the left wing rather than full-back on this year's tour to South Africa, outside-half and open-side flanker have not been blighted by the high number of injuries just two months into the season. The right wing, where George North, Chris Ashton and Tommy Bowe make it one of the richest positions in terms of quality for Gatland; there are numerous contenders at outside-half and breakaway, but few are nailed on to go to Australia. Sam Warburton, Wales's captain and 7, is an exception, but his relatively short international career has been constantly interrupted by injury. What he does offer, unlike O'Brien and England's Chris Robshaw, is a natural foraging instinct and an ability to force turnovers. O'Brien started his career on the blind-side, but his value to Ireland is greater as a 7 to operate in tandem with Ferris, even if it leaves Ireland at times exposed at the breakdown. Robshaw, for all his qualities as a leader, is a product of the English Premiership, which has long been throttled by the approach of referees at the tackle area. A reason there are so few genuine 7s in the Premiership is that the breakdown is not a contest for possession. It is rare for the team taking the ball into a tackle is penalised other than for not releasing. Once the ball is made available, the defending side can forget about challenging for it and concentrate on spreading out. The dynamics of rugby union have shifted in recent years away