Ben McCalman and Will Skelton unlucky to miss Wallaby selection

And that individual body weight directly correlates to good scrum technique and success

Yes but what would he retain Mike based on? He got no game time behind inferior alternatives (Ryan). If Mike had gone and played ITM and done ok after a couple of seasons then you'd say, yep, fair enough. Wasn't ready. But he proved immediately ready.

Hi DFD yes Henry once rated quite highly but the key there is "quite" but I never heard him even hint that it was one that got away from NZ. He rated him because he does bring some good attributes to the game but that doesn't mean Henry thought he would be a genuine world class lock by any stretch of the imagination I think his equally huge brother still plays in NZ.

TWAS - Wasn't Gibson was looking after the player retention & offers for the 'Tahs for the 2016 season not Cheika?

Mumm has clearly been picked as a line out jumping back row option in the case of an injury to Fardy but also able to play lock. It's on the basis that McMahon isn't considered a top line jumping option. Without Mumm he'd have to play a specialist lock at 6. Skelton would not resolve that.

I've always thought that Skelton plays more like Owen finegan used to. He isn't a traditional lock but could be groomed to be that 6/8/lock bench cover for impact at the back end of games.

Oh, sor-eey, Mr Superior.

Lano - Skelton is in Australia's best 33 and this must not mean that that he is "overrated and ineffective".

Skelton not unlucky, is not performing well enough. has struggled to be in 1st 15 at NSW. yes he's big but so is a b-double but by no means is it dynamic & Skillful. McCalman is true grit & gives 100% every game but if you look at the bench there is x factor in McMahon as backrow reserve.

Ok mate but I'm out of ideas.

Cool, let's hope so, lets compare notes after the match...?

Graham Henry rated him quite highly - but then what would he know?

Clearly you don't understand why Mumm is on the bench then...

I'm not discounting exception(s). I'm questioning whether the one possible exception, is an exception or not.

ej - agree re Arnold and Kerevi. Asked to camp then worked on things then made the team. Coleman made the camp and may make the team, he probably has things to work on that cheika wants. Timani does not get invited to camps despite 2 years of good form and a large improvement from last year. In many ways offers more than Skelton or Mumm or Mumm, team is short on 6/lock utilities and hard hitting ball acrrying 8's. Yet no wallaby camp , no direct comparison to prove he is better, who knows if he even knows what he needs to work on.

I'm with you David. For mine, Big Will would have been a better finishing option than Mumm.

Splitting hairs as far as I'm concerned. Hansen was busy learning those same lessons for eight years as well so will certainly have contributed to the errors. Henry didn't get a team handed to him on a plate either. Mitchell's outfit were a mess when he inherited them and only later did he yield the gains. 2007 for example is one lesson they both learnt. Henry corrected it in 2011 and Hansen improved on it. Henry was also responsible for changing the entire culture of the All Blacks and that included changes in Hansen himself. Hansen was usually rather blunt and dismissive with the media even towards the end of Henry's run and that was a concern we had when Hansen took over. Hansen got the lot when he took over...the trophies, the placers, the WCup, number one. Henry had none of that. Henry also had no mentor, Hansen had the best. Yes he's gone on, but the challenges are very different, and dismissing Henry's achievements, ones that Hansen never had to deal with, I would suggest isn't good commentary.

As I said very easy to form a narrative when you so easily discount exceptions.

It's a small sample size, but Horwill is the only exception. And even then, not being selected in a single squad of 31 out of 175 approx possibilities with no flexibility does not necessarily mean he didn't rate him. It may have just meant with limitations on replacements he wanted more versatility in the 31. Mike Ala'alatoa, Lopeti Timani, Adam Coleman, Luke Jones and Holloway are examples of quality players who he seemingly hasn't shown much interest in, preferring under-performing alternatives instead. It sounds like Hunt may be one of his favourites too if he can stay injury free.

He left for game time as he was getting zero. And he left because he didn't have an offer. Considering that the Waratahs had the worst scrum of all Super Rugby teams, and didn't have a THP for 2016, surely they would be the most likely to offer him a spot? The Brumbies already had Alexander and Makin. The Rebels have some young options and Weeks whilst the Reds have young props coming out their a--. Only the Force, Rebels and Waratahs were in any position to be looking for THP options coming into 2016. And that's because I don't know the contract status of all the Force and Rebels players. I think the Rebels were the were the only franchise other than the Waratahs to sign any new THP options for 2016.