Nigel Yalden

running with the ball palmed in his hand like a loaf of yaros and he's just absolutely loving it and we're seeing he's waving the ball around then think little offloads little in passes all those skill sets again similar to what we saw from a guy by the name of brady retellick when he first came up and he had some good game time he's a guy who you can use and work pivots off you can use him as a ball carrier but as you say jamie you've hit it absolutely on the head

Just a dude that is benefiting from playing week in, week out rugby, being injury free, feeling good, and the confidence that you gain when you have had injury issues in the past.

And it's just all there to see, and it's great.

And there are a number of players who have had similar sort of things and have flourished once they've just got that game time.

And Josh Lord, I think, clearly is just loving his rugby at the moment.

I think he deserves to be in the squad.

I mean, he's been outstanding and he can play eight, he can play seven, you can play him at six.

So there's a guy, you know, all three positions, but I know there's good variation in terms of the caliber of loose forward that they've got to choose from.

Again, I just think in terms of his body of work, as good as a lot of loose forwards have been in 2026, I think he's deserving of a spot in that mix, as compact as it's going to be, given, you know, Christian Leo Willey's playing absolutely lights out at the moment.

Lakai has been really, really great.

Now, does he get selected in the loose forward mix?

Does they just out and out say, look, we're going to use him where we want to, he's a hybrid, that sort of a thing, so...

where does he in terms of when you look at your squad split does he come under a four does he come under a back do you pick him as a back knowing you can utilize him as a four does that mean you can carry somebody you know the likes of a luke jacobson or does that mean that if you carry lester in your squad you could then maybe bring in a guy like young casey from down in the highlanders so

I believe he deserves to be in the mix.

His body of work is really good.

Same thing again, he's just playing, he's not having the injury concerns, and that's the big one, isn't it, with Luke, is he always seems to get to a point where all of a sudden he has an injury.

We saw it, I think, in a test match last year.

It was warming up and something happened.

They had to take him out and bring Duplessis Karefi in, or that might have been against France here in Hamilton.

So, you know, again, I think he deserves to be in there.