Pretty hard to understand what best of the decade really means, and hard to remember ten years!
Interesting to see nacewa make someone team, I always rated that guy but never saw him play in Europe. Unlucky after playing 3 minutes for Fiji and the new eligibility rules coming in meaning he couldn't play for the all blacks. Would he have? It's hard to know. A pretty handy reserve for sure.
in that vain, tell me this, European viewers, Carl Hayman? Clearly the best in the world in 2007 and prior. What about hence? What about in the last decade? I know he won a top14 , or was it Heineken cup, as captain. So? Is he forgotten because he didn't play internationals in the decade? Or was he not the best?
I'll take a stab
beast
Bismark
Hayman?
Retallick
Etzebeth
Psdt
Pocock
Vermeulen
Smith
Cruden
nadolo
Nonu
Smith
Smith
Dagg
yeah mainly all blacks, but, well, but, well, but....
Familiarity bias probably, but it's not all that wrong I don't think.
I'll just make an all blacks 15, and Then an other 15, to eliminate most bias.
Crockett
Coles
Hayman
Retallick
White lock
Kaino
McCaw
Read
Smith
Cruden
Dagg
Nonu
Smith
Smith
Barrett
vs
beast
Bismarck
Jones
Etzebeth
Psdt
Warburton
Pocock
Vermeulen
Murray
Sexton
Nadolo
Farrell
Tuilagi
North
Beale
Ok so psdt is better in the loose, and Beale peaked at 12, but I was light on options and those two stand out for me along with Warburton and Farrell . Brown another option for 15, maybe Hogg. Itoje for me finished the year as worthy but was too ill disciplined in earlier years. Wyn Jones I never really rated. Lood de jager was always excellent but injury prone.