I think that some of the views expressed here suggest that there is some misunderstanding about what it takes to actually gel a squad into a unit of people who function in the optimum way. I've said this before, but I would heartil recommend anyone who has the time to listen to JBs interview with Ben Darwin, whose main job is thinking about optimizing player performance.  You can hear it here;

https://www.acast.com/therugbydungeon/ep-50bendarwin

For those who don't have the time to listen, the most salient point he makes, in my opinion is how long, on average it takes a player to be in a position,  both mentally and  physically to be an effective squad member.  He's looking at big datasets as well, from across world rugby. The best examples of this in the Prem I guess would be guys like Steenson, Dollman and Whitten at Chiefs, who perform the way they do because they have been allowed to stabilise their performances across a long period.   Consequently it just seems unreasonable to make any sort of judgement on someone like Kunatani as he hasn't been around the squad for 5 minutes and the Head coach (who has an idea of the way he wants his squad to gel) hasn't been around much longer.
Anyway, I offer this as a longer view.  Give the pod a listen if you have a chance. It made me change the way I look at the players here at Quins both as a fan and as someone interested in qualitative data!

I think that some of the views expressed here suggest that there is some misunderstanding about what it takes to actually gel a squad into a unit of people who function in the optimum way. I've said this before, but I would heartil recommend anyone who has the time to listen to JBs interview with Ben Darwin, whose main job is thinking about optimizing player performance.  You can hear it here;

https://www.acast.com/therugbydungeon/ep-50bendarwin

For those who don't have the time to listen, the most salient point he makes, in my opinion is how long, on average it takes a player to be in a position,  both mentally and  physically to be an effective squad member.  He's looking at big datasets as well, from across world rugby. The best examples of this in the Prem I guess would be guys like Steenson, Dollman and Whitten at Chiefs, who perform the way they do because they have been allowed to stabilise their performances across a long period.   Consequently it just seems unreasonable to make any sort of judgement on someone like Kunatani as he hasn't been around the squad for 5 minutes and the Head coach (who has an idea of the way he wants his squad to gel) hasn't been around much longer.
Anyway, I offer this as a longer view.  Give the pod a listen if you have a chance. It made me change the way I look at the players here at Quins both as a fan and as someone interested in qualitative data!

I wouldn’t build a club sandwich around Clifford let alone a club. Even barring the endless injuries, in the three years he’s barely played - the game has moved on. Dunno if his skill set even works in new way of using back 3.

Never get particularly exited to see him back in squad.

Also John Kingston, but I don't think anyone really listened to him...

But Ben Darwin's point is subtly different - his analysis of players moving teams suggests that it takes 18 months or more for them to fully integrate into a side and start performing at the level they were at before they left, and longer for props in particular because of the technical aspects of the setpiece (everyone emphasises slightly different things, and you have to learn to work with your fellow front rows).

It's hard for us to appreciate this when we're playing or coaching at an amateur level and individual talent can often overcome team cohesion, but at a professional level the margins are even finer and cohesion counts for so much more.

To give two examples - player for player there weren't many in the 2011-12 Quins team who were clearly better than the best of their opponents. NEv. Maybe Robshaw. But we did have a lot of cohesion and a team that started winning and learning to play off each other effectively and it was enough.

More controversial, perhaps, but the All Blacks aren't that much better than their opponents individually. It's their ability to keep playing their system right to the end of games that usually breaks down opponents in the end, even when they go behind. But on Saturday they came up against a team who could match them step for step in sticking to the game.