Originally Posted by
RV12
Here's what KC said a couple of weeks ago:
"Danny has been outstanding and he will get a chance this year. You can’t hold players back for the sake of it. If they are ready to go and are going to make you a better team then you have to give them a shot. If young Theo goes down, Danny is going to drop straight in."
I know that you shouldn't take anything KC says too literally, but he doesn't say that Richardson would could in if Matty Smith got injured. However, his comments do say that he is ready for first team rugby.
As others have pointed out, our rivals would take the chance on a young player. If Leuluai gets injured at Wigan then Shorrocks would come in and not O Loughlin, if (when) Brown gets injured at Wire, Patton would come in and nor Ratchford, if (when) Walsh gets injured at Catalans, Albert comes in and not Gigot.
I am limited in how far I can comment, as I've never seen Richardson play. However, KC seems to think that he's ready, and if at the age of 20, and our scrum half gets injured, and we choose to play a 32 year old loose forward at scrum half ahead of him, then you have to ask why Richardson is at the club as we mustn't rate him too highly.
I would give him a chance. Assuming he's stood out in the reserves, and works hard in training, then he deserves his chance. If it doesn't work, then Wilkin can drop in. But sometimes taking the risk and giving a young player a chance can really benefit the team. Briers is a good example, the Lomax/Gaskell partnership nearly got us a championship, Eastmond and Percival had great starts to their careers too, because we took the chance and threw them in.
It's a big call for KC, and I could understand his reasons for either decision, but that's why he's paid his wages, and I suppose he'll be judged by the result next Thursday, and in the weeks after.