Justin Horo became Wakefield’s second signing of 2018 after signing a two-year deal to join the club from Catalans.
Horo’s arrival adds to a growing pattern in Chris Chester’s recruitment since his arrival midway through last year, that size really does matter.
Chester has added plenty of size to his pack since his arrival. Under his tenure, David Fifita, Craig Huby and Keegan Hirst have all arrived to bolster his front-row, which has seen a bigger ilk of forward become a staple of this Wakefield team.
Now, he has set his sights on the back-row.
A number of clubs started the transition towards bigger packs several years back. Most notably, Hull and Castleford have recruited heavier, larger players to make up their pack. Uncoincidentally, they’ve enjoyed success.
Now Wakefield are trying to do something similar, and Horo’s stats this year prove why he is a fine addition.
Comparing Horo’s stats for 2017 to those of Wakefield’s three senior back-rowers, Matty Ashurst, Danny Kirmond and Dean Hadley, it becomes evident what Horo will bring to the table. He leads the charts for carries, clean breaks, tackle busts and metres per game when up against the Wakefield trio.
One of the most commonly used terms used by Chester when discussing the game is ‘strike’. That is exactly what Horo will bring to Wakefield next year.
His work-rate is also another factor that makes the 31-year-old stand-out. Along with carrying the ball more often than his counterparts, he also contributes well defensively, with Matty Ashurst the only one to better his tackles per game, although Horo does miss tackles more frequently than any of Wakefield’s current back-rowers.
However, it’s his contribution when carrying the ball that has inevitably caught the eye. His size makes him a hard man to handle at times, and will certainly add to keeping Wakefield’s pack on the front foot when Fifita leaves the field.
How does Justin Horo compare to current Wakefield back-rowers?
| Statistic (average per game) | Justin Horo | Matty Ashurst | Danny Kirmond | Dean Hadley |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 17 | 28 | 21 | 20 |
| Tries | 3 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| Assists | 1 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| Carries | 10.6 | 9.2 | 8.9 | 9.4 |
| Clean Breaks | 0.35 | 0.21 | 0.33 | 0.2 |
| Tackle Busts | 1.41 | 1.03 | 1.23 | 0.8 |
| Metres per game | 69 | 66.71 | 55.66 | 60.5 |
| Offloads | 0.35 | 0.35 | 0.42 | 0.85 |
| Average gain | 6.48 | 7.18 | 6.25 | 6.44 |
| Tackles | 28.5 | 32.7 | 27.8 | 28.3 |
| Missed Tackles | 3 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 1.25 |
| Errors | 0.58 | 0.25 | 0.61 | 0.55 |
| Penalties | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.35 |