I think the PF should be able to fly any level of automation at any time, and if he hasn't practiced it....well....
If I came back into Halifax (Canada's East Coast) at mins or worse, I expected the PF to stay fully coupled, but if it was a few hundred feet and vis was decent, hand flying was fine, and even recommended to keep the skills sharp. Actually our SOPs spell out when the plot can choose the level of automation. Going from hand flown 61s to 4-axis Pumas I could see a deterioration in my scan after a few months.
As far as trimming into turns or not, I remember seeing a good article comparing the US Navy SOPs to push against the force trim vs. the Army's trim into turns, or vice versa, but I can't locate it. If you've trimmed into the turn and you lose the plot, you are still in a rate one turn so I don't see an issue. I think the pilot should be fully capable of either.