The old Harry Thacker debate

[Tiger_in_Birmingham]

When and if a Tigers prop tells me that Thacker is a weakness in the scrum I will believe it. Until then I choose to believe that people watching on TV or from the stands cannot actually tell and are generally talking .

The only issue with that is no-one is going to come out a criticise a team mate.

[fleabane]

Flats says he's bigger than Meers, better and more dynamic than him around the field, and that he is still learning about the scrum, but learns quickly with Dan and Marcos alongside. Flats cannot understand why HT has not started more, and that he should be number two behind OTY.

That's good enough for me.

[BFG]

When and if a Tigers prop tells me that Thacker is a weakness in the scrum I will believe it. Until then I choose to believe that people watching on TV or from the stands cannot actually tell and are generally talking .

The only issue with that is no-one is going to come out a criticise a team mate.

Not going to happen!
Do you believe that you are important enough to be told?

fleabane
Flats says he's bigger than Meers, better and more dynamic than him around the field, and that he is still learning about the scrum, but learns quickly with Dan and Marcos alongside. Flats cannot understand why HT has not started more, and that he should be number two behind OTY.

That's good enough for me.

I wouldn't take much notice of Flats, one of the most average scrummagers that I have ever witnessed, and a former Bath player, consider several years of no serious title challenging from Tigers and seeing the young man called Cole who minced him for baby food having to put up with it would suit him just fine!
I prefer to go on what I see, and that was against Glasgow this season, Sarries last season, Sale, Wasps etc.

[fleabane]

Hmmm, I wonder who is the most qualified to comment BFG?

[kornboy130]

I wouldn't take much notice of Flats, one of the most average scrummagers that I have ever witnessed, and a former Bath player, consider several years of no serious title challenging from Tigers and seeing the young man called Cole who minced him for baby food having to put up with it would suit him just fine!
I prefer to go on what I see, and that was against Glasgow this season, Sarries last season, Sale, Wasps etc.

Is your inference here genuinely that you wouldn't take notice of Flats because he's an-ex Premiership and England prop and current (very good in my opinion) pundit but you would take notice of yourself because you've watched a few games?

[mol2]

You can be considerably bigger than Mears and struggle for size.

Thacker is a country mile ahead of him in terms of dynamic play.

Both he and Flats were part of a distinctly ordinary scrummaging outfit at Bath.

[BFG]

Hmmm, I wonder who is the most qualified to comment BFG?

You can wonder all you like but be careful what you wish for as you might just get it!
I didn't realise that Leicester fans had become reliant on the views of a former Bath player who never won anything, what next, Barnes for sports personality!
Take the blinkers off, look at what happened at Glasgow, Sarries etc, rather than listening to a player who would likely enjoy seeing Leicester struggle for several years as he was made to by Leicester.
He needs to improve his scrummaging if he can, personally at that age I see little room for improvement so it's either live with it or move on.
For me no side ever won titles who were weaker up front, they can win games but not titles, I'd be happy to see that changed but it won't be, it's as simple as that!

[h's dad]

I wouldn't take much notice of Flats, one of the most average scrummagers that I have ever witnessed, and a former Bath player, consider several years of no serious title challenging from Tigers and seeing the young man called Cole who minced him for baby food having to put up with it would suit him just fine!
I prefer to go on what I see, and that was against Glasgow this season, Sarries last season, Sale, Wasps etc.

Is your inference here genuinely that you wouldn't take notice of Flats because he's an-ex Premiership and England prop and current (very good in my opinion) pundit but you would take notice of yourself because you've watched a few games?

I like listening to Flats and he seems a good guy but every player he comments on he describes as superb, it's quite funny. Also Thacker is shorter and a stone lighter than Mears. On the plus side I have a stone (or two) that I am happy to donate to Harry.

[mol2]

If we all gave him a stone he'd be a porker!

[jgriffin]

If we all gave him a stone he'd be a porker!

Speak for yoursel......

[sam16111986]

Hmmm, I wonder who is the most qualified to comment BFG?

Take the blinkers off, look at what happened at Glasgow, Sarries etc, rather than listening to a player who would likely enjoy seeing Leicester struggle for several years as he was made to by Leicester.

Against Glasgow Thacker came on much earlier than the other front row replacements and the scrum was just as solid as when Youngs was on. The scrum fell apart when Mulipola came on. The Glasgow prop drove straight across him and he could do nothing to stop him. Mulipola got binned and our scrum went back to being fine. I think Mulipola was just lacking match sharpness at that point.

Saracens have marmisalised our pack many times on their artificial pitch irrelevant of who has been on the front row. I don't know why but our scrum looks poor on those artificial pitches, see the Falcons game this season.

[mol2]

Having Cole and Ayerza as starting props allows you to get away with less powerful hookers.

[strawclearer]

Having Cole and Ayerza as starting props allows you to get away with less powerful hookers.

I really shouldn't enter this debate - I was one of the 'girls at the back' and never got close to the front row as an adult! However - if the opposing front row's intention is to drive a wedge between prop and hooker then I'd have thought Harry's considerable upper body strength would be a real plus?

(Goes back to hide behind the posts...)

[MikeR]

Cant't understand why we don't install a small area of 'artificial' grass at Oval Park to practice our scrummaging - our excuses for poor performances on these sort of surfaces are getting to the pathetic stage .

[sam16111986]

Having Cole and Ayerza as starting props allows you to get away with less powerful hookers.

I think we had Genge on instead of Ayerza vs Glasgow. Maybe it has more to do with the early comment of Thacker's smaller wing span and his inability to get a really good bind around the simply massive Mulipola or it could have been that Mulipola was not match fit or a bit of both.