Not perfect, but a few times held the ball amongst 3 of their players, wriggled free and made a simple pass into space, when the easiest thing was to chip it aimlessly down the line and just wait for their next attack. Brave with the ball given the match situation, and also knowing they may just clatter him to try and get the ball.
Thought he supported Patto then Rohl quite well, at least getting back into shape quickly so they weren’t isolated. Maybe it helped him playing ahead of young RBs thrown into the firing line with him, so they could buddy up a bit and dig in together. The right side looked a danger early on, but they got to grips with it as the game went on.
Got his rewards for the hard work in the closing minutes when they left more space for him to play in.
Best thing for him will be playing the whole game, not all of it pretty, getting an amazing result and being a proper part of all the hugging and high fiving after the game that he was genuinely a part of. Will have done more for his integration than a dozen 10 minute cameos with the senior players and for his own confidence.
Think we can finally take his personnel file out of the “oh no, might be a bit crap” drawer.
