He was streets ahead of any of the other openside contenders at the breakdown .
His knowledge of European conditions often saw him mentoring other players on the nuances of the northern hemisphere game as well as the region 's referees .
He was streets ahead of any of the other openside contenders at the breakdown , and his knowledge of European conditions often saw him mentoring other players on the nuances of the northern hemisphere game as well as the region 's referees .