People repeating the words "Knowles and Matautia aren't props" doesn't stop them playing prop and doing it very well.

If we still had LMS people would say he is another prop, ignoriing the fact he too started in the back row and is a worse prop than both Knowles and Sione.

I concur with you there. The long shifts they put in also allows the coaching team to rotate the players more effectively which will mean that we should have a big advantage later in the game when the opposition forwards are tiring. Those two, and Cooper, when fit will be in the 17.

I loved Havard coming off the bench, his footwork against the slightly tired defence caused loads of problems.

Before his return game I might watch Warrington at home in the cup from last year. The best prop forward performance in years.


I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again

How we’ve gone from.

2020

GBurgess (injured)
Clubb on his last legs
Flower on his last legs
Bullock
Singleton
Mitch Clark
Partington/Byrne/Havard all being teenagers.

To 2024

Thompson
Dupree
Byrne
Havard
Ellis
Mago
Cooper
Hill
Eseh/Walters/Chan

Some transformation.

A hell of a turnaround from the dark days of 2019-2020 I agree. Still have nightmares from going into a playoff game against Saints with a front row of Clubb and a teenage Partington.

The only caveat with Havard is he has to be more consistent for me. The cup game against Warrington was awesome but then followed a drop off and its something that has been quite common for him at Wigan.

If all can be fit at the same time what the rotation? Harvard and Thompson start with Byrne, Dupree and Mago to come on? Rotate every week maybe as Cooper and hill wouldn’t deserve to miss out

Consistency is the only thing missing from Havards game. He's never poor but he goes from absolutely top class to just being reasonably good too often. His worst games are better than some players best games but he then shows you a glimpse of what he can achieve and you just want it more often. He's still young for a prop however and he has been impacted with injuries since that Warrington cup game last year. I think he will find that consistency at some point and you then have a regular international prop forward on your hands.