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Fastest Player

Who is Fastest??

  • Total voters
    130
Draggs said:
Speed isn't everything.
I'd take hundreds of wingers ahead of Ngwenya.

We all know Will Harries is the fastest, but they legally can't time him, as he'd take Bolt's medals.
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Agreed. Shane Horgan for example was as slow as a potato, yet had good longish successful international career. I would imagine most would take him above Ngwenya as well. You do tend to need a certain amount of speed though to play wing, a player like Horgan is nearing the limit how slow they can be.
 
Aye, correct.
I always consider 20m and 40m more crucial for a wing. How often will they have to run the full length?
Shane Williams was not great top end, and people liked to make a big deal over it. I consider agility and acceleration more important traits than all out paaaaaace.
 
Draggs said:
Aye, correct.
I always consider 20m and 40m more crucial for a wing. How often will they have to run the full length?
Shane Williams was not great top end, and people liked to make a big deal over it. I consider agility and acceleration more important traits than all out paaaaaace.
Click to expand...

And being an intelligent rugby player is important for a winger, for example Tom James is undoubtedly Wales' fastest winger over a flat race, but possesses no real other qualities (such as positioning, support play, finishing and a few others in his case) of a world class winger.
 
Draggs said:
Aye, correct.
I always consider 20m and 40m more crucial for a wing. How often will they have to run the full length?
Shane Williams was not great top end, and people liked to make a big deal over it. I consider agility and acceleration more important traits than all out paaaaaace.
Click to expand...

I'd agree. Over the crucial first 5 - 10 meters Williams was lightening quick. Not only that, he could change direction in an instant.
 
psychic duck said:
And being an intelligent rugby player is important for a winger, for example Tom James is undoubtedly Wales' fastest winger over a flat race, but possesses no real other qualities (such as positioning, support play, finishing and a few others in his case) of a world class winger.
Click to expand...

I have heard that Prydie, Cuthbert, and Kristian Phillips are all amongst the quickest. North does 100m in around 11s last I heard and had unofficial 40m times around four and a half seconds. (Which is great if you want to run into contract...) Martyn Thomas was incredibly quick before his injuries, and I have seen Halfpenny open it up at training, and even while injured he looked quick.

@Profitius, yep, bugger top end, he will just step away. His try v SA second test 2008 was one of the best I have ever seen. I think four Springboks were done in by him. The closest to him was Adi Jacobs, the legend.
 
Did someone mention Shaggy? I guess that'd explain the erection I've been sporting for the last hour.
 
psychic duck said:
Right. I think we can finally put this debate to bed now.

Carlin Isles of the USA Sevens team has officially (not some dodgy made up recollection of somebody who can apparently ran 10.5 at school or something) run a personal best of 10.24 seconds for the 100 metres, and also run 10.13 wind assisted.

Source:
http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/united-states/carlin-isles#personal-bests
http://www.all-athletics.com/node/87998
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Aswesome find. The Eagles seem to get quite a few very quick guys - wasn't long ago when they tried to get Dallas Robinson (who I think would have been quickest had he taken the field). Does Carlin Isles have any real XV's ambitions?

Apparently he can jump over cars too...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya66b6fwJ2k
 
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It's kind of depressing to realize that Isles is about a week and a half younger than me. Glad he's on the Eagles though.
 
psychic duck said:
If he was running those 100m times, he would be in the GB Olympic team and in the top 3 fastest in Britain. So I think it is highly unlikely and quite frankly rubbish.
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Yup there aren't any top flight rugby players capable of doing sub 10.5s. To get low 10s high 9s requires years of specific training. Most quick guys like Habana are doing high 10s. And a lot of these quick times being bandied about are hand timed and hand timing is wildly inaccurate. Vardnell supposedly did a 10.8 on grass in his socks... As for Ngwenya, well he's fast, but he scored that try against Habana with beautiful footwork, he wrong footed him, it wasn't a case of him simply beating him for pace.


Edit just read the post about Carlin Isles - when I said top flight I meant Premiership, Super 15, International rugby with a top 10 country etc There are a number of ex sprinters playing union & league but not top flight.
 
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The USA 7s team supposedly have a young lad who's quicker than Ngwenya. Carl someone, I think, or something like that. He looked pretty rapid.
 
A try by Carlin Isles at the Dubai Sevens

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6YjLHadGoFk#t=1011" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
 

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