World Player of the Year Nominees 2018

[Leonormous Boozer]

Beauden Barrett (New Zealand)
Faf de Klerk (South Africa)
Rieko Ioane (New Zealand)
Malcolm Marx (South Africa)
Johnny Sexton (Ireland)

Furlong and Murray probably have reason to be ****** off for not getting the nod from an Irish perspective, especially when a front row and a 9 from a less successful side did*.

Has to be Johnny for me, 9/10 for the relevant matches, 9/9 when he started, that drop goal, Wales, Argentina, England, SA and the two Aus tests he was pretty much flawless apart from a few missed kicks. It might restore my faith in the award to after BOD wuz ROBBED in 09!

The others are obviously all good options but SA we're pretty dismal last Autumn, which counts, and did lose two tests at home, while Reiko and Barrett didn't seem as vital to NZ as Johnny for Ireland.

*I know team success doesn't mean too much for an individual award but it's not like those two aren't integral to Ireland's success. No Furlong is just a bit baffling in all honesty.

 

[TRF_heineken]

I think Marx has a real shot at winning this one. From an individual performance, he's been one of the standouts for a long time, even when we struggled. His ball carrying skills as well as pilfering has been match winning performances.

 

[SomeOke]

Jonny or Rieko will win, the rest all have asterisk's next to their names. Probably Rieko, Kiwi's always win (not entirely unfairly).

 

[big ginger 8]

Justice for props.

Hopefully third times the charm for Sexton.

EDIT: Is it actually only second time for Sexton?

 

[Leinster Fan]

The non-prop (seriously no prop has ever been nominated it's a bit much - Furlong easily deserves it) Kiwi award of the year us back.

Can't see Barrett winning after his kicking troubles (although costing New Zealand the Lions series last year didn't stop him) so if I was a betting man I'd put my money on Ioane.

From an Irish POV I think Furlong would probably deserve it more than Sexton.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Justice for props.

Hopefully third times the charm for Sexton.

EDIT: Is it actually only second time for Sexton?

Just his second. He didn't get nominated last year which was a bit mad.

 

[Groundhog]

Of the nominees it has to be Sexton. He's won literally everything a Northern Hemisphere player could do last year and was the key man in both jerseys.

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

Of the nominees it has to be Sexton. He's won literally everything a Northern Hemisphere player could do last year and was the key man in both jerseys.

I agree it should be Sexton but they only take international achievement into account don't they? So Leinster successes will be irrelevant.

 

[Umaga's Witness]

The non-prop (seriously no prop has ever been nominated it's a bit much

And considering we're in the scrum penalty era props are probably the most important players on the field.

 

[Umaga's Witness]

BOD wuz ROBBED in 09!

Fourie Du Preez should have won that year.

 

[Groundhog]

I agree it should be Sexton but they only take international achievement into account don't they? So Leinster successes will be irrelevant.

Oh good point I always forget that!

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Fourie Du Preez should have won that year.

I'm sure there's a case to be made for him just not one I'm ever going to accept. I'm set in my ways.(BOD more or less single handedly won Ireland their first slam in 61 years that year)

Beauden is the bookies favourite ahead of Johnny. I think if he wins it they might as well just discontinue the award in place of the NZRU poty.

 

[Immenso]

I think if he wins it they might as well just discontinue the award in place of the NZRU poty.

That would be better, then Sam Whitelock would be current World POTY instead of Beauden.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

- Reiko was played out of position for much of the Super Rugby season which reduced his impact.
- BB bad a fairly ordinary season by his exceptional standards.
- Marx has improved his throwing just enough to be in the conversation as top hooker.
- likewise Faf with his kicking, but he offers little linebreak threat compared to a Genia.
- Sexton, had a pretty good year by his own standards and the achievements of his two teams in the past 12 months eclipse all the other nominees.

So Sexton is probably the most obvious choice for me, but I feel like I'm missing out some obvious alternatives. I'm really struggling to recall repeated dominant individual performances. Teddy Thomas? Someone in the Crusaders pack?

 

[Umaga's Witness]

I'm sure there's a case to be made for him just not one I'm ever going to accept. I'm set in my ways.(BOD more or less single handedly won Ireland their first slam in 61 years that year)

Fourie Du Perez more or less single handedly destroyed an all blacks team 3-0, an all blacks team that had been unprecedentedly dominant for the last 4 years running (yeah they didn't win the 07 world cup, but the was just losing one game. not that i'm trying to take away form the boks WC victory, just saying that one loss didn't invalidate their average level of dominance over that period. Oh, and, by the way, Fourie Du Perez probably should have won player of the year that year too.)

 

[Umaga's Witness]

- Reiko was played out of position for much of the Super Rugby season which reduced his impact.
- BB bad a fairly ordinary season by his exceptional standards.
- Marx has improved his throwing just enough to be in the conversation as top hooker.
- likewise Faf with his kicking, but he offers little linebreak threat compared to a Genia.
- Sexton, had a pretty good year by his own standards and the achievements of his two teams in the past 12 months eclipse all the other nominees.

So Sexton is probably the most obvious choice for me, but I feel like I'm missing out some obvious alternatives. I'm really struggling to recall repeated dominant individual performances. Teddy Thomas? Someone in the Crusaders pack?

As TobyBeastTeague mentioned, they only take internationals into account. If they didn't (but I think it's right that they do) I wonder if Carl Hayman might have given the prop brigade a chance of winning at some point during his French tenure? A question to those who watch french domestic rugby, because I never did, I just know that he was one of the best players in the world before he left to France.

On the point of only basing it on Internationals, this is an absolutely critical point, as there is a massive difference between internationals and the next level. if you look at last year, Crusaders vs Lions game, Mo'unga was ineffective. Mo'unga that year, as with this, was ridiculously dominant at super level. That's just one example. And all New Zealanders know about Caleb Ralph. Jonno gibbes one year was potentially the best super rugby player, but wasn't as effective at test level. Quade cooper. I could do this all day. Point is you can't judge how good someone is at a lower level of competition.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

As TobyBeastTeague mentioned, they only take internationals into account. If they didn't (but I think it's right that they do) I wonder if Carl Hayman might have given the prop brigade a chance of winning at some point during his French tenure? A question to those who watch french domestic rugby, because I never did, I just know that he was one of the best players in the world before he left to France.

On the point of only basing it on Internationals, this is an absolutely critical point, as there is a massive difference between internationals and the next level. if you look at last year, Crusaders vs Lions game, Mo'unga was ineffective. Mo'unga that year, as with this, was ridiculously dominant at super level. That's just one example. And all New Zealanders know about Caleb Ralph. Jonno gibbes one year was potentially the best super rugby player, but wasn't as effective at test level. Quade cooper. I could do this all day. Point is you can't judge how good someone is at a lower level of competition.

It doesn't seem to hold back football by basing their world players of the year off non-international performances too. At least most of those are competitive fixtures rather than friendlies like the Nov and June tests. They are no kind of barometer in my book.

Thanks for the correction though. 'Internationals only' definitely takes out the Boks in my book. Sexton or BB will win. I'd say Teddy Thomas and Minozzi should be on an internationals only list, for consistently catching the eye on some truly horrific sides.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Mad subjective stuff innit.
Best player: BB
Most important player: Sexalicious
Most impactful player: Reiko or Furlong
Best player taking the position they play into consideration: Sexathon
Best player (as in pick up artist): Probably Teddy Thomas, he has that Zebo confidence but is actually suave and likeable.
Best Hybrid of man, monkey and Lion: Faf
Best ugly baby lookalike guy: Dan Cole

I could go on.

 

[Umaga's Witness]

Best player (as in pick up artist):

Ahh, I'd been interpreting it wrong. Brodie Retallick should win every year then. And that's also who you were meaning by "Sexalicious," right?

I could go on.

Please do.

 

[Umaga's Witness]

It doesn't seem to hold back football by basing their world players of the year off non-international performances too. At least most of those are competitive fixtures rather than friendlies like the Nov and June tests. They are no kind of barometer in my book.

Just checking I've interpreted this right, you are saying the football internationals are no barometer, right?