2015 Rugby World Cup Squads

[TRF Mr Fish]

Who do you think will be in your country's 30 man squad for the 2015 World Cup?

For New Zealand:

Hookers
- K Mealamu
- D Coles
- H Elliot

Props
- O Franks
- B Franks
- B Afeaki
- W Crockett

Locks
- S Whitelock
- D Bird
- B Retalick
- L Romano

Loose Forwards
- R McCaw
- S Cane
- K Read
- S Luatua
- V Vito

Halfbacks
- P Weepu
- T Perenara
- T Kerr-Barlow

First Fives
- D Carter
- A Cruden
- B Barrett

Centres
- C Smith
- F Saili
- B Smith
- R Kahui

Outside Backs
- I Dagg
- J Savea
- C Jane
- C Piutau

 

[Patchey]

Brave call suggesting Mealamu will still be about, how old is he now?

Here's a quick crack at England, I'm making the presumption that every player develops to their maximum potential between now and 2015. I've put an (S) next to suggested starters.

Hookers:
Tom Youngs (S)
Dylan Hartley
???

Props:
Dan Cole (S)
Corbs (S)
M.Vunipola
???

Locks:
Launchbury (S)
Parling (S)
Lawes

Back Row:
Tom Wood
Chris Robshaw (S)
Ben Morgan (S)
B. Vunnipola
Matt Kvesic (S)

Scrum Half:
Danny Care (S)
Ben Youngs (unfortunately)
Danny Simpson

Fly Half:
Owen Farrell
Freddie Burns (S)
George Ford

Centers:
Twelvetrees (S)
Tuilagi (S)
Joseph
Daly (back three cover also)

Back Three:
Wade (S)
May (S)
Brown (S)
Eastmond


I'm sure plenty of people will disagree, especially about the forwards as I've stuck mainly with what we have now because, especially in terms of front rows, there isn't much obvious talent coming through. Also in consideration might be people like CalLum Clark (utility forward), Foden, Flood (outside chance), Barritt, Sharples, Strettle, Matthew Tait (would make my year), Dave Atwood, Wrigglesworth, Tom Johnson, Anthony Allen, JSD, Will Fraiser. Until we've had the Argentina tour (presuming the rumor that Lancaster will leave five or six well known faces behind is true) then we've really got no idea what some of the younger players will be like on the international stage.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Let's give the South African squad a go:

Hookers:
Bismarck du Plessis
Adriaan Strauss
Chiliboy Ralepelle

Props:
Tendai Mtawarira
Coenie Oosthuizen
Pat Cilliers
Heinke van der Merwe

Locks:
Pieter-Steph du Toit
Eben Etzebeth
Juandre Kruger
Andries Bekker

Loose forwards:
Francois Louw
Willem Alberts
Marcell Coetzee
Duane Vermeulen
Ryan Kankowski

Scrum halves:
Francois Hougaard
Jano Vermaak
Ruan Pienaar

Fly-halves:
Patrick Lambie
Johan Goosen

Wingers:
JP Pietersen
Gio Aplon
Lwazi Mvovo

Centers:
Paul Jordaan
Robert Ebersohn
Jaque Fourie
Jan Serfontein

Full-back:
Jaco Taute
Willie le Roux


Other players who might be close by the time the World Cup starts: Marnus Schoeman, Arno Botha, Wiaan Liebenberg, Raymond Rhule, Juan de Jongh, Louis Ludik and Marcel van der Merwe

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

Do you think Meyer will actually pick le Roux ever? He doesn't even seem to be on his radar, for one reason or another.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Do you think Meyer will actually pick le Roux ever? He doesn't even seem to be on his radar, for one reason or another.

Le Roux has only played 1 season at the highest level so far and is still only 23 years old. Robert Ebersohn is about the same age, but is now also included in the wider training group for the Boks after being ignored for 2 years.

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

Will that give him enough time to make the WC squad, do you think?

 

[big ginger 8]

Did we not already have this thread? Not to long ago?

 

[bobbilycious]

Won't 5 props be needed? You have 4 in your 23 man lineup and if any one of them gets injured, you need to be able to bring in another prop.
I guess NZ could potentially pick Tom McCartney or Ben Tameifuna (and only select 2 hookers) or select Liam Coltman and only select 4 props (note that: I am saying these are options, not good options - I don't particularly like these). The best option is probably to lose an outside back. Kahui, Smith and Barrett can cover.

 

[Kiwiwomble]

I will be worried if Weepu is still in the frame, if it isn't smith, Kerr-barlow and Perenara (let along some young bolter showing up between now and then) then something has gone very wrong in our player development, all three will have been playing at super level for four odd years by then and so if Weepu is still needed as the "old head" it does not boad well for us

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

Won't 5 props be needed? You have 4 in your 23 man lineup and if any one of them gets injured, you need to be able to bring in another prop.
I guess NZ could potentially pick Tom McCartney or Ben Tameifuna (and only select 2 hookers) or select Liam Coltman and only select 4 props (note that: I am saying these are options, not good options - I don't particularly like these). The best option is probably to lose an outside back. Kahui, Smith and Barrett can cover.

We only had four at the last world cup, which is why I've gone with four here.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Won't 5 props be needed? You have 4 in your 23 man lineup and if any one of them gets injured, you need to be able to bring in another prop.
I guess NZ could potentially pick Tom McCartney or Ben Tameifuna (and only select 2 hookers) or select Liam Coltman and only select 4 props (note that: I am saying these are options, not good options - I don't particularly like these). The best option is probably to lose an outside back. Kahui, Smith and Barrett can cover.

What are the regulations regarding calling up replacements during the tournament?

 

[bobbilycious]

You can only bring in a player if you are ruling out the player they are replacing for the rest of the tournament (unless someone else gets injured and you bring them back in). If that makes any sense. So let's say your best tighthead (Jones) gets injured and you only have 4 props. You have to replace him with your 3rd best available tighthead (Murphy). You can't get Jones back into the squad unless there is another injury. Murphy is pretty average and during the RWC final game he comes on at the 70th minute mark. During this time, there are three scrums and Murphy ends up giving away 3 penalties, costing you the RWC. But Jones only missed one week of rugby and with him there you would have won the RWC. Oh noes! That is how I see it playing out in my head, anyway.

 

[sifplay]

Let's give the South African squad a go:

Hookers:
Bismarck du Plessis
Adriaan Strauss
Chiliboy Ralepelle

Props:
Tendai Mtawarira
Coenie Oosthuizen
Pat Cilliers
Heinke van der Merwe

Locks:
Pieter-Steph du Toit
Eben Etzebeth
Juandre Kruger
Andries Bekker

Loose forwards:
Francois Louw
Willem Alberts
Marcell Coetzee
Duane Vermeulen
Ryan Kankowski

Scrum halves:
Francois Hougaard
Jano Vermaak
Ruan Pienaar

Fly-halves:
Patrick Lambie
Johan Goosen

Wingers:
JP Pietersen
Gio Aplon
Lwazi Mvovo

Centers:
Paul Jordaan
Robert Ebersohn
Jaque Fourie
Jan Serfontein

Full-back:
Jaco Taute
Willie le Roux


Other players who might be close by the time the World Cup starts: Marnus Schoeman, Arno Botha, Wiaan Liebenberg, Raymond Rhule, Juan de Jongh, Louis Ludik and Marcel van der Merwe

Jaque Fourie? Meyer have to pick Jantjies otherwise he would get fired lol

 

[Draggs]

Did we not already have this thread? Not to long ago?

It's a yearly thing.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Jaque Fourie? Meyer have to pick Jantjies otherwise he would get fired lol

Jantjies needs to be consistent and has the unfortunate situation where he has to compete with both Goosen and Lambie.

Fourie will only be 32 during the 2015 World Cup. Not such a bad idea, if he's still fit and the same player he is today.

 

[Big Ewis]

uhmmm....

1 DOMINGO !!!!
2 KAYSER !
3
4
5
6
7
8 PICAMOLES !!!
9 PARA !!
10
11 Fall
12 FOFANA !!!!
13 Bastareaud ?
14
15

yeh uhh...that's about it right now...

 

[big ginger 8]

It's a yearly thing.

Right then here's my squad from December:

I'm going to be really liberal with my selections. I'm also going to include some things I don't like such as project players and guys still in school. May look more like a 2019 squad

Props: Cian Healy, Michael Bent, Dave Kilcoyne, Tadgh Furlong, Jack McGrath

Hookers: Rory Best, Richardt Strauss, Sean Cronin

Locks: Donncha Ryan, Iain Henderson, Devin Toner, Ian Nagle, Tagh Beirne/Mark Flanagan/Dave Foley/Billy Holland

Backrows: Stephen Ferris, Sean O'Brien, Jamie Heaslip, Conor Gilsenan, Jack Conan, CJ Stander

Scrumhalves: Keiron Marmion, Luke McGrath, Paul Marshall

Outhalves: Jonathan Sexton, Paddy Jackson, Ian Madigan

Centres: JJ Hanrahan, Luke Marshall, Jared Payne, Jordan Coughlan, Luke Fitzgerald

Wings: Tommy Bowe, Craig Gilroy, Keith Earls, Simon Zebo, Andrew Conway

Fullbacks: Rob Kearney, Billy Dardis

Too big for a wolrd cup, badly balanced and a huge Leinster bias ah well. just throwing some names out there really.

Already you can probably atrike out Bent and probably Furlong with Moore going in there. Also put Olding and Henshaw in their.

 

[admartian]

Who do you think will be in your country's 30 man squad for the 2015 World Cup?

For New Zealand:

Hookers
- K Mealamu
- D Coles
- H Elliot

Props
- O Franks
- B Franks
- B Afeaki
- W Crockett

Locks
- S Whitelock
- D Bird
- B Retalick
- L Romano

Loose Forwards
- R McCaw
- S Cane
- K Read
- S Luatua
- V Vito

Halfbacks
- P Weepu
- T Perenara
- T Kerr-Barlow

First Fives
- D Carter
- A Cruden
- B Barrett

Centres
- C Smith
- F Saili
- B Smith
- R Kahui

Outside Backs
- I Dagg
- J Savea
- C Jane
- C Piutau

Pretty much here, except I expect Emery to be a bolter in the squad over Saili and Weepu to be out of the frame by then. A smith could easily have better seasons by then.

Otherwise the sane squad. Oh, and our Hooking situation is pretty poor.

 

[Kiwiwomble]

Pretty much here, except I expect Emery to be a bolter in the squad over Saili and Weepu to be out of the frame by then. A smith could easily have better seasons by then.

Otherwise the sane squad. Oh, and our Hooking situation is pretty poor.

agreed, emery has looked pretty good for us.

 

[SomeOke]

Let's give the South African squad a go:

Hookers:
Bismarck du Plessis
Adriaan Strauss
Chiliboy Ralepelle

Props:
Tendai Mtawarira
Coenie Oosthuizen
Pat Cilliers
Heinke van der Merwe

Locks:
Pieter-Steph du Toit
Eben Etzebeth
Juandre Kruger
Andries Bekker

Loose forwards:
Francois Louw
Willem Alberts
Marcell Coetzee
Duane Vermeulen
Ryan Kankowski

Scrum halves:
Francois Hougaard
Jano Vermaak
Ruan Pienaar

Fly-halves:
Patrick Lambie
Johan Goosen

Wingers:
JP Pietersen
Gio Aplon
Lwazi Mvovo

Centers:
Paul Jordaan
Robert Ebersohn
Jaque Fourie
Jan Serfontein

Full-back:
Jaco Taute
Willie le Roux


Other players who might be close by the time the World Cup starts: Marnus Schoeman, Arno Botha, Wiaan Liebenberg, Raymond Rhule, Juan de Jongh, Louis Ludik and Marcel van der Merwe

You're probably more or less spot on with regards to who Meyer will pick but I would love to see:
Kitsoff and Malherbe are getting better and better, possibly better options than the incumbents? To early to tell.

Kyle Cooper over Chilliboy?
Arno Botha or Cornell du Preez over Kanko (but don't forget spies no doubt he'll be picked)
We need a lock instead of Bekker as it looks like he won't be eligible. (I read somewhere that Meyer can't/won't pick Japan based players)
Also I'd love to see one of the new kids at scum-half in the mix, Van Zyl, Reinach or Groom depending on performance.

Fly-halves? Seems unlikely Jantjies will ever get over his confidence/inconsistency problem, Goosen seems to be made of glass so I don't rate his chances so that leaves...
Lambie obviously probably Morne sadly, maybe even Catrakilis? He has the Springbok attributes i.e. a decent distributor and a good kicker (out of hand and off-the tee)
I'd love to see Rhule in the mix on the wing and perhaps even Sergreal, who seems to have a fairly complete skill set if he can keep it up.
Centre's? Fourie won't be eligible if he stays in Japan and the youngsters (Jordaan, Ebersohn and Serfontein) still need to prove themselves a bit so it's a bit of a worry but thankfully NZ and Aus will have similar worries and fullback really should be Ludik, but will probably still be Zane, especially if he keeps up his irritating habit of playing just well enough when he puts on a bok Jersey, Steyn is still young enough and talented to come right, and has plenty of WC experience at this point.

I don't know anything could happen, and no doubt injury will be a factor, still fun to speculate though .