Team of the Tournament

[Feicarsinn]

Out of interest, and apologies for derailing thread, how has Sexto faired in the opinions of neutrals? While I think he's been fine, I still don't think he's anywhere near the player he is for Ireland that he is for Leinster for whatever reason

Obviously the Kidney hate doesn't help.

 

[SelimNiai]

For me it's seemed like Sexton is starting because ROG is getting on a bit and maybe can't manage 80 mins or that the other possibles are either not good enough yet or deemed by Kidney et al not to be ready.

 

[JW.]

Out of interest, and apologies for derailing thread, how has Sexto faired in the opinions of neutrals? While I think he's been fine, I still don't think he's anywhere near the player he is for Ireland that he is for Leinster for whatever reason

Obviously the Kidney hate doesn't help.

He plays well when Ireland play well and Ireland play well when he does. Ireland haven't played very well these 6nations so neither has he imo.

Last I remember him playing like his leinster self is last year when Ireland beat England in the 6nations. Arguably the last time Ireland played great? Not counting the game vs. Australia.

 

[scarlets-fan]

1. Jenkins
2. Best
3. Jones
4. Gray
5. Evans
6. Lydiate
7. Rennie
8. Morgan
9. Dickson
10. Farrell (The only 10 who had a good tournament)
11. Bowe
12. Fofana (Purely for his tries, haven't seen enough of him yet to judge properly)
13. Davies
14. Cuthbert
15. Halfpenny (Man of the Tournament)

16. Owens (Great prospect for Wales)
17. Cole
18. R Jones
19. Denton
20. Parra (There was no other half back that stood out, so he's in cos he does both)
21. Roberts
22. Kearney (Was awesome, but Leigh was my man of the tournament)


Amazingly I honestly don't think North deserves to be in the team of the tournament, he's had a great tournament but Bowe and Cuthbert have just been better.

 

[bushytop]

Out of interest, and apologies for derailing thread, how has Sexto faired in the opinions of neutrals? While I think he's been fine, I still don't think he's anywhere near the player he is for Ireland that he is for Leinster for whatever reason


Obviously the Kidney hate doesn't help.

Has always seemed very inconsistant to me... have seen him look as good as any 10 in NH but more often seen him unable to control a game and dissappear.

Ireland played territorial rugby for so long that I think the transition to a more complete game has been difficult and Sexton is the young guy put in to marshall this change... think Farrell and Priestland (even with his poor games against England and Italy) were better in the 10 jersey this 6N.

 

[welshglory]

Personally i think Sexton has been overrated by most Irish fans

 

[Jockstap]

Personally i think Sexton has been overrated by most Irish fans

I don't know about that, I think anybody who watches the HC would say he's easily the best 10 in Europe. Greenwood went so far as to say he was up there with Carter on the basis of those performances. Sexton is being asked to play a game he's not suited to with Ireland, it's as simple as that.

 

[welshglory]

Yea hes great in the HC obviously. But don't people always say you're judged on your international performances.

And being great in Europe doesn't really say a lot these days with the competition he's got

 

[bushytop]

Yea hes great in the HC obviously. But don't people always say you're judged on your international performances.

Apart from Irish people these days

 

[Saintjay]

I don't know about that, I think anybody who watches the HC would say he's easily the best 10 in Europe. Greenwood went so far as to say he was up there with Carter on the basis of those performances. Sexton is being asked to play a game he's not suited to with Ireland, it's as simple as that.

I have had this arguement before. If you can only fit one style of play, and you can't adapt your game to what is going on field. Would that still mark you out as a great. In my opinion I would say no. The great players would play well, and to some degree shine and show class who ever they play for. Not playing well because it's not like Leinster is not a reasonable excuse in my opinion. I do think he is very good I might add but untill he can step up at international level you could not put him in the same league as Dan Cater.

 

[Teh Mite]

Yea hes great in the HC obviously. But don't people always say you're judged on your international performances.

And being great in Europe doesn't really say a lot these days with the competition he's got

Lol, wut?

 

[welshglory]

Priestland, Trinh-Duc/Beauxius, Laidlaw, Farrell. Wouldn't say any of them are world class.

 

[Teh Mite]

:lol:

Righto.

 

[j'nuh]

He's right though, there have been moments when some NH flyhalves have shown class performances, but no 10 in the NH has sustained world-class form for more than half a year really. There's a lot of potential up here, but nothing that would come close to challenging for the best 10 in the world...

 

[Zed]

He's right though, there have been moments when some NH flyhalves have shown class performances, but no 10 in the NH has sustained world-class form for more than half a year really. There's a lot of potential up here, but nothing that would come close to challenging for the best 10 in the world...

But then you compare Farrell to Quade Cooper. QC at his best is far better than Farrell, especially in attack, he makes breaks & half-breaks that Farrell can't. But at his worst he's terrible. Farrell might not set the world on fire with his attacking ability, but his reliability & consistency put him ahead of QC as far as 10s go. World class doesn't necessarily have to mean scintillating 50m breaks, doing the simple things right 99.9% of the time, in my mind, makes you world class.

 

[Teh Mite]

Remove Carter from the equasion and suddenly this mythical high standard arguement is pretty weak. Fly Halves have always een the most over-rated players on the pitch.

DC is exceptional. The rest are merely 'good'.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Yea hes great in the HC obviously. But don't people always say you're judged on your international performances.

And being great in Europe doesn't really say a lot these days with the competition he's got

Different sport I know but Lionel Messi is now being dubbed by most "experts" as the best player ever, despite the fact that he has never performed for Argentina. With the way rugby is at the moment in Europe where Leinster would beat Ireland and Luster and Muster would run them close, Northampton at their best would beat England and Toulouse and Clermont would beat France, the huge step up to international rugby isn't really a step up at all anymore.

 

[psychic duck]

Remove Carter from the equasion and suddenly this mythical high standard arguement is pretty weak. Fly Halves have always een the most over-rated players on the pitch.

DC is exceptional. The rest are merely 'good'.

I agree 100% with this, it is very rare for a player to be so good at both at playmaking and kicking, in history it is very rare for a fly half to be world class at both

Carter - kicker and playmaker (and the best in the world at both)

Steyn - kicker
Cooper - playmaker
Farrell - kicker
O'Gara - kicker
Priestland - playmaker
Trinh-Duc - playmaker

and going further back

Wilkinson - kicker
Mehrtens - kicker
Spencer - playmaker
Larkham - playmaker

 

[GarethEWilliams]

Ahhhh Carlos Spencer, my one man crush if I ever had one!

 

[Tadginator]

we should stop humouring BG8 by replying to him. if we just ignore him for long enough he'll go away