Alan wrote:
In the 'modern' game, there doesn't seem to be a 'loose forward' anymore. Most teams use that position to play an extra 'prop', or 'grunt' or 'middle', or whatever they are now!
Correct. Think of how a team lines up defensively. On either flank are the wings, the centres and the two half backs (sometimes the halves line up between the wing and the centre defensively). The two edge back rows are next in.
The "loose forward", as Alan suggests, effectively plays as another middle with the two "props" (again, "middle" is a more accurate term these days) and the hooker. In the modern game, these guys do far more tackling than players at other positions, which is why they tend to get rotated from the bench. You get the odd player still playing at loose forward who could play half back too - Jack Bussey and Aaron Brown are two examples - but they tend to be solidly-built and robust defenders. The mind boggles at the idea of Ridyard playing loose forward.
