Dru, I think you are alluding to an issue with our tight forwards. What exactly is their main role? Is it to work the tight or to be more involved in the loose or general play?
The conversation has moved on but thought I’d respond anyway.
Traditionally/usually, the body shape, size, muscle etc of the tight 5 are the most suitable of all players on the field for the tight stuff in traffic. The fronts rowers can be anticipated to undergo some lactic burn in the legs after scrums, hence it is normal for the locks to be given the job the hard yakka in tight.
If you’ve placed a lock out wide you’re down a man in the rough stuff.
what’s more important to the WBs? Gaining ground wide of the ruck or winning the ruck contact? Well both but if I only have one choice then the locks are already being counted in tight. There’s no room for a wide lock.
wide of the ruck needs to be handled by the loose forwards, or you need a plan to sort out in tight first. In reality that will be the tight 5 or simply playing around with jersey numbers.
