Maro Itoje - the greatest rugby player of all time, is he there already?

[Slamdunk]

Dont get me wrong, and to add context, im Welsh, but is he even half as good as the media have trumpeted since Saturdays game? If he is half as good as the media have suggested then he is already the best NH second-row ever, with the rest to come.

Myself, from an interested point of view saw this.......

He had a decent debut and made a lot of tackles. I saw nothing by way of handling skills to compare him to Barry John, aggression to compare him to Martin Johnson or pace to compare him to Bryan Habana. He looks good, he really does, but is he already great.

What happened to Courtney Lawes? Hyped to be the next big thing (until Itoje rudely intervened) and the most agressive player in the history of world sport, he coughed up the ball to Scott Williams in Wales GRand Slam win at Twickenham and seems to have stagnated. Chris Ashton was the new wonder of the wing until he realised he was not very good and god forbid Sam Burgess was paid a fortune to come into rugby union, fail, take the **** and a lot of money before shrinking back to League.

A pattern emerges here dont you think?

In just over a week or so, Itoje is possibly up against another phenomenal tackler Luke Charteris - who holds the 6N tackle record in an effort with backs to the wall rather than in an ascending forward battle. The other one is a bloke called Alun Wyn Jones who some might rate as the best lock in the NH in terms of all-round ability. Now it might be that Itoje plays and has a blinder but again, he might see the game pass him by, we dont know.

One things for sure, the English media will throw him out as quickly as they gathered him in.

Because of long standing regional bias, quite often the Welsh media will pull a player down simply because he plays in the wrong region. We had a truly cracking player in Gavin Henson (who i believe would still be better than Jamie Roberts at 12) and he was pilloried in our media. In Wales we tend to big the team up too much but the players dont get anything like the stupid, plain stupid billboard treatment they get in England.

good luck Itoje, youre going to need it, because they will have forgotten you by April if England lose.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Er why would you want to compare him to Barry John or Habana? He is not a Flyhalf or winger... Itoje is only 21, the Wales game won't break him if it goes badly. Ultimately the media big these players up because we don't have any talismans. The England team of 2003 was full of them, Johnson being up there as one of the iconic players of the sport at the time. We haven't had a similar player for a long time.

 

[Thingimubob]

Itoje is being ridiculously hyped up at the moment, so do see where Slamdunk is coming from, even if the wording isn't quite there since he's never gonna be compared to Barry John or Habana!

He's not there yet by any stretch of the imagination - not many players are after only their first start at the top level! His potential is huge though, and he has a very good chance of making the Lions tour in 2017. All depends on how he fares over the next two games, the tour to Australia, AI's and 2017 6 Nations. He's got stiff competition though in AW Jones, the very on form Charteris, the Gray brothers, Kruis, Launchbury and Iain Henderson etc.

 

[Slamdunk]

.

 

[The Coach]

Maro Itoje - not herd of him at all

 

[Slamdunk]

Er why would you want to compare him to Barry John or Habana? He is not a Flyhalf or winger... Itoje is only 21, the Wales game won't break him if it goes badly. Ultimately the media big these players up because we don't have any talismans. The England team of 2003 was full of them, Johnson being up there as one of the iconic players of the sport at the time. We haven't had a similar player for a long time.

handling skills, aggression, pace.....i used the examples as a bit of a laugh. Its not the player im having a pop at here its the media. If the Wales game doesnt go well it wont break him, but the media will find another darling in defeat.

to be frank though, i fully expect Wales to get turned over at Twickenham and despite the improvements to England i think it will be more of a case of our sabotaging ourselves. We appear under orders not to do anything even remotely resembling taking a risk, anywhere, ever. Our backs line up deep because its easier to scramble a defence. We are playing rugby with one eye on the next defensive set-up - even when we have the ball.
Do we have the players to win, id say so, for sure. In the pack we will have at least five lions including, in Falatau possibly the most gifted forward in NH rugby. We will line up with probably 5 Lions in the backs too. Not only experience and talent but its also a very young side. At Twickenham last September Wales and England had equally the lowest average age teams in the competition. We are not an ageing creaking side, we are talented, enormously physical, fit and experienced but we are under orders not to take risks.
We will play into Englands hands because, even if England give away ( i think they will under pressure ) penalties, we will never pull away. For all our much vaunted defence we have conceded more tries and points than England, we leak tries late on too.
There is something drastically wrong with our rugby and i think we need a new hand on the wheel. I think Itoje will get his day in the sun after all.

 

[Thingimubob]

Yeah does seem that Gatland saying that we want to play more expansive is a load of rubbish. Jon Davies kicked the ball so many times against France... obviously it worked for North's try, but by that point it was bloody frustrating to watch.

I'm hoping Charteris is fit for the game anyway, he'll go a long way to stopping any English driving mauls!

 

[Peat]

It's true the English media is a bit ridiculous and that the English game is littered with the corpses of those thrown to the wolves by being pushed early then abandoned.

Not sure it needed a thread, but it's a completely true point.

 

[McTallshort]

Everyone in the English media is looking for the next Carling/Johnson/Jonny etc etc. Itoje is good and playing well but he will have drops in form like most forwards who mostly peak at international level just before and just after 30.

 

[optimuswolf]

Dont get me wrong, and to add context, im Welsh, but is he even half as good as the media have trumpeted since Saturdays game? If he is half as good as the media have suggested then he is already the best NH second-row ever, with the rest to come.

Myself, from an interested point of view saw this.......

He had a decent debut and made a lot of tackles. I saw nothing by way of handling skills to compare him to Barry John, aggression to compare him to Martin Johnson or pace to compare him to Bryan Habana. He looks good, he really does, but is he already great.

What happened to Courtney Lawes? Hyped to be the next big thing (until Itoje rudely intervened) and the most agressive player in the history of world sport, he coughed up the ball to Scott Williams in Wales GRand Slam win at Twickenham and seems to have stagnated. Chris Ashton was the new wonder of the wing until he realised he was not very good and god forbid Sam Burgess was paid a fortune to come into rugby union, fail, take the **** and a lot of money before shrinking back to League.

A pattern emerges here dont you think?

In just over a week or so, Itoje is possibly up against another phenomenal tackler Luke Charteris - who holds the 6N tackle record in an effort with backs to the wall rather than in an ascending forward battle. The other one is a bloke called Alun Wyn Jones who some might rate as the best lock in the NH in terms of all-round ability. Now it might be that Itoje plays and has a blinder but again, he might see the game pass him by, we dont know.

One things for sure, the English media will throw him out as quickly as they gathered him in.

Because of long standing regional bias, quite often the Welsh media will pull a player down simply because he plays in the wrong region. We had a truly cracking player in Gavin Henson (who i believe would still be better than Jamie Roberts at 12) and he was pilloried in our media. In Wales we tend to big the team up too much but the players dont get anything like the stupid, plain stupid billboard treatment they get in England.

good luck Itoje, youre going to need it, because they will have forgotten you by April if England lose.

Can't wait to see itoje line up against Jones. AWJ is the best lock in the NH and if Maro can compete or outshine him we can get a little excited.

 

[Gavin]

Greatest rugby player of all time - Andy Goode.

Discussion over.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Greatest rugby player of all time - Andy Goode.

Discussion over.

When the Munster man forgets Garry Ringrose!

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Greatest rugby player of all time - Andy Goode.

Discussion over.

Andy or Alex?

 

[ncurd]

Andy or Alex?

Does it matter? I remember when Andy was the great white hope to replace Wilkinson.

 

[McTallshort]

Large white hope

 

[ratsapprentice]

Racist.

 

[psychic duck]

I remember at one point around 2004 the English media went hilariously crazy about Chris Jones.

 

[McTallshort]

Yeah Keith earles was meant to be the next bod, Gavin Henson the greatest player of all time and Richie Gray the new Doddie Wear.

 

[Maverick1987]

I remember at one point around 2004 the English media went hilariously crazy about Chris Jones.

Yeh but around 2004 we had **** all else to talk about . Things are looking good for Itoje . I can't remember seeing a player even resemble him at the same age . He's taken to test rugby like a duck to water . That's why he's been backed for big things . If just like to point out that Rats called this about 2 years ago .....

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

I also remember Danny Cipriani being the next big 10, although Andy Goode cannot be surpassed there, literally and metaphorically....