Official Top 10 Players Of '07

[DNAPlay]

Here was a story that came through the wires yesterday. I think it's going to create quite a lively debate, which is always fun.



Enjoy!





Five of the 10 best rugby players in the world are South Africans -
and Victor Matfield pips Argentinian Juan Martín Hernández and
compatriot Bryan Habana, who was voted the IRB's Player of the Year in
2007.
Matfield is the best, according to the influential French sporting
paper Midi Olympique, who in 2006 rated Dan Cater of the All Blacks the
best and before him awarded the ***le as the world's best to Schalk
Burger (2004) and All Black captain Richie McCaw (2005).
Matfield was voted the Player of the Match in the World Cup final in
France, which the Springboks won against England.


Midi Olympique's poll was decided by 11 journalists, of whom 56 were
from France with the remaining 55 from other countries. He will receive
his reward on Thursday.
Springbok scrumhalf Fourie du Preez (fourth), inside centre Francois
Steyn (eighth) and flanker Juan Smith (ninth) were the other South
Africans in the top 10.
The list also includes two New Zealanders, of whom McCaw (No 7) is
one and prop Carl Hayman the other. McCaw is the only previous winner
of the award in the top 10.
English strongman prop Andrew Sheridan is 10th on the list and the
Argentine captain Agustin and scrumhalf Pichot is sixth.


Midi Olympique's Top 10 rugby players for 2007 are:
1. Victor Matfield (South Africa - 754 points)
2. Juan Martin Hernández (Argentina - 751 points)
3. Bryan Habana (South Africa - 745 points)
4. Fourie du Preez (South Africa - 522 points)
5. Carl Hayman (New Zealand - 284 points)
6. Agustín Pichot (Argentina - 251 points)
7. Richie McCaw (New Zealand - 223 points)
8. François Steyn (South Africa - 172 points)
9. Juan Smith (South Africa - 168 points)
10. Andrew Sheridan (England - 165 points)

 

[Incredible Schalk]

What the hell, Juan Smith is only 9th. One of the best players in the world cup, why is Burger not there either

 

[melon]

What the hell, Juan Smith is only 9th. One of the best players in the world cup, why is Burger not there either [/b]

Burger isn't there because he is a dirty, filthy, cheating, blonde haired pain in the arse (ass if you're american and insist on calling one's behind a kind of donkey/mule)..

 

[Dmx#1]

<div class='quotemain'> What the hell, Juan Smith is only 9th. One of the best players in the world cup, why is Burger not there either [/b]

Burger isn't there because he is a dirty, filthy, cheating, blonde haired pain in the arse (ass if you're american and insist on calling one's behind a kind of donkey/mule)..
[/b][/quote]

Maybe Burger is in the top 10 dirtiest players of all time.

 

[Dddooommm123]

i rekon george smith shoulda been in there somewere he had a great season, otherwise i think its quiet good

 

[Incredible Schalk]

<div class='quotemain'> What the hell, Juan Smith is only 9th. One of the best players in the world cup, why is Burger not there either [/b]

Burger isn't there because he is a dirty, filthy, cheating, blonde haired pain in the arse (ass if you're american and insist on calling one's behind a kind of donkey/mule)..
[/b][/quote]


In the position he plays he has to get stuck in, not all his tackles are perfect but he doesnt get into many mindless scuffles like many other flankers.

<div class='quotemain'> <div class='quotemain'> What the hell, Juan Smith is only 9th. One of the best players in the world cup, why is Burger not there either [/b]

Burger isn't there because he is a dirty, filthy, cheating, blonde haired pain in the arse (ass if you're american and insist on calling one's behind a kind of donkey/mule)..
[/b][/quote]

Maybe Burger is in the top 10 dirtiest players of all time.
[/b][/quote]


I might take this more seriously if it wasnt written by a Kiwi

 

[Air4life]

These Burger rants are seriously getting boring.



That list... :huh:

 

[stormmaster1]

personally i think most of those players should be in there, but i'd disagree with pichot as i don't think he's been his best as a scrum half, and i think either burger or collins or both should be in there.

 

[Wynand]

What about Bakkies and SchalcK??? :%#%#:

 

[Ash/blubber]

That seems a good list to me actually

 

[speedysalmon]

I think Sheriden should be higher up

 

[nick_w]

i reckon du preez should have gone third ahead of Habana just for the impact he has on games.

 

[Kyle Broflowsky]

This ranking sounds fine to me.

 

[kauka187]

sheridan is mud, whys he there?

 

[fiji rugger]

list looks too biased... just because SAF won the WC. some other great players from the WC shud be there too.. eg. Akapusi Qera of Fiji and Dan Carter

 

[nosferatu]

list looks too biased... just because SAF won the WC. some other great players from the WC shud be there too.. eg. Akapusi Qera of Fiji and Dan Carter [/b]

With the risk of incurring some kiwi wrath, what about Dan Carter?
He had a distinctly average Super14 (I know, wrapped in cotton wool for half of it, but still..), a poor 3N (by his own standards..or what the rest of the world expects from him) and a forgettable World Cup.
This is a '07, not a memory lane, top10.

 

[P0IS0N]

Not a bad list, but IMO, Tincu should be there. And why no french players?

 

[nosferatu]

Maybe, after seeing (twice) their favorites defeated by Argentina, the Midi Olympique journalists were a bit overzealous in their critiques.
Thierry Dusautoir should be in there, I reckon.

 

[Nidhogg]

I must say it's great to see Victor Matfield score one for us 2nd rowers. The man is a great player. People always tend to go for the more populair backs, but it's good to see a 50/50 distribution of players.

A point of critique though: some of the positions are very differen from each other, so trying to rate them on 1 objective scale is very very hard.