neilf wrote:Roadsweeper wrote:No credible loosehead as a replacement on Saturday's bench as we had three tightheads in the squad. Therefore clearly the development team loosehead is not credible to even play 10 mins at the end of a game.
You can't have a replacement sat on the bench just to come on for 10mins what if the 1st choice loosehead goes down injured in the 2nd min. A crucial HC cup game is no place for a development player to be dropped in at the deep end
This is exactly the same argument used last season as we completely failed to develop so many of our Academy players. Instead we kept picking the likes of Bucknall, Chuter, Grindal, Staunton, Hamilton, etc regardless of form. Experience is what counted.
So come the following season, clubs that backed their kids - Quins for example - see the reward, and our Academy players are just a year older, no more experienced and still don't get picked.
First up, with Castro able to cover both sides we had a safety net. If Stanko went off in the first 10 minutes then we could have played with Cole and Castro for the next 70. But if there was another injury, then we could have brought on Jonny Harris (for example). Instead, the total lack of faith in home-grown players is demonsrated yet again.
Quins went to Toulouse with an 18-year old tighthead on the bench. They didn't need to use him, but they had faith that if they did then he would step up and perform - the same way the likes of Marler, Matthews, Wallace, Casson, Smith, Stegmann, etc have stepped up and performed despite thir youth.
The key here is faith in the players outside the core first-team group. If Cockerill doesn't believe that guys like Harris, Bower, Armes, Lewington, etc can even be trusted with a BENCH spot, then there is something seriously wrong with the player development systems we have in place.
By the way, I see that untrusted Academy failure Matt Everard - a cause I was championing last season when we decided to bring in mediocre Saffa journeyman Myburgh - has been a success at Wasps and has played 10 first-team matches for them this season. Having made just 3 LV Cup appearances in his time at Leicester. And Academy reject Greg Tonks made his 17th appearance for Saints (scoring his 7th try for them) having been allowed just ONE LV Cup appearance for Leicester. In the centres.
Why don't we trust our home-grown players in the way a team like Quins does? Or even Saints? Or Gloucester? Or even Sarries?