I'd also fully agree that it's nowhere near the same as switching between 6 and 7 or 12 and 13.
I switched between 6 and 12, depending on where the coach decided I could do less harm.
I switched between 6 and 12, depending on where the coach decided I could do less harm.
You are Sam Burgess and I claim my £5?
I'd also fully agree that it's nowhere near the same as switching between 6 and 7 or 12 and 13. However, if I were 25 years younger and starting out as a pro prop, I'd be working on being able to hold my own on the other side. Likewise, if I was starting out as a pro 9, I'd learn to kick goals to a 75%+ standard. Surely that maximises your worth to a team.
It's a question of how you use your finite training time, though. You only get a certain number of live scrums in training, and so for a lot of players in pro setups it's a choice of whether you want to be the best you can on your favoured side or lose some of that to skill up on the other side.
Scrummagers of the stature of Bomb or Marler might actually gain from playing the other side for a bit, because it helps them to understand what works against their opponent. In the case of Bomb, it was pretty clear he was doing to Saints' props everything that he hated being done to him.
There's also a very personal element of whether they can get comfortable on the other side. Many, many, levels down, but Ms Poorfour is a natural tighthead and a very powerful scrummager but won't even contemplate playing loosehead. It just doesn't feel right.
At the other extreme, Poorfour Jr and one of his team mates were both originally flankers who ended up as props. Both have played LH and TH, and Pfj has now settled at TH. His mate much prefers LH, but when Pfj was off the pitch would play TH because he didn't trust anyone else to do it.
Right. And how exactly are they supposed to work on propping on the other side, without disruption to team prep / other props? It's manifestly not like goalkicking, which is a repeatable skill you can work on in your own time.
Just out of interest poorfour, who does Ms poorfour play for? Don’t feel you have to tell me but my daughter also plays in the backs so I’m around womens rugby quite a bit.
...Ms Poorfour is a natural tighthead and a very powerful scrummager but won't even contemplate playing loosehead.
I have visions, - no - I cast them out. Very brave, you are, 4-poor - the force will be needed by you later...
Ms Poorfour is early in her rugby journey. She plays U15s at this point.
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