The link appears to be broken...
Works here.
I do think the talk about Vunipola's form is a bit misplaced. He's making big errors in every game even while carrying well. He got stripped of the ball by a 10 against Newcastle, leading directly to a try, and his yelling at the ref cost them as well. The idea that his form has only dropped because of Covid and Saracens' year in the Championship is a bit off - he really wasn't on top form at the World Cup and was brutally exposed in the final, by a team he'd previously had quite a bit of success against.
Also think it's a little strange how people talk about Dombrandt's lack of pace. He's one of the quicker 8s, he just doesn't look it because of his build and running style. We've seen him make enough breaks to know he's got decent wheels. He's just not Sam Simmonds in pace.
The link appears to be broken...
Sometimes ISPs take on themselves to censor sites on the internet.
Try a free VPN and see if you can access it through that.
Got to the article - doesn’t work on my work laptop, but it’s fine on the iPad at home.
I largely agree with both the article and the comments made here. Billy has looked off the pace for a while - and I think the “you know what I’m going to do, now try and stop me” element that he brings is less compelling these days, I think because teams have worked out how to stop him effectively.
Dombrandt’s top speed is pretty fast by most players’ standards. What Simmonds has that he doesn’t is acceleration and a change of direction. However, Simmonds doesn’t bring a number of things that Dombrandt does. BCM mentions the offloading game, and Dombrandt is a genuine lineout option, which Simmonds isn’t at international level.
I also wonder how effective Simmonds’ running would be against international defences. The Lions wasn’t a fully fair test, because the overall attacking pattern was so stodgy, but while he made some nice runs it also looked to me as if he got shut down far more than he does at club level. Dommers may have more options to keep the move alive at the top level - he’s good at staying on his feet or breaking the first tackle, and that buys time for the offload.
Simmonds possesses hydraulic leg drive from 5-10m out and is very hard to stop in close quarters - something that EJ may value. His try against us in the final was special, considering he was nearly horizontal at one stage and still managed to power himself over over the line. I think they'll both be selected for the AIs and Vunipola will be given until 6N to proves he's worth bringing back in.
Agree x 3
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