And Bateman is more than a match for most forwards in SL thanks. He was outstanding in defence last night and last week against Cas he was probably the best forward on the pitch.

Epic 3x combo post but how funny is it to see Mugwimp on here after one loss? I bet his last post was err... about 6 weeks ago?

I really don't understand criticism of McIlorum. Our best spells were when he was on but once again he was spelled and was off the field for over half an hour. It just seems a tactic to give Powell some game time, because the drop in our overall standard of play when McIlorum is off the pitch is huge. I wish we'd just go with MMc for the full 80.

Point taken, but you have to have someone used to playing there if he should get injured... So Wane HAS to do it.

Mental mickey signalled to the bench in the first half that he had to come off,to me the only way to keep up the intensity is to put bateman at hooker while mickey is off to maintain the level of aggression.

May have to make a change next week, granted I was 100 yrds away on the terrace but the tackle Powell did when he came in 3rd man didn't look to clever, a visit to Red Hall may be on the cards.

I came on here after the match having a go at Wane for giving a team talk by calling him motor mouth ( over the top maybe) which in a way is right , because he seems to give the opposition as much impetus as he does Wigan with his team talks.

My take on the match is as follows, I was watching it and was certain with the amount of pressure Wigan put on HKR in the first quarter they must break. But approaching the half hour mark I suddenly started thinking Sheffield 1989, I think the odds on Wigan winning last night must have been the same. That feeling never left me all night.



One thing that really struck me was how HKR had really done there homework on how to combat the Wigan attack. by that I mean that during the last 8/9 matches Wigan have regularly spread the ball to the wings with such precision that overlaps occurred on a regular basis.(especially on the left)

Every time Wigan tried the famous "Wigan Structure" last night it failed, either Wigan were rushing it and moving the ball to quick so that they failed to keep it tight and the overlap was never there. Or what I thought was that HKR had done their homework and worked out that if they slid across and matched Wigan's movement the overlap would never appear. HKR took the chance (in my eyes ) that Wigan very seldom try anything different once the "move " is on and by that I mean suddenly bringing a player against the grain either a forward or an halfback.

Now comes the controversial bit, a lot as been said over the last few months about Hampshire's best position, I have contributed to this maybe not always right, but it as come to the stage that a young players career is in danger of being ruined by this instance that he is a fullback.

It is now obvious that when an high ball goes up that the coach and the fans HOPE HE CATCHES IT instead of knowing he will, either let him go out on loan to try what he wants to do which is play standoff, or let him go (the latter is what I think may happen).



Finally after what as been a bit of a downer today but I certainly have an upper tomorrow, myself and the family are having a bit of a party for my mother who had her 104th birthday a couple of days ago.

Then the pessimist in me thinks it maybe going downhill after that, I am due to fly to Spain on Wednesday and then on to the Catalans match.

Like for like, I like it if you know I mean.

Would agree - 7 matches is the norm - ask Rangi.

Rangi is a nut job with a heap of previous... The loon should be sent packing...

Absolutely nothing in it.

And how is this different to Sam Tomkins? He can't catch a cold so we will always have this problem.

And as for 7 matches for Powell? I think some people have been smoking wacky bacca , what he did and what anti Wigan supportors wanted to see are 2 different things he actually tackled his backside not his knees.