Wow! Barnes likes a Quins player?
He is seriously good, I just hope his natural athleticism and combination of pace and power doesn't get lost in the "professional" training.

Yeah agreed - I do wonder sometimes if Smith has lost that magic because they’ve made him look increasingly like a human’s head stuck on a toy weightlifter.

I think thats a good point by JJquin.  Sometimes coaches etc have to remember what got a player to where they are in the first place. Different sport I know, but cricket as an example.  Player scoring shed loads of runs for his county batting at 3, picked for his national side and comes in at 6 as he is not ready for international bowling up the order, then dont pick him. Youve picked a player based on his performances for his club, why then try and change him.  Dombrandt played a blinder against a top side friday night. Armand, Ewers and Kvesic is a top quality back row and (in my own view of course) would not look out of place at international level as a unit. 

Dombrandt is getting this good press based on what he is now, why try and change that.

I have a recollection (which means I could be imagining it) of Alan Tait playing at centre for Scotland and the Lions. They basically ripped up his diet sheet because he used to eat loads of chips. It seemed the prepared diet just hindered him. He wasn't a bad player either.

Easter told the story of being aware that he was close to being cut from the squad before the 2007 RWC because of his BMI. So he sat next to the nutritionist on the plane and asked "What can I eat if I want to get down to my target weight by the end of the camp?". The answer he got was "Tuna and tomatoes". So that's what he ate for the entire camp.

Dedication. I couldn't have done that. For one thing, I hate both tuna and tomatoes...

But what Quins should do is find out whatever it was that Sarries did to Will Skelton, and do that to Dombrandt. Skelton went from being a scary physical presence but basically an immobile lump to quite an impressive athlete over the closed season. Imagine what they could do for a player who's already scary and mobile.

Easter told the story of being aware that he was close to being cut from the squad before the 2007 RWC because of his BMI. So he sat next to the nutritionist on the plane and asked "What can I eat if I want to get down to my target weight by the end of the camp?". The answer he got was "Tuna and tomatoes". So that's what he ate for the entire camp.

Dedication. I couldn't have done that. For one thing, I hate both tuna and tomatoes...

But what Quins should do is find out whatever it was that Sarries did to Will Skelton, and do that to Dombrandt. Skelton went from being a scary physical presence but basically an immobile lump to quite an impressive athlete over the closed season. Imagine what they could do for a player who's already scary and mobile.

Well, I quite like both tuna and tomatoes. I need to lose some weight. Did he just eat tin after tin of tuna, or what?

Because he could be even better?

I don’t think I’d equate playing players out of position with improving their strength and conditioning from an amateur to a professional level. It’s a slightly odd idea that, coming out of a few years at uni into 3 premiership games, he’ll already be at his phyiscal peak and the coaches shouldn’t try to improve him for fear of ruining him

No sure, but I think it's just the idea that he's got great natural talent as a "stop me if you can" player that we hope that turning him into a gym-bunny protein monster won't ruin.

Smith looks like someone's inflated his body but forgot his head.

I think it's just that for every meal he was allowed a carefully measured portion of tuna and tomatoes - probably ensuring he got enough protein without piling on additional carbs. He might have been able to mix in a few onions and some greenery to make a faux salad nicoise, I suppose. Bear in mind he would also have been training 3 sessions per day...

As for Dombrandt, while there's a long and honourable tradition of No 8s whose impact is as big as their girth, ranging from Walrdom and Easter to Deano himself, he looks to me like he could comfortably lose half a stone and trade another stone for muscle, and be a faster and stronger version of what he is today. The trick is to know what body composition makes the most of each player's talents.

Yeah exactly this.