Make a best XV from players you've seen live

UnitedWeStand

For me:

15: Kearney
14: Habana
13: BOD
12: Giteau
11: Sivivatu
10: Wilko / Sexton
9: Parra

8: Heaslip
7: SOB
6: Ferris / Lobbe
5: Thorn
4: Botha (Some physicality in here eh!)
3: Afoa
2: Best
1: Hayman / Healy

Games selected from:

Leinster Vs Clermont 2010 Aviva, Leinster Clermont 2012 Bordeaux, Leinster Vs Ulster Twickers 2012, Saracens Vs Toulon 2014.

bilston

UnitedWeStand wrote: »

For me:

15: Kearney
14: Habana
13: BOD
12: Giteau
11: Sivivatu
10: Wilko / Sexton
9: Parra

8: Heaslip
7: SOB
6: Ferris / Lobbe
5: Thorn
4: Botha (Some physicality in here eh!)
3: Afoa
2: Best
1: Hayman / Healy

Games selected from:

Leinster Vs Clermont 2010 Aviva, Leinster Clermont 2012 Bordeaux, Leinster Vs Ulster Twickers 2012, Saracens Vs Toulon 2014.

Couldn't give a XV but the two best Irish players I have had the pleasure of watching live are Brian O'Driscoll and Stephen Ferris for both province and country.

I remember watching O'Driscoll at Ravenhill about 5 years ago in a game that Ulster won thanks to Isaac Boss but BOD was just on another level to everyone else. Butbhe was like that just about anytime he played.

As for Ferris there are so many examples of watching him for Ulster but his performance at Thomond in the HEC Q/F was something else. I only saw him live a couple of times for Ireland but there was one game against NZ were he was phenonenmal. He would have graced the NZ team that day. Shame it ended far too soon.

Edit - Ruan Pienaar is easily the best 9 I've ever seen live.

its_phil

15. Montgomery
14. Habana
13. BOD
12. Jauzion
11. Clerc
10. Carter
9. Kelleher

1. Du Randt
2. Smit
3. ?
4. POC
5. Harrison/Eales
6. Van Niekerk
7. McCaw
8. Fernandez-Lobbe/Parisee

Fireball07

Based upon what level they were at the time, based upon their performances in games you saw or just in general?

For example, if I was to have seen someone at the end of their career, they mightn't have been as good then, but were still class players?

.ak

Can I pick Nacewa twice?

UnitedWeStand

Fireball07 wrote: »

Based upon what level they were at the time, based upon their performances in games you saw or just in general?

For example, if I was to have seen someone at the end of their career, they mightn't have been as good then, but were still class players?

Nah just pick the most high class names you've ever seen. Form at the times irrelevant.

Fireball07

Okay so... very tough, some of these will be based on players I loved watching so much and that may have leaned in favour of me picking them.


15. Christian Cullen
14. Doug Howlett
13. Brian O'Driscoll
12. Wesley Fofana
11. Tommy Bowe
10. Ronan O'Gara
9. Conor Murray
8. Sean O'Brien
7. David Wallace
6. Stephen Ferris
5. Paul O'Connell (captain)
4. Fabien Pelous
3. Nicolas Mas
2. Keith Wood
1. Cian Healy

And I know it wasn't asked but:

16. Jerry Flannery
17. Peter Clohessy
18. Davit Zirakashvili
19. Nathan Hines
20. Thierry Dusautoir
21. Jean-Baptise Ellisalde
22. Jonathan Sexton
23. Yannick Jauzion



I've left out some great players... Rob Kearney is a wonderful full-back but Christian Cullen is Christian Cullen after all. Left wing was probably the hardest to choose... very tempted to go for Earls, Luke Fitz or Nalaga, but Bowe just edges it.

No place for D'Arcy or Jauzion, but I rate Fofana so highly. ROG over Sexton is possibly controversial, but ROG was immense. I think Murray is easily the best 9 I've seen... felt bad leaving Stringer off the bench though.

That back row would have been great to see once for Ireland- I had to leave out Heaslip, Foley, Quinlan & George Smith.

In the front row, I reckon they're the 3 best I've seen- no room for Servat, John Hayes, Census Johnston, Domingo... even on the bench.



Probably forgetting someone really obvious tbh.

CIARAN_BOYLE

I'm looking forward to seeing Jaco's team

WinnyThePoo

Nacewa's a beast. Top player. Other names Picamoles, Sexton, Rougerie, Fofana and Roberto Carlos.

thomond2006

Great idea for a thread. This is really fun to think about but difficult!

Healy, Best, Hayes, POC, Nakarawa*, Ferris, Lobbe, Wallace
Murray, Sexton, Habana, Fofana, BOD, Howlett, Folau


*Might consider this a strange call but I was at the Pro12 final last year and he was insanely good when he came on!

mrbrianj

Popplewell, Wood, Adam Jones, POC, Mal O Kelly, Rocky Elsom, McCaw, Parisse, Mike Philips (I know?), Felipe Contempomi, Hickie, Darcy, Bod, Shane Williams, Girvan Dempsey.

Some out there calls - mostly in the backs too.
All players I have seen in action. Felipe Contempomi in ahead of Rog, Sexton, and Carter - but the guy really could be amazing on his day - the other would get in a team before him - but sometimes he brought the magic.

Vincent Clerc, shaggy, fitz earls there is a heap you could throw in on the wing but williams would hold his own.

Nacewa was a master at full back - but Dempsey was ultra reliable at 15(the opposite reasoning for the flyhalf).

A bit low on Munster players, maybe but their zenith was out perform teams of better individuals

sensitive1960

Going to matches since the 70's so have a wider pick

15 Cullen
14 Howlett
13 BOD
12 Gibson
11 JJ Williams
10 Bennett
9 Edwards
1 Healy
2 Wood
3 A Jones
4 POC
5 Eales
6 M Jones
7 McCaw
8 Davies

Tomtom364

15. Christian Cullen
14. Doug Howlett
13. Brian O'Driscoll
12. Jean De Villiers
11. Sitiveni Sivivatu
10. Ronan O'Gara
9. Ruan Pienaar
8. Sergio Parisse
7. David Wallace
6. Lawrence Dallaglio
5. Paul O'Connell (captain)
4. Brad Thorn
3. BJ Botha
2. Jerry Flannery
1. Carl Hayman

Yeah_Right

15. Cullen
14. JK
13. Bunce
12. Horan
11. Lomu
10. Carter
9. Gregan
8. Brooke or Shelford
7. McCaw
6. M. Jones
5. Eales
4. POC or Matfield
3. Os du Randt
2. Fitzpatrick
1. Dowd

twinytwo

Fireball07 wrote: »

15. Christian Cullen
14. Doug Howlett
13. Brian O'Driscoll
12. Wesley Fofana
11. Tommy Bowe
10. Ronan O'Gara
9. Conor Murray
8. Sean O'Brien
7. David Wallace
6. Stephen Ferris
5. Paul O'Connell (captain)
4. Fabien Pelous
3. Nicolas Mas
2. Keith Wood
1. Cian Healy

Great team, but i raise you...

15. Jason Robinson
14. Doug Howlett
13. Brian O'Driscoll
12. Matt Giteau
11. Shane Williams
10. Jonny Sexton
9. George Gregan
8. Sean O'Brien
7. Richie McCaw
6. Richard Hill*
5. Paul O'Connell (captain)
4. Victor Matfield
3. Carl Hayman
2. John Smit
1. Os Du Randt*

I never actually saw Du Randt or Hill play but what the hell... considering Drico said Hill was the greatest player he ever played with... cant really leave him out.

Yamanoto

15. S. Blanco
14. D. Campese
13. B. O'Driscoll
12. T. Horan
11. J. Lomu
10. M. Lynagh
9. Joost van der Westhuizen
8. I. Harinordoquy
7. O. Magne
6. A. Benazzi
5. P. O'Connell
4. M. Johnson
3. R. Loe
2. B. Moore
1. D. Sole

jacothelad

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

I'm looking forward to seeing Jaco's team

I would put one up but it's not really fair to compare players from the professional and 'Amateur' eras. During the 'shamateur' days, France, England and New Zealand were basically run as professional sides. Same as Wales but to a lesser extent. Players were often 'employed' nudge, nudge, wink, wink as 'reps' for companies with ex-players as owners etc. Thus they were allowed to train full time. There is clear evidence also that for many years in France, players performance levels were directly related to meduication that they were on.

As I started watching and playing the game almost 60 years ago, I have seen some wonderful players, many who played for Ireland and the Lions who wouldn't be familiar to 95% of posters. David Hewitt, Dick Milliken and Cecil Pedlow for example were the best Irish centres and in the same class as Gibson and BOD. Raymond Hunter was an exceptional player at both Irish Rugby and Cricket and also toured with the the Lions. Rodney O'Donnell looked like a world beater at 15 only for his career to end prematurely. Ditto Colin Patterson. Some players I have seen were very 'worthy' and well respected but not that scintillating..Others such as the great Tom Kiernan was a great captain but there have been far better full backs for Ireland. The best 7 was Fergus Slattery. Ward and Campbell were very different players from each other but really high class players. Ken Goodall was the best 8. If he were around today as a player he would be without doubt seen as 'World Class'. We often tend to forget how good some of our players have been in the overall pantheon of greats because they often played in a team that was outgunned by bigger and fitter opponents..... often by players with the unfair advantage of full time training and chemical support.

Also after almost 50 years of being a semi-pro beer tester, I've forgotten many star players from overseas - such as the Ella brothers.

total former

Saw my first live game in 1991 so...

15. Jason Robinson
14. Doug Howlett
13. Brian O'Driscoll
12. Tim Horan
11. Shane Williams
10. Jonny Wilkinson (circa 2002)
9. Joost van der Westhuizen
1. Jason Leonard
2. Mario Ledesma
3. Carl Hayman
4. Brad Thorn
5. Martin Johnson
6. Richard Hill
7. Richie McCaw
8. Lawrence Dallaglio

Swiwi.

Saw my first live game in 1987 so (and excluding NZ players, entertainment value factored in too)...

15. Serge Blanco
14. David Campese
13. Philippe Sella
12. Tim Horan
11. Christophe Dominici (for THAT performance)
10. Stephen Larkham
09. Joost van der Westhuizen
08. Sergio Parisse
07. Michael Jones (Samoan )
06. Richard Hill
05. John Eales
04. Martin Johnson
03. Patricio Noriega
02. Keith Wood
01. Os du Randt

mfceiling

15 Matt Burke
14 Doug Howlett
13 BOD
12 Tana Umaga
11 Jonah Lomu
10 Sexton
9 Pienaar
8 Parisse
7 Richie McCaw
6 Stephen Ferris
5 Victor Matfield
4 POC
3 John Afoa
2 Keith Wood
1 Cian Healy