Your 4N XV at the end of 2013

[Big Ewis]

I'm Rugby bored....and I like seeing XV's.
stormer, with his almost comically limited knowledge of Rugby, has candidly put together what he thinks is the strongest XV the SH 4-Nation nations could field. Heh...go easy on him, he's kind of new to the whole...'judgment' thing. I would like to salute his progression though, thus far, on our forum. A few lazy claps for him.

So promise not to snort or anything, here it is...:

1 Tendai Mtawarira
2 Bismarck du Plessis
3 Juan Figallo
4 Brodie Retallick
5 Sam Whitelock
6 Willem Alberts
7 Michael Hooper
8 Kieran Read

9 Fourie du Preez
10 Dan Carter

11 Bryan Habana
12 Jean de Villiers
13 Conrad Smith
14 Israel Folau
15 Ben Smith

What would yours be ?

 

[ianw16]

Pretty much agree, although I would swap Ben Smith and Folau around. Can't play the Tournament's top try scorer in a position he didn't play during the tournament! Had McCaw played more games he would obviously be my 7. Even so, despite being overshadowed by Read, his performance in Joburg, after being out with injury, and seemingly not expected to play, was immense. You could pick Cruden at 10 to be honest, not much between him and Carter, who also missed a few games.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Thank you, ianw16. Swapping around Folau and Smith would be the first amendmend I would concede too, yes.

Other than that I take the general silence here as further affirmation of my infallable ability to see the truth in all things. It's either that or people have better things to do but here again I won't be fooled and led to consider the latter.

My bench then;

16 Adriaan Strauss
17 Ben Franks
18 Eben Etzebeth
19 JMF Lobbe - I could easily have gone for McCaw or Vermeulen but Richie just hasn't played enough this year and it feels wrong to have him on a bench in any case. I think Lobbe would be able to cover the backrow very well indeed and is THE key player for Argentina IMO
20 Will Genia
21 Beauden Barret - the ultimate bench back?
22 Charles Piutau
23 Guthro Steenkamp

 

[The Jones Boy]

Pretty much agree, although I would swap Ben Smith and Folau around. Can't play the Tournament's top try scorer in a position he didn't play during the tournament! Had McCaw played more games he would obviously be my 7. Even so, despite being overshadowed by Read, his performance in Joburg, after being out with injury, and seemingly not expected to play, was immense. You could pick Cruden at 10 to be honest, not much between him and Carter, who also missed a few games.

+1

McCaw at 7 is a shoe in - Hooper was tossed around like a rat in the jaws of a ridgeback by the Japies in the RC, McCaw went to Jo'burg and stood head and shoulders above the other 7's in the world at the gates of hades against a mighty powerful Bok team and he broke them like Saffer tsunamis upon the impregnable rock of Kiwi rugby history.
Hooper? HAH ! he is just a little boy in short pants taking advantage of NH teams playing rubbish at the breakdown. Against the AB's and the Boks when it really mattered in the heat of the RC ... he was dog tucker.

Cruden at 10 and Barrett on the bench at 10.
Folau at 15,
Ben Smith on the wing.

 

[Aspry]

Mine would be:

1 Tendai Mtawarira
2 Bismarck du Plessis
3 Juan Figallo
4 Eben Etzebeth
5 Sam Whitelock
6 Willem Alberts
7 Richie McCaw
8 Kieran Read

9 Fourie du Preez
10 Dan Carter

11 Bryan Habana
12 Jean de Villiers
13 Conrad Smith
14 Ben Smith
15 Israel Folau

16- Adriaan Strauss
17- Marcos Ayerza
18- Brodie Retallick
19- Lobbe/Messam
20- Aaron Smith
21- Beauden Barrett
22- Marcelo Bosch
23- Piutau/Dagg

 

[profitius]

1 Ben Franks
2 Moore
3 Juan Figallo
4 Brodie Retallick
5 Etzebeth
6 McCaw
7 Hooper
8 Kieran Read

9 Fourie du Preez
10 Dan Carter

11 Willie Le Roux
12 Jean de Villiers
13 Conrad Smith
14 Ben Smith
15 Folau


Lots of close calls

 

[Aspry]

Btw I was really tentative to include Quade Cooper in my squad, though then I remember that he only played good in the EOYT along with just only one RC game... But this guy playing at his best is so nice to see, I hope he keeps his current level for the next year.

 

[iINDOMINUSxx]

mine would be

1. Tendai Mwawaria
2. Steven Moore
3. Juan Figallo
4. Brodie Retallick
5. Eben Etzebeth
6. Willem Alberts
7. Richie McCaw (c)
8. Kieran Read
9. Aaron Smith
10. Dan Carter
11. Bryan Habana
12. Jean De Villiers
13. Ben Smith
14. Nick Cummins
15. Israel Folau
16. Kevin Mealamu
17. Ben Franks
18. Guthero Steenkamp
19. Sam Whitelock
20. Liam Messam
21. Fourie Du Preez
22. Aaron Cruden
23. Willie Le Roux

 

[Aspry]

Lots of close calls

To be honest, there isn't that much close calls as you can find in the NH XV. Here a good part of the team is well defined, for example the numbers 2,3,8,9,12 and 13 doesn't offers any discussion whatsoever, at least from the point of view of the users of this forum.

 

[Big Ewis]

some fine looking XV's.
Being a parasite over you guys' work, I'd say:

1 Tendai Mtawarira
2 Bismarck du Plessis/Stephen Moore
3 Juan Figallo
4 Eben Etzebeth
5 Sam Whitelock
6 Willem Alberts
7 Michael Hooper
8 Kieran Read

9 Fourie du Preez
10 Quade Cooper

11 Bryan Habana
12 Jean de Villiers
13 Conrad Smith
14 Ben Smith
15 Israel Folau

 

[TRF_heineken]

McCaw at 7 is a shoe in - Hooper was tossed around like a rat in the jaws of a ridgeback by the Japies in the RC, McCaw went to Jo'burg and stood head and shoulders above the other 7's in the world at the gates of hades against a mighty powerful Bok team and he broke them like Saffer tsunamis upon the impregnable rock of Kiwi rugby history.

Hyperbole much???

My team:

1. Beast Mtawarira
2. Bismarck Du Plessis
3. Juan Figallo
4. Eben Etzebeth
5. Brodie Retallick
6. Richie Mccaw (without exaggeration)
7. Willem Alberts
8. Kieran Read

9. FdP/Aaron Smith (can't decide)
10. Morne Steyn (why pick Carter?? he didn't play as much as the other guys, And Morne was consistently good all year round).

11. Bryan Habana
12. JDV
13. Conrad Smith
14. Ben Smith
15. Willie Le Roux

 

[Darwin]

Hyperbole much???

My team:

1. Beast Mtawarira
2. Bismarck Du Plessis
3. Juan Figallo
4. Eben Etzebeth
5. Brodie Retallick
6. Richie Mccaw (without exaggeration)
7. Willem Alberts
8. Kieran Read

9. FdP/Aaron Smith (can't decide)
10. Morne Steyn (why pick Carter?? he didn't play as much as the other guys, And Morne was consistently good all year round).

11. Bryan Habana
12. JDV
13. Conrad Smith
14. Ben Smith
15. Willie Le Roux

How could you go wrong with a South African backline (+ a few Smiths)

You make an interesting point regarding Carter, but I think it really depends on how this side is picked. If it is a a side comprising the best performing players of the season I don't think you would include Carter (du Preez may struggle for inclusion too due to lack of game time), but if it was simply a hypothetical "best team you could make out of Southern Hemisphere players" I think there is a strong case to include Carter. If Carter was not included Cruden would be a pretty good alternative!

I'm surprised Julian Savea hasn't received a mention yet. Habana has certainly had some great games for the Boks this year (the 2 tries in 20-off minutes vs the AB's was phenomenal), but Savea has been a real weapon for the AB's as the season has progressed. Though I do rate Habana I would probably pick Savea ahead of him.

 

[ianw16]

Hyperbole much???

My team:

1. Beast Mtawarira
2. Bismarck Du Plessis
3. Juan Figallo
4. Eben Etzebeth
5. Brodie Retallick
6. Richie Mccaw (without exaggeration)
7. Willem Alberts
8. Kieran Read

9. FdP/Aaron Smith (can't decide)
10. Morne Steyn (why pick Carter?? he didn't play as much as the other guys, And Morne was consistently good all year round).

11. Bryan Habana
12. JDV
13. Conrad Smith
14. Ben Smith
15. Willie Le Roux

Morne Steyn? As a certain tennis player once said, "you cannot be serious"! Looking at a few SA newspapers after the Joburg game, and he seemed to be the butt of quite a bit of vitriol for being, well, how shall we say it......rubbish is probably the polite term. Would have Carter, Cruden and Barrett in before him. Maybe even Taylor! Lambie is nothing special, but he's better than Steyn.

 

[TRF_heineken]

Morne Steyn? As a certain tennis player once said, "you cannot be serious"! Looking at a few SA newspapers after the Joburg game, and he seemed to be the butt of quite a bit of vitriol for being, well, how shall we say it......rubbish is probably the polite term. Would have Carter, Cruden and Barrett in before him. Maybe even Taylor! Lambie is nothing special, but he's better than Steyn.

yeah he was poor in that match. I agree, but the point of this thread is not to measure them by just one game, but for the entire 2013 season. So the one off match doesn't define an entire season.

Between Carter, Cruden, Barrett and Taylor, they didn't play enough to warrant selection for my team. Cruden would be the closest to being picked.

 

[The Jones Boy]

Morne Steyn is solid and dependable as a kicker. You need that to win tight games against quality opposition.
As a player he's carved from wood, zero flair, an average defender not bad but not good, doesn't seem to have any pace to speak of, maybe thats because he's marked too closely to get a chance to show a bit of toe.
I will always plump for a player like Lambie who has flair, but unless there is a designated kicker in the team he will never get a look in.

 

[Big Ewis]

it's true, all the things you've said about Steyn...but he can kick. And therefor he's got a spot as starting 10. Also, he looks a million times less annoying than Lambie, so I'll rather watch a game with him playing 65min.

 

[The Jones Boy]

If Lambie gets a hair cut he will only weigh 80 kilos.

 

[Draggs]

it's true, all the things you've said about Steyn...but he can kick. And therefor he's got a spot as starting 10. Also, he looks a million times less annoying than Lambie, so I'll rather watch a game with him playing 65min.

Bah, you can keep your Brice Dulin or Yoann Huget.

 

[Big Ewis]

If Lambie gets a hair cut he will only weigh 80 kilos.

:lol:

Bah, you can keep your Brice Dulin or Yoann Huget.

oh, we most certainly will, thank you very much ! But I think you're talking about Rémi Talès though.

 

[Draggs]

More so referring to your young looking players. Dulin looks about 17.
Still doesn't beat Luca Morisi, who accidentally showed up at the Italian practice rather than his U11 training.