the unsung hero's of the super15

[Larksea]

Tribute to the players that do an awesome job every week but dont get the media attention some of their team mates or rivals in other teams do. I'm gonna do the NZ teams.

Crucaders:
George whitelock - Had an awesome season, makes a huge number of tackles and fronts up every week has a lite penalty count. Yet most of the attention has been directed towards Matt Todd on the other side of the scrum. I believe Whitelock has been just as impressive.

Cory Flynn - I'm not a big fan of flynn, but he is having a good season. And while he's injury free he will have a good chance of making the AB's squad.

Highlanders:
Kenny Lynn - While highlanders backs are dropping like flies around him I think Kenny has been on the park for all of every game and done a very good job.

Chris King - Solid performer with a Big workrate on defence while all the attention has gone to Jamie. Great team player.

Nasi Manu - highlanders wouldn't be where they are without picking this guy up and he's improved as the season has progressed. very young to he has a big future.

Hurricanes:
Jack Lam - Stats wise he is up the top of the list as far as opensides in NZ goe. Everyone is buzzing about Matt Todd but lam has been very impressive in a much weaker team.

Jason Eaton - Would only be considered little to no chance of making the AB's this year but he's toiled away and kept his nose clean. He performs very well in the lineout and has a very low error & penalty rate. If the AB selectors are looking for a rock solid lineout option as a backup lock for the world cup they wouldn't go wrong with Jason.

Chiefs:
Brendon Leonard - People simply dont rate his chances for ab selection yet he hasn't been outplayed by any of the NZ halfbacks in head to head clashes (even clearly outplaying some) and he is consistantly one of the chiefs best players. Chiefs have lost games and lost mommentum when he's been taken off the field. Does very well with poor quality ball. Has maybe the best box kick going, is a threat on attack and does a heap of work on defence.

Fritz Lee - the double openside setup the chiefs ran for a while mostly did ok. Mainly because Messam Did such an awesome high quality and quantity job at #8 but having Lee back in the picture to help Messam out in the battle for the advantage line on both attack and defence has been a huge boost for the chiefs.

Blues:
Luke Braid - I think he's done an awesome job filling in for his brother. he really carrys the ball well and gets through a lot of work. Lam wont be in a rush to get Daniel back. Luke has got 7 covered.

Joe Rokocoko - may not be making the impact on attack guys like Toeava & Ranger have but Joe is rock solid on defence and awesome with the crash ball. his height and physicality still see him as one of NZ's top wingers in my book. And he's still fast and young enough to do the job. I'd take him over Ranger for the AB's any day.

 

[d1e1m]

As a Crusaders fan, I'll debate the inclusion of Whitelock . In all seriousness, he's a very hard-working and solid flank but the reason I think most don't care for him is the lack of a rugby brain, especially apparent when he's playing next to Read and McCaw and now Todd. That and I still blame him for the loss to the Highlanders. Flynn has been very consistent in turning out good performances this year with him being injury-free, good to see him on a run. He's not as bulky as Mealamu but currently more well-liked than Hore.

Lynn has been constant for Landers but at best a solid player. Manu on the other hand, is someone I've been a big fan of, this guy always leaves everything on the field. Work rate is huge, puts in big hits and lots of turnovers. Has had a problem with butterfingers but overall, a top-quality player for me.

I've yet to see a Canes player impress me this season, which is very sad considering how much raw talent there is.

Fritz Lee is a beast of a man, all there is too say.

I would be putting Payne there over Roks, any time I've watched Blues, Payne has been their leader among the backs for me.

 

[Darwin]

Agree with most of the players you have list Larksea. I think George Whitelock is having a good season; I wouldn't go as far as to suggest he has been as impressive as Todd though. Whitelock's running game has been more impressive this season than in previous years, and I think blindside flanker is a position that really suits him.

Nasi Manu has improved as the season has gone on, but over the last few weeks he has started dropping off a lot of tackles again (as he did at the start of the season). Hopefully the bye next week will refresh him. Another Highlanders player I will mention is Josh Bekhuis, whose play has been so impressive he has kept Tom Donnelly out of the starting lineup. Hoeata has been equally as impressive, but the media seem to have caught onto his strong form in recent weeks, so he may not qualify for this list.

Craig Clarke has been a bit of an unsung hero for Chiefs in my opinion, as was Nathan White before he was injured. Peter Saili and Jarred Payne are the only other ones I would mention for the Blues. I've been particularly impressed with the way Saili has become far more consistent this year.

 

[Bossco]

Spot on with Joe.

 

[smartcooky]

While not a Highlanders fan, I would like to put in a word for Jared Hoeata. He has been awesome for the Highlanders this season, and made a real pest of himself at Nelson (from a Crusaders supporter's viewpoint).

 

[Larksea]

I dont think George whitelock lacks a rugby brain. He topped the tackle count in that massive stormers game and it takes more than work ethic to do that - you need to be in the right place at the right time to make the tackles. He's also been pretty good as a support player too.

Agree with Craig Clark And White, the latter in particular was critical for the chiefs over the first 5 rounds or so when both Ben's and Toby Smith were injured. No doubt the chiefs would be in the **** without Clarke.

Didn't List Payne because he actualy is getting a lot of attention. Rugby centre (I think?) had him in their NZ form 15 for super rugby not long ago - even above fruen who was hot at the time and when he decided to leave NZ rugby it caused quite a stir. And I think was a big factor in some of the comments Henry made about players going offshore because he just looks like a player who is certian to get a chance to play for the AB's if he stays in NZ.

Wasn't easy to pick two hurricanes, they are the worse of NZ right now considering the two points they got from the Crucaders game are two points they likely wouldn't have got if the game went ahead (crucaders would have likely got an extra 3 points from it). but I do think Lam and Eaton have been very good. Tialata has been improving as well also a big relief to see hore looking back near his best. They did beat the reds so they aren't pushovers.

 

[Larksea]

hoeata's brilliant. Hardly an unsung hero though, he's getting a lot of attention.
- People are calling for him to be in the AB's.
- He's been touted as the next Brad Thorn
- He's been keeping an All Black (Donnelly) out of the highlanders starting 15.

 

[Super Sub]

I don't think Payne is an unsung hero, everybody knows he's got game. I think for the Blues, Haiu was an unsung hero before he was diagnosed with bone cancer; as well as the ones already mentioned.

 

[nickdnz]

I think James Broadhurst is perhaps going a little unnoticed. He's been pretty good for the Canes (even though Victor Vito is the best lineout jumper for the Canes).

 

[Shaggy]

Matt Berquist has been a bit of an unsung hero in the Crusaders back line ... he's not Dan Carter, but he's done a good job in his absence

 

[smartcooky]

I dont think George whitelock lacks a rugby brain. He topped the tackle count in that massive stormers game and it takes more than work ethic to do that - you need to be in the right place at the right time to make the tackles. He's also been pretty good as a support player too.

George Whitelock is a hard grafting player who works very hard in the tight. IMO, he cops a similar sort of criticism to that which Reuben Thorne used to get from fans outside the Crusaders area.

Thorne would do the hard yards, the often unseen work in the forwards. Some used to criticise him for not being a "ball-carrying 6" but the truth is that the Crusaders tactics and game plans at that time didn't require him to be one. Thorne regularly topped the tackle count for teams he played for; and the blindside channel at scrum, ruck and maul was effectively closed and bolted whenever Canterbury, the Crusaders or the All Blacks had him wearing the number 6 jersey.

The term "Captain Invisible" was coined by some know-nothing idiot sports jocks like Doug Golightly, however, if you ask the PLAYERS who played against the Crusaders or the All Blacks, which player they most hated to play against; most would say it was Thorne.

Thorne was the ultimate "Unsung Hero" so his team-mates at the Crusaders,and Canterbury used to sing his name (to the tune of John Philip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever", more familiar as a chant used by soccer fans with the chorus sung to the words "Here We Go, Here we go, Here we go").

Sorry, I have gone off on a bit of a tangent here, but I see George Whitelock as a similar sort of player to Thorne; a lot more "rugby-smart" than a lot of people give him credit for.

 

[Amobokoboko]

Have to agree with Fritz Lee as well. awesome player.

 

[d1e1m]

George Whitelock is a hard grafting player who works very hard in the tight. IMO, he cops a similar sort of criticism to that which Reuben Thorne used to get from fans outside the Crusaders area.

Thorne would do the hard yards, the often unseen work in the forwards. Some used to criticise him for not being a "ball-carrying 6" but the truth is that the Crusaders tactics and game plans at that time didn't require him to be one. Thorne regularly topped the tackle count for teams he played for; and the blindside channel at scrum, ruck and maul was effectively closed and bolted whenever Canterbury, the Crusaders or the All Blacks had him wearing the number 6 jersey.

The term "Captain Invisible" was coined by some know-nothing idiot sports jocks like Doug Golightly, however, if you ask the PLAYERS who played against the Crusaders or the All Blacks, which player they most hated to play against; most would say it was Thorne.

Thorne was the ultimate "Unsung Hero" so his team-mates at the Crusaders,and Canterbury used to sing his name (to the tune of John Philip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever", more familiar as a chant used by soccer fans with the chorus sung to the words "Here We Go, Here we go, Here we go").

Sorry, I have gone off on a bit of a tangent here, but I see George Whitelock as a similar sort of player to Thorne; a lot more "rugby-smart" than a lot of people give him credit for.

I'm not saying George is an idiot, his defensive positioning is very good and yes his tackle rate is also top but he does get pinged for stupid penalties quite a bit when things aren't going his way. For me, you don't get the sense that George has a certain area "closed and bolted" as you say but that he's going to do his job in a solid manner. I loved watching Thorne myself cause you're right, you'd get the sense that no one is getting past him.