BrisbaneRhino wrote:
Size has also increased in the backs. I remember when Eric Grothe was considered enormous at 14 and a half stone. Meninga terrorised defences on the 82 tour when he was less than 16 stone (he put on a lot of weight later of course).
Its impossible to do anything other than rate players in their own era. Who knows if a 13 stone second row from the 60s could ever have beefed up enough to be 'great' today when a lot is down to childhood nutrition?
Clearly you never watched the game that far back or have much knowledge of that era as you'll find that there were plenty of 15 stone second rowers that were upwardly mobile, in fact one of Hull's all time try scorers was a 2nd row from the 20s who was 15+ stone.
In the 50/60s we had a fair few 17stone props. Yes size has increased in the backs but conversely so has their lack of agility, it's the somewhat 'smaller' backs that can jink their way around.
What you will find with forwards of old is that will put themselves/their bodies about a lot more than their modern counterparts, half the forwards in modern rugby run the ball in like a bunch of half hearted fannies and tackle as if they are made of biscuit. I'd say the top forwards of yesteryear would do just fine and backs like Andy Gregory whom has more heart and grit than any back in the game since he stopped playing would be sensational (sorry for the Stevoism) in SL. Burrow is probably the most comparable in the grit dept of modern backs. Gregs had speed off the mark, was a superb passer, had guile, could kick, was a strong tackler and he was facking hard as nails..I didn't particularly like him as an individual but as a player you cannot fail to see he is one of those stand outs that would make the grade in any era.
You and many before you make the classic mistake of thinking it is all about size.. it isn't. It has never just being about crash bang wallop, it's a thinking man's game and one that needs the mentality to overcome your opposition no matter what they look like size wise or what their reputation. You destroy/attack/dismantle the mind-set or out-think your opposition as much as you out-do them physically, hence why you can have blow outs between what on paper are evenly matched teams. You break the mind/spirit and it matters not how strong/fit you are, great players from any era you choose would succeed in any other era you chose to supplant them in because they have it within them to do so.
