Nowhere is the approach to selection more varied than in the back row – and if you don’t believe me, just look at the opening weekend of the Guinness Six Nations. Arguably only Wayne Pivac and Wales started with a traditional blindside, openside and No.8 in their back row, where the remaining five coaches tried a litany of different options. The starkest contrast was probably in Paris where England decided to go without a recognised No.8 against a French team with three of them. While it would be reductive to single that out as the reason les Bleus upset the odds, it is fair to say that the French back row looked entirely more balanced than their English counterparts. Courtney Lawes, who started at six, adds a lot to the English lineout, but there is much more to playing in the back row. And Tom Curry, already one of the world’s best flankers at just 21, had some teething struggles at No.8 with his control at the base of the scrum.
