Rugby Union: The perfect 10?
Joel Stransky runs the rule over his fellow playmakers
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Your support makes all the difference.DAVID HUMPHREYS
(Ireland)
He seems to do the basics well and his kicking out of hand is good. However, the problem for whoever wears the Irish No10 shirt, whether it's Humphreys, Eric Elwood or Paul Burke, is that
they don't have the
type of forwards
to give them
enough decent
ball. It goes
without
saying that
no fly-half
is going
to be a
significant
factor in
a game if
he is always on the back foot. Don't be surprised
if he struggles.
PAUL GRAYSON
(England)
I've watched Paul (below) play a few games this season and I've been very impressed. He really has developed into a good, all-round fly-half with a lot of finesse. His kicking, obviously, is outstanding, but tactically he is so sound and he is now playing the game very flat which enables his backs to get across the advantage line. His return to full fitness following the Lions tour and the confidence that has brought him has been a big factor in Northampton's recent run of success.
THOMAS CASTAIGNEDE
(France)
I'm quite surprised the French have gone with him because I thought their fly-half would probably be Christophe Lamaison, Alain Penaud or even Thierry Lacroix. Castaignede
is predominantly a
centre, and he must
be an unknown
quantity at fly-half.
At centre, a lot of
what you do is
instinctive whereas
at fly-half you are
the decision maker.
But there's no
doubt he has a
lot of flair and
pace and if he
gets the chance
to use those
qualities he
could be very
dangerous.
ARWEL THOMAS
(Wales)
He's very attacking - a tremendous prospect. He loves to run with the ball and look for gaps. His kicking is pretty good, too, but his weakness may be that he's quite light physically and can get battered around. He's exciting and unpredictable, perhaps for his own team-mates as well, but they will get used to him the more they play with him. Obviously Wales need Neil Jenkins for his kicking but he proved on the Lions' tour that he can be an effective full-back.
GREGOR TOWNSEND
(Scotland)
Gregor is a little unfortunate to find himself playing in the same club side as Grayson because he is the one who has to play centre. It is really difficult to play centre at club level and then have to play fly-half at international level, which is a big step up in standard anyway. His kicking game is not as good as it needs to be but his running game can be magnificent. He has a superb eye for an opening and he is very skilful at making room for other players to burst through.
Joel Stransky, the Leicester and South Africa stand-off, was talking to Paul Trow
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