I think Farrimond is now our back up half. Would be very surprised to see him move from that role now, unless he picks up a knock, even when Field returns who I think will go straight back to 1.

Eckersley will still get plenty of opportunities as first choice back up centre, fullback and wing.

Agreed.

There might not be much of a gap between Field and Leemings returns but if Field is back first, I'd put Eckersley on the bench until Leeming does come back. Carrying 4 forwards on the bench is overkill for me and we're hardly seeing Mago at all recently. Thompson, Havard and Ellis do such big minutes we do not need 3 props on the bench (and Walters) IMO and would be better off using that 17th spot in the way some Australian teams do, by carrying a back on there to cover any issues.

Agree 100%, Mago and Byrne did about 10 minutes each at Wembley too. Better to have versatility.

Mago still doesn’t seemed to be trusted in really tight games.

I've always said I would not be surprised to see Mago miss out when the crunch games come at the end of the season, even though he's an ever present. There is no point having 4 forwards on the bench when you have 3 lads in the middle capable of playing the 80 minutes. It just makes no sense to me and you may as well cover your bases elsewhere. I always think back to that Leeds play off defeat in 2022 and we suffered from having 4 forwards on the bench that night. Sometimes it makes sense but not currently with the make up of the starting pack as it is.

Fully agree with having a utility back on the bench, in view of our starting props doing big minutes.

Hopefully there'll be no need for any of the pack to do 80 mins on Saturday though it probably wouldn't do Walters any harm to get extra mins under his belt

Injuries to French and Field have ensured the club have had to find suitable players to stand in for them.
Looks like Farrimond and Eckersley are those players.
Eckersley was the difference between us and Saints and looks like he'll keep the fb slot until Field returns.
When Jai does return perhaps he'll go to 6 with Farrimond being stood down. He's only 18 and perhaps by then will have done enough first team games and will need a rest.
With most people in the sport thinking French and Field are our two best players the club have done remarkably well with Farrimond and Eckersley doing so well when asked.

Injuries to French and Field have ensured the club have had to find suitable players to stand in for them.
Looks like Farrimond and Eckersley are those players.
Eckersley was the difference between us and Saints and looks like he'll keep the fb slot until Field returns.
When Jai does return perhaps he'll go to 6 with Farrimond being stood down. He's only 18 and perhaps by then will have done enough first team games and will need a rest.
With most people in the sport thinking French and Field are our two best players the club have done remarkably well with Farrimond and Eckersley doing so well when asked.

Field, Farrimond, Smith

Is a much better balance than

Eckersley, Field, Smith

Field isn't good enough at 6, it really doesn't suit him.