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Message: [QUOTE="Morkel, post: 2780920, member: 8215"] Lock may be in the middle but it's not the same as being a prop. Glenn, Gillett, go back to Stagg etc, could play lock in the middle, but are not suited to prop. McGuire and Blair may be mobile enough to play at lock, but it doesn't mean that automatically our other middle-third players can just jump up to the front row to fill the gap. In defence, props generally have to make first contact and it needs to be brutal. Often they'll go high while the hooker goes in low. The lock, unless deliberately targeted, will normally be the third tackler to help hold the runner up. They don't necessarily have to be as dominant, as they're just another number. That also allows them to be more mobile, as they are often required to do the clean-up work if there is a missed tackle or the runner manages to get in behind the ruck - Stagg's specialty of course, he was an excellent lock, but he could never translate to the front row. In attack, again the props need to be bigger as they'll take the first or second carry to try to get momentum (if the back's haven't already done so). The lock will then take tackle 3 or 4 - again the theory being that the defence has been pushed back or opened up enough to allow the generally smaller and more mobile lock or back-rower to make good metres and challenge for an offload (Parker). That's why Taumalolo is able to be such a beast - he has the luxury of following Scott & Tamou and is a massive unit - but unless he's worn down he's still mobile enough to do the clean-up work. He'd be wasted at prop. TLDR, McGuire and Blair MUST stay at prop, we have a lot of forwards capable of "playing in the middle", but few of them are capable of playing prop, certainly not as a starting prop. If we lose Blair or McGuire, we'll miss Wallace more than we will Parker. [/QUOTE]

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