Flavell has played well since the beginning of the tournament, and I (like many other on this board) found Thorne's form on his return from reconditioning disappointing.

Frankly speaking, Flavell seemed to offer more explosive power with the ball in hand, and perhaps better ball skills, than Thorne.

However, having looked at the two most recent Crusader's tapes again, Thorne plays very well in both matches.  He does not carry the ball in the way that Flavell, or Kaino, or Lauaki does.  However, he does a power of work in tight.  It's not flashy, or even very noticeable, but it is hard work which needs to be done.

Meanwhile, in the two most recent matches played by the Blues, Flavell's performances have been less outstanding.  He is still playing well - he retains a higher profile than Thorne.   He is genuinely exciting to watch with the ball in hand.  My gut instinct is that, if JC was unable to go the RWC, I would want Flavell taking his place.  However, he still seems to give away more penalties than most (just as, in his earlier days, JC used to).

My question is: at the RWC, would the greater power offered by Flavell (and excitement for spectators) offer more for the ABs than Thorne's quiet hard work?  Or is the benefit which Flavell would bring to the ABs outweighed by the higher liklihood of Flavell spending 10 mins in the 'bin?  Put another way, would the points which Flavell can potentially add for the ABs outweigh the points he would potentially give away?