Tom Young's will never be an international level hooker.

Agree with 12T for sure and probably Goode though it didn't help that yesterday he was out of position whereas he is just like Brown  - an out and out FB and definitely no winger.

Wouldn't say Youngs can't throw in, it's a bit hit and miss for sure, but throwing in is generally down to form. He was pretty decent during the Lions tour if I remember rightly.

Yes, I thought Youngs was surprisingly good in the summer. If you were to drop a hooker as soon as he has a few off days in the line-out Rory Best would have had to retire last year and Wales would have a nationwide shortage.

Not at all convinced that Youngs, Goode and Twelvetrees have no part to play. No use in throwing away talent if there is nothing else to come in - it's certainly not like England are overstocked in hookers or inside centres. Maybe Kyle Eastmond will go past 12trees, maybe there isn't anyone else, maybe Jamie George will replace Youngs, maybe he isn't good enough.

Though I would much prefer to see only wingers playing on the wing, i.e. not Brown or Goode, it doesn't help when 3 lightning fast wingers all get injured. Sometimes you have to make do.

I thought Tom Youngs was exceptional on the Lions Tour, big fan.

He got around the park well down under on good pitches against the weakest southern hemisphere pack with the choice of the home unions tight five alongside him. I hope time proves me wrong but I don't want to think about us being six points down in a world cup semi with two minutes left and a five metre line out with the ball in his hands.

harsh on Youngs I feel-agree with other comments

As others have said Goode is OK at full back but unlike 1/2P to name one he cant play full back and wing

12trees is altogether different he is decidedly dodgy at times and is probably no more than 5th/6th choice centre at best when all the others are fit

I don't agree with playing players out of position at international level, for me it makes no sense at all. If you are playing 12 all season and then play 13 in an international game its asking for trouble. In a high pressure situation you will revert to what you normally do and even a step left instead of right is all that a top class centre needs to get through a gap.

The same holds true for most positions as they are all specialised in their own way, and slight errors get severely punished at this level.

I was shocked to hear that when he arrived for the lions tour he admitted never having hooked a ball in his life..is this art of the game finished ?

He's a (very late) converted centre, so obviously hadn't had to do it at age grade. Probably why it looks like he's struggling a bit now they have to try hooking again

Yes hooking is certainly back on the agenda these days as Scotland comically found out at the weekend when there was that scrum when the camera angle happened to be down the tunnel and the ball just sat there for what seemed and age before the Irish hooker cottoned on and nicked it.

Poor fellas got the yips.