Is it time for Wellens to move into the pack at loose forward, and start looking at youth at full back....if so who would you suggest.

He had a belting game against Leeds there, but it's mentioned on another thread that Potter wants to try Wheeler at FB.

But if he moves to loose who would you displace from our usual pack of :
10. Graham
9. Cunningham
15. Hargreaves
16. Puletua (when fit)
12. Wilkin
13. Flannery

Lee Smith

Eastmond ? Lomax has been playing there for the reserves.

No.

Still a class act at FB. No need to move him. We'd lose the benefit of most of his strengths if he played in the back row. Plus, with TP, Wilkin, Flannery and Clough we've plenty of options there already.

Also, I can't see much mileage in the Wheeler to full back idea. He doesn't look all that great under a high ball from what I've seen.

Also got Dixon and Ashurst in the back row.

You've not seen much of him then


Wheeler has not done nothing wrong with any high balls

If it isn't broke,why try to fix it?
I would imagine a lot of the players play expansive rugby knowing they have Wello as a saftey net.

I have. He's not the biggest of lads, and he has been outjumped in the last couple of games.

I'm not bagging him, I think he has what it takes, but I don't think he's a full back (or a winger for that matter. He's doing a fine job there at the mo though).

Maybe he just needs more practice at jumping and also at timing? Besides, although he didn't get the high ball in the Leeds game, he caused enough problems so that Leeds didn't get it either. That's a good tactic in itself! In fact, Wheeler seems to have quite a head full of good tactics, on top of working bloody hard.

Why do people think Wellens would make a good loose forward?

Could Armstrong be turned into a full back, up to know he 's been pretty good at taking a high ball, could he coached to defend like Wellens.
The reason I started the thread is because the key positions of 1-6-7-9-13 need rapidly sorting out by the 2010 season.
Wellens to 13, Eastmond to 7, Wheeler to 6, Roby/Moore to 9, ***** to 1

I'm not saying Wheeler wouldn't have a good go at it. It just seems daft to me to be talking about re-training someone who looks to be a natural stand off/half back into a full back and re-training someone who is a natural full-back into a loose forward (especially as we already have an abundance of back rowers).

Why though?

What's he doing wrong at full back?

I don't remember seeing him play at stand off but on Friday night he looked like a pretty good winger to me. The only blip he seemed to have was in jumping for the high ball, but that may be about practice or mistiming or lack of experience, as I suggested earlier. I know he was playing at stand off in the Academy but does he have to remain there? Is he a better stand off than winger? I know Wellens didn't start off at fullback and he may have gotten typecast had it not been for the opportunity to cover fullback during injury (and what might we have missed out on had he not won that spot?), so surely it is a bit early in the playing careers of these youngsters to be typecasting them? Shouldn't they be given opportunities to play in a number of spots before settling into one?

As for Wellens, he's too good a fullback still to move him IMO. He was incredible on Friday night.

Because we need a smooth transition of new players for the next generation of success.
Wellens is still good and really hasn,t lost a lot of speed but could he be more influential at No 13, also although Flannery had a good game we still havn't replaced the quality of Sculthorpe.

As I've said, I think Wheeler is doing a good job on the wing. He's very talented and playing on the wing would be well within his capabilities long term.

But would you want to waste a player who clearly has a full bag of tricks by sticking him out on the wing?

He is there at the moment simply because we need cover and he needs 1st team experience. I'll be amazed and disappointed if he ends up a winger for Saints in the long term.


(I take your point about Wellens, but the difference is he never looked like being a good scrum half, and from his first match at full back it was obvious he was tailor made for the position).

I don't think moving a very gifted full back to loose forward for the last couple of years of his career is going to replace one of the greatest 13s ever to have played for Saints.

Why not invest in a genuine loose forward instead?

It's a good excuse to get some pace into the side. We are a side with a strong defense that could cope without Wello at fullback. We lack any sort of pace anywhere on the pitch, even our wingers aren't quick. Someone like Eastmond or Wheeler at fullback would be someone to finish off the numerous breaks we make but haven't finished since the likes of Sullivan and Albert departed.

Well, I suppose there are two responses to that: I can't comment on his other talents as I haven't seen them and I don't think being on the wing is 'wasting' a player! If his talents are better exploited/suited to the wing then that IMO is where he should play. However, if he is indeed a great stand off then so be it, play him there. In fact, it's rather useful to have players who can excel in more than one role just in case we need to mix and match at injury time.

Fair enough about Wellens. Some people find their niche early on, which is great. Others, though, may need time and opportunity, which I suppose is what I'm saying about Wheeler (and indeed any of our other young up and comings).

I disagree. I think Wello is a fundamental part of that strong defence of which you speak.

Boom, sit down Leuluai. Awesome try saving tackle on Friday, I doubt many other players would have made sucha tackle and covered the ball at the same time.

In the next 12-18 months i would like to see Wheeler play more at centre as a grounding to move him infield to standoff, when he reaches 22-23.
Leon Pryce by that time would be in his 30's and probably playing in the pack or looking to retire.

The fact Jonny Lomax is now being played at fullback would indicate to me that the club are looking long term to him filling that position.

If all goes right in a few years we could see a team something like this:- Lomax would be fullback
Wheeler stand off
Eastmond scrum half
Moore/ Roby hooking

That would cover all the focal positions with talented players. Most of whom possess lots of pace.

Absolutely! Pryce moved inside as he got older. One great point is that set of players is entirely not only british, but saints academy, what a success for our academy that would be