Twentyman wrote:
Like you said, he was a rookie then, and I wonder with increased experience and ability to read a game whether he could move back into the halves in the future?
Whilst it is hard for any kid to excel whilst physically under-developed - I tend to think "ball handling" is something you are born with. You don't need to be fleshed out circa age 22 to have the vision to see a runner in space and put the ball in his hands. Bear in mind that almost all of the best ball-handling scrum halves this country has produced, whilst physically under-developed, wear able to function to some degree even in their teens. Bobbie Goulding is a classic example.
Admittedly, Lomax's opportunities at scrum half were limited. But at no time during his occupancy of the role did I ever get the feeling that he showed signs of being a distributor. From the outset he was a nimble-footed, scooting half.
Each time you attack the line you face an incredibly challenging and mentally complex conundrum. It requires a unique awareness of time and space to "see" not just how the defensive pattern is currently arranged but how best to exploit it in the context of your own players movements. The masters of their craft seem able to conceptualise a four-dimensional model of the motions of players and can plot the optimal route to success - whether it be a set move, a kick or - the toughest of the lot - opportunistic. Such players are always that bit quicker in thought. But they are also patient. The acid test for any distributor is when he's facing an organised and aggressive defence at first receiver whilst trying to pick out the man in space. In most cases the scrum half will get rid of the ball far too early instead of waiting till the absolute last split-second for that one opponent to break ranks and commit himself - thus giving him the opportunity to slip his man through the gap.
The Australian Test scrum half, Brett Kimmorley, was one of the greatest ball handling scrum halves I've seen. Very often he took what seemed like an age to get rid of the ball. And yet the number of times he just slipped the pass to one his teammates running through a gap the size of a bus was amazing.
Lomax never struck me as the above kind of player. Not close. Far too often he panicked, dumped the ball off early for little gain or threw the ball aimlessly into the ground or touch. No, Jonny's agility was physical - not mental.
