Monas is something else at hooker, but it'll still be him and Briers controlling the game. Vanderson will be used to make metres I guess

I expect you'll be fairly fluid around the PTB, Bridge will take some turns in their, Briers moving it around etc. Higham is a player I've always rated too so he'll be one to watch when he comes on too. This is an area we have lots of options at too though - D. Hodgson likes dummy half work early in the tackle count, Moore and Lunt interchange well and offer different threats, Faiumu will be a danger chiming in too. There'll be a lot of quick sets with the ball not moving more than 10 metres left or right!

Is higham a risk?

His missus is due to drop any day so his mind won't be on the job AND he's just come back from a long lay off.

I say we taken him to tire him out and get the stadium announcer to announce "Would Michael Higham please go home - your wife is in labour" when he's in possession.

He won't need to go home - his missus is going to the game

Anyway, if it's their first kid, he'll have a few hours before it gets to the business end, I shouldn't wonder

Whether he's physically ready or not is another matter entirely...

don't get me started on protracted labour. Three days I was at hospital. My PSP ran out of charge.

I very much doubt Anderson will be playing an orthodox stand off's role.....He'll be more of a flexible roving utility player, almost a second loose forward.....Briers will be pulling ALL the strings for Wire, backed by Monaghan from dummy half....Simply, if you stop Briers, you have the game in the bag.

To stop Briers we have to stop the pack giving him the space.

To be honest it doesnt matter who we are playing against - to win we have to beat whoever Tony Smith puts before us - simple as that.

Really suprised TS has dropped Rauhihi in favour of McCarthy.

As a Wire fan I think we always struggle against your pack - at least when you have your biggest side out, but elsewhere it's been said that with it being warm tomorrow you're going to be playing it fast from dummy half with Moore, Aspinwall, Hodgson etc, and Rau is lazy at marker. McCarthy is young and keen.

I really would have liked Clarke and Wood to have been available and they would have been first choice had they been fit.

I think you start as favourites but it could go either way.
Hudds have an amazing ethic and go about the business in a no frills way and more often than not get he result. Browns game plan against Saints was top draw.
Key point is if TS has something up his sleeve. He needs to, otherwise you'll win.

Let's hope for a good game either way.

Rah has lost too much weight in the last few weeks and is a liabilty with his reckless offloads. We need a player like mccarthy who runs at and tries to bust the tackle, rah always turns his back ready for the offload. I've never seen anyone score a try after backing in to a tackle and then outsprinting the defence running backwards.