Your country's top 10 best players

[King_D'Arcy]

Here's a fun idea! List your contry's best players ranking them from 1 to 10.

Assuming all players are fit here's mine:

1. Brian O'Driscoll
2. Stephen Ferris
3. Paul O'Connell
4. Rob Kearney
5. Rory Best
6. Tommy Bowe
7. Sean O'Brien
8. Jonathan Sexton
9. Jamie Heaslip
10. Ronan O'Gara

 

[Seaton]

Currently?...

10. Scott Lawson
9. Graeme Morrison
8. Jim Thompson
7. Nikki Walker
6. Dougie Hall
5. Phil Godman
4. EdKalman
3. Geoff Cross
2. Simon Webster
1. Alisdair Dickinson

 

[dullonien]

This might be quite difficult. This will be more of a best/importance list, because some players are more important, and more difficult to replace than others.

01 Adam Jones (irreplaceable)
02 Sam Warburton (captain, and one of the best players in the team)
03 Gethin Jenkins (maybe should come higher, one of the best in his position in the world)
04 Jamie Roberts (cruicial to our gameplan)
05 Leigh Halfpenny (rising up the list all the time)
06 George North (no limit to how good he could be)
07 Dan Lydiate (phenomenal workrate)
08 Alun Wyn Jones (ties the team together. When he plays well, it shows)
09 Rhys Priestland (very important to this current team, considering the inconsistent form of all the other 10's)
10 Toby Faletau (maybe he hasn't convinced everyone yet, but he's about as talented as they come, big future)

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Picking England's is bloody hard, because no one ever maintains form.
Fooorrrr example: Ben Youngs, on form, is/was arguably the best SH in the NH.
He's currently one of the worst scrumhalves in the NH.

 

[DuncTheDoodle]

Wales-

1. Adam Jones (Best scrummaging tighthead in the world, totally irriplacable)
2. Sam Warburton (Utter hero.)
3. Gethin Jenkins (Incredible workrate, good scrummager, ect ect ect.)
4. Leigh Halfpenny (On superb form, a really, really tidy player)
5. George North (And he's 19!)
6. Alun Wyn Jones (Simply superb all-round, and always plays with such passion)
7. Toby Faletau (World-beating No 8 on his day, needs a tad more consistancy before he can shoot up the list))
8. Jamie Roberts (One of those annoying people who seems to be good at everything.)
9. Rhys Priestland (Probably could/should be higher. Mixes up his game very nicely.)
10. Danny Lydiate (Massively underrated. Tackle machine.)

Looking at Dull's list having picked mine, interesting to see we've picked the same player, yet in a different order, even if the top 3 are the same. Felt harsh to leave many of our current/RWC side that have done so well out.

 

[j'nuh]

Picking England's is bloody hard, because no one ever maintains form.
Fooorrrr example: Ben Youngs, on form, is/was arguably the best SH in the NH.
He's currently one of the worst scrumhalves in the NH.

Haha, yeah, this.

Are we picking on form or on how good players have shown themselves to be? Either way really:

1. Tuilagi
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 not sure.

 

[Feicarsinn]

At the moment?

1) Brian O'Driscoll - goes without saying, doesn't it?
2) Rob Kearney - Having rediscovered his form he'd be one of the few Irish players who could make a world XV
3) Stephen Ferris - An absolute animal. It's great that he's finally fit. Only second to Kaino in terms of 6's
4) Paul O'Connell - Has had an excellent season with Munster, not sure the Ireland captaincy suits him though.
5) Johnny Sexton - The most talented outhalf in Europe. Has yet to convert his club form to the international stage, but should be the next Lions 10
6) Tommy Bowe - Cracking try scorer, could be higher up the list.
7) Mike Ross - Merely by virtue of being irreplaceable. Has turned the Irish scrum from a laughing stock to a formidable unit single handedly.
8) Sean O'Brien - Being forced into the 7 jersey has taken away some of his potency, but still immense with ball in hand.
9) Ronan O'Gara - Like him or not, there are few better tactical kickers in the game. Shame he's so limited defensively.
10 - Rory Best - Has improved his throwing recently, which is nice. Strong in the scrum, but will come under pressure from Richardt Strauss soon enough.

 

[j'nuh]

2) Rob Kearney - Having rediscovered his form he'd be one of the few Irish players who could make a world XV

Yes. IMO, he's been the best player of the six nations so far. Got some competition for a world XV though.

 

[lucky number 7]

1 Brian O'Driscoll
2 Stephen Ferris
3 Rob Kearney
4 Sean O 'Brien (purely due to mismanagement of what was the biggest strike runner in world rugby last year)
5 Johnny Ten
6 Tommy Bowe
7 Keith Earls (i never rated him highly till recently)
8 Luke Fitzgerald (so horribly horribly underrated)
9 Cian Healy
10 Jamie Heaslip

 

[ZeFrenchy]

10 is a lot.. I had to include players I only rate to a medium extent.

Dusautoir
Servat
Mas
Harinordoquy
Bonnaire
Trinh-Duc
Clerc
Malzieu
Fofana
Papé

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Difficult for SH punters at this stage as many encumbents have left after the RWC and there hasn't been any thought of test rugby here. With Matfield and Bakkies moving on and off will Bekker take over? Who will partner him? Burger, Brussow, Spies and Smith are getting their asses handed to them- or are injured- in Super rugby by the rising stars of SA. So guys like Vermeulen, Kolisi, the other Potgieter and Coetzee are the best loosies. Bismarck has been overshadowed by Strauss and Ralepele in the first 2 rounds while I also think J du Plessis and the Beast will struggle to make it as our best props currently. Just as difficult to pick the backs with Pienaar, J Fourie and F Steyn playing abroad and young 10's pushing M Steyn.

1 Francois Hougaard
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

I think all other encumbent test players aren't 100% assured a place.

 

[ZeFrenchy]

Difficult for SH punters at this stage as many encumbents have left after the RWC and there hasn't been any thought of test rugby here. With Matfield and Bakkies moving on and off will Bekker take over? Who will partner him? Burger, Brussow, Spies and Smith are getting their asses handed to them- or are injured- in Super rugby by the rising stars of SA. So guys like Vermeulen, Kolisi, the other Potgieter and Coetzee are the best loosies. Bismarck has been overshadowed by Strauss and Ralepele in the first 2 rounds while I also think J du Plessis and the Beast will struggle to make it as our best props currently. Just as difficult to pick the backs with Pienaar, J Fourie and F Steyn playing abroad and young 10's pushing M Steyn.

Wow, I'm surprised about the backrowers. I didn't think I could imagine Juan Smith or Brüssow getting their asses handed to them... I rate Strauss however, I'm not surprised by that one.

 

[Seaton]

I would be genuinely surprised if Spies doesn't play a major part in Meyer's plans. Meyer may well be thinking "Ag, PdV is kak. Ek kan my Bulle maak om mooi te speel"*

Cue Spies getting a further year to display his invisibility super power at international level.

* I know I did something wrong there, apologies

 

[Seaton]

He should change to being a fetcher.


Ref can't penalise what he can't see...

 

[lynam1104]

Becues he's awful big sting and a wimp IMO, He dose noting that a forward should do. I remember hearing about how was the best I've never seen him play well.

 

[Feicarsinn]

Where'd that picture of Healsip snapping him in half go? Some of my finest work...

 

[HowieLO6]

I remember once he was rampaging up the pitch for the Bulls against the Crusaders in a Super Rugby semi final in 2009 and thinking he will soon be up there with the world's best, but since you're right he's been very very quiet, not sure why

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gWzI0ygrI4

Pretty sure that this helped the hype train build up speed.

Seems to be akin to Banahan. A good physique, great pace but simply never shows a damned thing.


Rather damning that the English supporters amongst us cannot put together a Top 10. Apart from Manu in at 1, JSD having to be in amongst the list, as well as Wood, not sure I could cobble together a fair list.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

1. O'Driscoll
2. Ferris
3. Ross (Saved us big time when Hayes got reeeeeeeaaaaaallllly old)
4. Kearney
5. O'Connell
6. Best
7. Healy
8. Bowe
9. Sexton (Would be around third if he was on Leinster form)
10. O'Brien/Heaslip (On a par at the moment)

 

[Feicarsinn]

England is a tricky one because they have so many good-ish players. I'd probably say their top players are:

Tualagi
Foden
Robshaw
Lawes
Haskell
Sharples
Hartley
Cole
Farrell
Dickson

Quite a lot of talent there in fairness.

 

[LittleGuy]

Fairly easy one for me....although some arguments could be made about the end of my list.

Demi-God: Ed Fairhurst
1: DTH Van De Merwe
2: Jamie Cudmore
3: Jebb Sinclair
4: Phil Mackenzie
5: Adam Kleeberger
6: James Pritchard
7: Aaron Carpenter
8: Jason Marshall
9: Matt Evans
10: Chauncey O'Toole