Harshest omission

[AfakasiAssasin]

James Johnston is an unlucky boy. Looked very good for Quins at the end of last season.

Yes very unlucky indeed. For them to choose Logovi'i Mulipola , a guy who is clubless and hasnt been all that impressive over James Johnston my only explanation could be because James cant cover the Loose head side and we have Anthony Perenise and Cenucus Johnston to cover the tighthead side. Otherwise politics could be the play which would be a shame.

 

[Siva Tau]

Brenton Helleur & James Johnston - Samoa

Gear/Sivivatu - All Blacks

Giteau - Wallabies

 

[Ripper]

I feel bad for Hosea Gear and Sivivatu. Id hate to lose my spot to an over rated hack in SBW.

Great Post!!!!11

Except for the fact, you know, SBW had nothing to do with Gear and Sivivatu's non-selection, unless your now saying that Sivivatu is now an inside centre?

 

[ranger]

1)Wyatt Crockett
2)Hika Elliot
3)James Johnston
4)Sitaleki Timani
5)Josh Bekhuis
6)Liam Messam
7)Martyn Williams
8)Johnnie Beattie
9)Dwayne Peel
10)Matt Giteau
11)Hosea Gear
12)Riki Flutey
13)Yannick Jauzion
14)Lwazi Mvovo
15)Clement Poitrenaud

16)Semisi Telefoni
17)Graham Dewes
18)Ifremi Rawaqa
19)Gareth Delve
20)Agustin Figuerola
21)Bryce Robbins
22)Sitiveni Sivivatu

23)Andres Bordoy
24)Sylvain Marconnet
25)Sebastian Chabal
26)Jean Deysel
27)Peter Stringer
28)Fa'atonu Fili
29)Luke Fitzgerald
30)Charlie Sharples

That squad would give any other team a good run for their money i imagine. In an ideal world if Fiji gets thrown out of the cup at the 11th hour they could throw in the rejects team in their place

 

[M Two One]

I'm not going by harshest by any means, but I think it was a poor decision to leave out Zachary Test from the Eagles squad.

 

[saderista]

Wyatt Crockett, the guy had a hell of a workload during the Superugby and then went straight into the ABs without the rest afforded the likes of Afoa, he played bloody well in all games for the ABs while Afoa had an armchair ride. Afoa then gets in on the back of 1 game against the Boks where he spent most of his time going backwards in the scrum.
I feel for Crockett and is surely the harshest ommision for the ABs.

 

[braveblossom]

Wyatt Crockett, the guy had a hell of a workload during the Superugby and then went straight into the ABs without the rest afforded the likes of Afoa, he played bloody well in all games for the ABs while Afoa had an armchair ride. Afoa then gets in on the back of 1 game against the Boks where he spent most of his time going backwards in the scrum.
I feel for Crockett and is surely the harshest ommision for the ABs.

This is pretty much what I was thinking. Crockett is a moster around the fringes and just has a huge workload in general. He must be gutted, poor bugger.

 

[LPsoldier ZA]

Definately Wyatt Crockett in my eyes too...

 

[Steveskiez7]

Bjorn Basson seems to have been thrown in the scrap heap, not even in PdV's 12 man injury back up list. Pretty harsh as he has an x-factor and one of the best finishers in the game.

I think from the get-go Yannick Jauzion and Seb Chabal was pretty harsh, they're iconic players and would've given more to the French team than just on the paddock.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

[...]

That's not a bad squad at all, the winner of the WC should play that team (playing as a BaaBaas side)





Chabal being dropped was the most sensible decision that ML has made - he was a liability when on the pitch (watch his performances in the last 6N - poor at best), and only there because he's got long hair and a beard

 

[Riekert]

Bjorn Basson seems to have been thrown in the scrap heap, not even in PdV's 12 man injury back up list. Pretty harsh as he has an x-factor and one of the best finishers in the game.

I think from the get-go Yannick Jauzion and Seb Chabal was pretty harsh, they're iconic players and would've given more to the French team than just on the paddock.

Bjorn Basson, very good finisher but a bit weak on defence and PDV went for experience in odwa ndungane

 

[ranger]

That's not a bad squad at all, the winner of the WC should play that team (playing as a BaaBaas side)





Chabal being dropped was the most sensible decision that ML has made - he was a liability when on the pitch (watch his performances in the last 6N - poor at best), and only there because he's got long hair and a beard

Yeah i agree with him being dropped too, its just that from a spectator standpoint you love to see that beard in action haha. I would have loved to have seen Chabal rocking some Canadians and Japanese in the pool games. There aren't too many quality locks that missed out either

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Bjorn Basson seems to have been thrown in the scrap heap, not even in PdV's 12 man injury back up list. Pretty harsh as he has an x-factor and one of the best finishers in the game.

I think from the get-go Yannick Jauzion and Seb Chabal was pretty harsh, they're iconic players and would've given more to the French team than just on the paddock.

Basson's time will come. At this stage SA need wingers with great workrate and defense (and in Habana, Hougaard, Petersen and Ndungane we have that).Basson is still young and if/when SA start bringing their wings into the game more and affording them space and/or he gets his defense/workrate up he will be golden, I'm sure.

Dropping those iconic players like Chabal, Giteau etc if the timing is right is the right thing to do if they either don't perform or start causing trouble with team morale or dynamics. It's a team game after all and nothing undermines that more than one guy with a sense of entitlement. Not saying these players necessarily fit the bill as I don't know all the factors surrounding their exclusion but sometimes it's the right call. A tough call but the right one.

Definately Wyatt Crockett in my eyes too...

Agreed. By a mile the harshest omission. Ahead of Ben Franks at least if Afoa is allowed in on the back of versatility and Tony Woodcock on reputation.

 

[ranger]

Agreed. By a mile the harshest omission. Ahead of Ben Franks at least if Afoa is allowed in on the back of versatility and Tony Woodcock on reputation.

Its really his own fault for only covering loose head. Ben Franks is there for versitility and Afoa is in because its more important has specialist tighthead cover than specialist loose head. He has since said that he will spend the next few years trying to get his tighthead game up to speed so hopefully he will be the next Kees Meeuws in 2015

 

[Peat]

James Simpson-Daniel, Anthony Allen, and Chris Robshaw all metaphorically pee on their competition inside the England camp.

Maybe they literally pee'd on them. Not a lot else explains their omissions...

 

[formerlyfastwing]

Think it's more a case of why would England opt for an awful crash ball New Zealand league convert Hape instead think the harshest omission in the english squad is pretty much anyone who is a creative no.12...

This......I can't figure out England's approach to centre play. They seem to avoiding creative players like they were Ebola. The english centre play is boring and repetative.....perhaps the approach is to bore the oppisition to death....

 

[WhoDaresWin]

.
For Fiji
Graham Dewes, Ifereimi Rawaqa, Seru Rabeni and Timoci Nagusa.

Rawaqa has a dodgy knee while Rabeni is now a liability with his lazy swinging arm high tackles.

Both Dewes & Nagusa deserve the cut as both have been in **** form lately...

For NZ, personally I think dropping Sivivatu was a bit harsh as well as Crockett & Tom Donnelly.