Team of Week 1

[Peat]

Someone had to do it. After some consideration...

1. Corbierso
2. Best
3. Hmm... Castro I guess
4. Pape
5. Evans
6. Jones
7. Tipuric
8. Denton

9. Phillips
10. Trin-Duc
11. North
12. Fonfana
13. Davies
14. Halfpenny
15. Kearney

Ghiraldini, Rougerie, and most of the no 8s and left wing unlucky not to be named here.

 

[jaunard06]

12. Fonfana => Fofana
10. Trin-Duc => Trinh-Duc


I know it's not easy for anybody...BTW Trinh-Duc in that team.....:huh:

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

No O'Connell I thought he was immense yesterday.

 

[RedCard]

Player of the First Round - George North

 

[Dicey]

Have to agree with Mr. North ( maybe slightly biased).
Watched the game again and the guy is a bulldozer . Not seen a display like that since a certain Mrlomu was on the scene. And to think he is only 19 !
The French centre ( Fonfana ? ) also impressed me

 

[ZeFrenchy]

1. Lo Cicero
2. Best
3. Jones
4. O'Connell
5. Papé
6. Dusautoir
7. Warburton
8. Parisse*
9. Murray
10. Priestland
11. Malzieu
12. Fofana
13. Davies
14. North
15. Halfpenny/Foden (saved three tries, deserves a mention)


*: There seems to be a rule by which you're not allowed to suggest there's anyone even close to Parisse

 

[beerholder]

don't think you're biased, North was a tank. It's by far the best display from one player in this round.

 

[munstermuffin]

ZeFrench the only thing I'll say is that is a fair team except Priestland had a nightmare and was probably 4th best 10 of weekend if not 5th and Warburton for 1 half was ok but his replacement outplayed him

 

[TRF_Olyy]

The Italian fullback (whose name has completely slipped my mind!) impressed me. Probably not better than halfpenny/foden, but worth a mention.

 

[Olliekooga]

Hmmm no POC or Malzieu and I thought Yaschvilli wasnt bad either and Ian Evans carried well too. Interesting to see next round of selection for Messrs Gatland and Robinson.

 

[jaunard06]

1. Lo Cicero
2. Servat
3. Jones
4. Pape
5. O'Connell
6. Dusautoir
7. O'Brien
8. Picamoles
9. Philips
10. Sexton
11. Malzieu
12. Fofana
13. Davies
14. North
15. Foden

 

[Olliekooga]

worst is interesting imho:

1. Gill - penalty count
2. Bennett - lineout= pants
3. ?
4. Davies - how is that ever yellow?
5. Hamilton - Conspicuous by absence normally good
6. Rennie (i know he's not a 6) - single handedly butchering at least 1 gilt edged chance
7. O'Brien - never got into game + penalty count
8. Dowson - cant catch + cant pass = cant play
9. Phillips - stop running laterally beforeyou pass (i know this is controversial)
10. Parks - Never seen him have agood game for Scotland laidlaw much better
11. Venditi - man up and tackle
12. Roberts - obviously carrying knee injury
13. Mc Fadden - ex westlife star Bryan McFadden would have made a better tackle on North
14. Ashton - was he playing?
15. Halfpenny - redeemed himself with the boot but at 15 was consistently 2nd to Kearney in the air.

some controversial choices in there perhaps especially at 9 but he was never man of the match North played a blinder and was far better

 

[TRF_Olyy]

6. Rennie (i know he's not a 6) - single handedly butchering at least 1 gilt edged chance
15. Halfpenny - redeemed himself with the boot but at 15 was consistently 2nd to Kearney in the air.

These two stick out the most to me!

Rennie had a bloody good game - yes he fluffed one oppurtunity but the rest of his game was cracking. He was easily the 2nd best back row on the pitch (behind Denton).

Halfpenny had a good game. You're basically saying he was the worst 15 of the weekend because Kearney is taller than him.

 

[Peat]

12. Fonfana => Fofana
10. Trin-Duc => Trinh-Duc


I know it's not easy for anybody...BTW Trinh-Duc in that team.....:huh:

Thanks - was typing it in a rush. Will hopefully remember next time.

I don't think Trinh-Duc was great, I just think he was better than every other 10. Hodgson did ok, the Italian and Scottish 10s were omg bad, Priestland missed too many kicks and kicked a little aimlessly - while Sexton should never have gone for that penalty, missed a couple he should have got and generally didn't control the game for me.

Lots of people mention Malzieu - if I didn't want to stick to left wings on the left I'd have picked him, very good but North was the player of the round. McLean would have been ahead of Halfpenny as well if just selecting wings as wings.

 

[Aedaphon]

Thanks - was typing it in a rush. Will hopefully remember next time.

I don't think Trinh-Duc was great, I just think he was better than every other 10. Hodgson did ok, the Italian and Scottish 10s were omg bad, Priestland missed too many kicks and kicked a little aimlessly - while Sexton should never have gone for that penalty, missed a couple he should have got and generally didn't control the game for me.

I'd agree that Trinh-Duc didn't have as many obvious flaws to his game as Parks/Priestland/Burton and even Sexton, but don't forget he doesn't actually have any goal kicking duties! I think with ball in hand Priestland was probably the best fly-half but, as you said, his kicking game was a little aimless.

That said, it's a lot harder to play a good kicking game against Rob Kearney than against Masi (who had a pretty solid game actually)

 

[Toby Faletau-Jones]

1. Gill (Wales' replacement for melonhead)
2. Best
3. A.Jones
4. Bradley Davies (apart from his dangerous tackle, very good solid game)
5. P. O'connoll ( reliable as ever)
6. Ryan Jones
7. Noone stood out for me
8. Pick-a-hole picamoles / Denton (World class number 8's)
9. Mike Phillips (Best scrum-half in the world)
10. Rhys Preistland/ Jonathan Sexton (The two future lions fly-halfs)
11. George North
12. Fofana
13. J.Davies
14. Julien Malzieu
15. Rob Kearney (Will be lions fullback)

The bottom line...England, and Scotland are pathetic teams. Lions should be Welsh Irish lions.

 

[munstermuffin]

1. Lo Ciero
2. Best
3. Jones
4. Pape
5. O'Connell
6. Dusautoir
7. Tipuric
8. I was impressed by Fatelau
9. Murray (Simply because rest weren't great)
10. Trinh-Duc
11. North
12. Fofana
13. Davies
14. and 15. Between Kearney, Foden and Halfpenny I think all 3 were superb

 

[big ginger 8]

1. Lo Cicero (think Healy deserves a mention)
2. Best (Szarzewski was good when he came on)
3. Catrogiovanni
4. Pape
5. O'Connell
6. Dusautoir
7. Warburton/Tipuric (SO'B wasn't as bad as many have said he was)
8. Heaslip
9. Philips
10. Priestland
11. Malzieu
12. Fofana
13. Davies
14. North (him and Malzieu have to be in it)
15. Kearney (wasn't as impressed with Foden and Halfpenny as many seem to have been)

 

[j'nuh]

Not getting all the love for Phillips. He's as slow at distributing from rucks as he's ever been. Sure he can sometimes use his weight to gain a couple of meters over the gainline, but there are 8 other forwards already on the pitch to do this - there's no need for a back row 9. Gori was the best out of a bad bunch of 9s.

Corbisiero is the only Englishman to get into the XV imo. Somehow we managed to dominate a pack much heavier than ours in the scrum, and a lot of this pressure came from Corbs. Foden was pretty good too, showed flashes but didn't really have the support/good players around him. Now we just need to sort out 2-14...

 

[Me 1]

1. Lo Cicero
2. Ghiraldini (for his work in the loose)
3. Jones
4. Botha
5. O'Connell
6. Denton (Gotta get him in somwhere)
7. Tipuric
8. Picamoles
9. Phillips
10. Priestland (Just don't give him the kicking duties!)
11. Malzieu
12. Fofana
13. Davies
14. North
15. Halfpenny

16. Best
17. Healy (Although if we get an injury at tightead we are f*cked)
18. Gray
19. Jones (How the Hell has Parisse not made the team:huh: Edit: Or Dusautoir:huh
20. Yachvili
21. Botes (Really impressed me when he came on)
22. Kearney