fevnuts musings #20: Props, Blackpool and Jack Bussey

fevnut's musings

Prop forwards playing together

One of the sad changes that has come into the modern game is that prop forwards seem to play more as individuals when we can well remember props who were definitely seen as a pair and played together as such, with mutual understanding, particularly when we were attacking near our opponents line.

Over the years Fev had has some notable prop pairings who played together many times. But ask who our current first choice pair of props is nowadays and it’s difficult to answer because there is no stability there and we don’t seem to see them as a pair.

Of course some of these played together more often but sometimes one of them would have started on the bench and then joined up with their regular partner.

In fact, so far this season we have had an incredible 12 different pairings of starting props in just 15 games! Of course we are talking about starting props and we are not including the huge combinations that result from substitutions. Here is what we have used so far this season.

What has virtually disappeared is props creating tries that are scored by their partner. We particularly remember well the way that Stuart Dickens would take a drive, get tackled just short of the line and Tony Tonks would be there just behind him to pick up an offload and with opposition players trying to get Stu to ground the path over the line would be fairly simple for Tony. And it would often happen the other way round too with Tony taking the ball to the line and Stu picking up the offload.

How we would love to see again a settled prop pairing who could do that!

The Blackpool hoodoo

Last week we wrote about our failure to win at Bloomfield Road, Blackpool. The worst of these is the three defeats against Halifax in 2012 (Rail Cup Final), 2016 (Summer Bash - humiliating 37-0 defeat) and 2018 (Summer Bash).

We really hope that the Halifax curse doesn’t strike again. Yes, we know that the opposition is York but the referee comes from … (dramatic pause) ... Halifax!

Jack Bussey

We want to wish Jack the speediest of recoveries from his injury. What a player he has become. There are not many who can play as a starting prop (see above) and then put in Man of the Match performances playing in other matches at stand-off! Get fit, Jack, we are going to really miss you while you are on the sidelines.