Perception more powerful than reality
Jerome Kaino - big, strong and he even looks mean.
Victor Vito - ditto.
Adam Thomson - a bit of a skinny fellow, who likes to signal a wrestling move when he scores.
Thomson's biggest problem is he does not look like a strapping, hardened Pacific Island warrior who swats away players at will.
That is what people perceive coming from Kaino and Vito.
Kaino was untouchable last year and the complete package. He could not be usurped by anyone.
He is now laid low by a shoulder injury but Kaino's star shows no sign of dimming.
But when did Vito last make a big hit?
Is his bark, namely his appearance and physique, more powerful than his bite?
Perhaps Thomson needs to hide in the defensive line and then get a flier and clean out an Irish attacker.
In these days, where big hits dictate the game, Thomson may need to put together a couple of huge tackles to win some love.
Jack of all trades, master of none
Thomson can play all three loose forward positions and has now been pigeonholed as a utility. Even this year, he has popped up on the openside flank for the Highlanders.
It makes him the obvious candidate for the bench.
Perhaps he should throw that utility tag away. Go to the selectors and say: "I'm a blindside first, second and third."
The selectors have always played around with the equation of whether Thomson is an openside flanker.
At one stage he was declared to be the first-choice back-up to captain McCaw, although that idea seems to have slipped off the selectors' table.
Change the rules
Three years ago, Thomson was at his peak, winning breakdowns at will and king of the turnover.
But the rules changed in 2010 and it became more of a game for the runners and ball-carriers, than for the thieves and pilferers.
Thomson was behind the eight-ball. His trademark was taken away.
Imagine if Cristiano Ronaldo could no longer fire in crosses, or if Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was not allowed to throw up a sky hook. That is what happened to Thomson.
Thomson has tried to adjust his game, and runs more, but the heights of 2009 are now a distant memory.
