exploit in their team. A three quarter line that is paper thin, two halves with no confidence, and a pack that?s full of penalties and mistakes. The props they?ve assembled in the last few weeks - Singleton, Salabio, Dezaria - are intense, aggressive, but so daft, and if we just play professional robot rugby in the middle third, we?ll kill them. I imagine they?ll line up: Hoy, Qareqare, Cini, Wood, Kershaw, Asi, Milnes, Lawler, Horne, Singleton, Simbiken, Mellor, Westerman. Rimbu, Dezaria, Salabio, Okora. Pretty much their starting 13. 


As for us, Max returning makes me feel so much more positive. I?d give Griffin another week off, purely because we have two better second rowers in front of him now. For me it?s Rourke, Johnstone, Pratt, Scott, Walmsley, Jowitt, Lino, McMeeken, Hood, Uele, Vagana, Nikotemo, Pitts. Smith, Rodwell, Atoni, Cozza.


Hall, Griffin, Croft, Faatili can feel unlucky to miss out, but that?s the great thing about our depth now. If anyone plays lazy on Thursday, they?re cut. Could do with another halfback, like! Then we really will be dangerous.

He as been out for half a season ,I am right in thinking we signed  him as cover for Gale in case he could not make it through the season .Think Mr Powell as made some great calls on signings ,but  may have not  got this one right .Could make the difference between top 8 and top 6 .

I think Powell will possibly go with the below?

Rourke 
Walmsley 
Scott
Pratt
Johnstone 
Jowitt
Lino
McMeekan 
Hood
Hamlin-Uale
Nikotemo
Griffin
Pitts


Subs.
Atoni
Rodwell
Cozza
Smith

This is exhausting as I?ve typed this out already and the stupid page refreshed and I lost it all. 

I?m not sure why your hyper focused on Walmsley out of what I wrote and seem to have an issue if someone sees something in him. 


As I explained it?s more about Max and it?s my thoughts that he?s far too valuable not to be at full back. It?s less about Walmsley or what I see in him. 


Jowitt is not a 6. He is a full back that can fill in and do a solid job at 6.


We are playing him out of position to accommodate Rourke and I personally am not okay with that as I don?t think that is the best option. 


Walmsley is just the best choice after Max at 6 without disrupting Pitts etc. 


Championship or not Walmsley has far more assists on his record than Rourke and he has showcased the hands more. This is not Walmsley vs Rourke though. 


My choice would be to bring in a 6 on loan or permanent for this run of important games which imo will be massive in determining our trajectory. 


Win 3/3 and we will be sat in the top 4 in SL but 0/3 or 1/3 and the optimism will start to wane a little. 


Either that?s not possible or the coaches don?t think it?s needed. 


That?s fine and we will see over these next 3 games if the coaches get it right. Which I really hope they do. 




That?s just my thoughts on what I think would be best. Ultimately though I?ll be supporting the team whether it?s Walmsley, Rourke or 
Rodwell at full back, 6 or whatever.

Tbf to Powell, Trueman got brought over and he got evaluated by our medical team before we bought him and he said at the time that he didn't think that his injury that had kept him out was gonna be a problem, and tbf it hasn't. He got a back strain or something along that line, and that's kept him out of the last few games. Ateotd, no matter how good someone's injury record is or isn't, these things can happen. Hopefully, he isn't far off because this run of games could be big for us. After all, you can see the reason why Powell brought him in: he's a top-class half, as shown against Leeds, Wire and Hudds, and British ones are like gold dust at the moment.

It was just sods law that when Russell got a chance to play half, he gets an even longer term injury and our 4th half Lawford is still recovering from last seasons injury.