Centres of the Universe?
By Plympton Chief
May 3 2022
I think we appear to be very short of centres who can make an impression in our mid-field and score some tries to make our opponents weep.
Henry is of course CLASS but for that reason we don’t have him in our side as often as we might like. Coupled with Ollie Devoto they make by far our most potent centre pairing but with Henry’s international appearances and Ollies physio’s room appearances we are often found wanting in this department.
Whitts is a great club stalwart but does not offer a great deal more than 110% commitment and some straight line, guileless running. He has been a great favourite at Sandy Park but it seems to me that he is approaching the end of his career. This is in no way to belittle nor denigrate what he has contributed in the past but all good things must come to an end.
Hendo is younger, but to my way of thinking very much in the Whitts mould. He needs to play with someone to act as a rapier to provide a foil to his broadsword.
Sean O’Brien seems to have disappeared without trace! What has happened to him? Is he injured or not cutting the mustard? In either case it’s a great pity as I thought he was going to add strength to our mid-field.
We will have Rory O’Loughlin, ex Leinster, next season who sounds like the real deal but I thought the same about Sean O’Brien so what do I know.
Apart from the above mentioned we are short of centres who can step in at Premiership level and have something to offer. Tommy Wyat plays regularly for Pirates, more recently at centre but he has also played at full back or wing. The few occasions I’ve seen him at Sandy Park he looked very useful and a season in the Championship will have done his rugby education no harm at all. Perhaps now is the time to bring him into a Prem match day squad.
Dan John is on our books as a wing/centre and is a good player who is presumably getting his regular rugby at the Uni. A look through the Chiefs’ Player List shows Kian Gentry, Archie Hill and Charlie McCaig named as centres but nothing by way of a bio to indicate where they are getting their rugby at present.
I know forwards win matches and the backs “only” decide by how much but so much of our focus seems to be on the forwards as far as recruitment is concerned. Four forwards to one back?
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It may be that this season with the horrendous injury and sickness lists, and the changes in the laws, together with an unexpected number of international absences, has been a Black Swan event, a perfect storm if you like. But as BA says elsewhere , the coaches are appointed to deal with those challenges, and perhaps a little more frankness with supporters would not go adrift?
I believe there are the makings of a truly excellent pack in those players retained and some of those incoming (pity only one back), and I would thrust some of those with only a handful of games into the fire from day one.. A pack of Keast, Innard,Schickerling, Dunne, Gray, Ewers, Simmonds, Vermeulen, with experience in LCD/Yeandle, Hepburn, Willliams/Street, Capstick/Kirsten, Van Heerdfen/Jenkins/Pearson, to come off the bench, strikes me as pretty tasty. Give Cordero and Hodge their heads too, and if necessary try Nowell at 12.