Last year Beauden Barrett would have been most people's choice including the people who matter . . . World Rugby . . . but Barrett hasn't shown the same flair and match-winning ability this year and it struck me this morning while watching the Chiefs vs the Brumbies that the best player in the world today doesn't even play test rugby (yet).

 Thats a big call Rooinek. It's really hard to point at one player. Do you go for strength and/or speed, a good boot or tactical kicking. My favourite player to watch with the ball is Christian Wade who can spark something from niks and is electric on attack (can't get a look in with the English squad). My missus raised a good point with me, she reasoned that sometimes the best player is not the fastest, biggest, most skilled but also not a ball hugging ego inflated plickus. 

 Damian McKenzie. Bwahhahahahahahahaha rooitwitterbug is always a treat!

 
He has all the talent in the world ... but it amounts to nothing without decent height and body weight.

Not sure who I'd nominate. Probably someone like Pieter Steff Du Toit or Vunipola.



 

 Eye of the beholder and all I suppose.

Damien McKenzie........hahaha.....Urinal in an unguarded moment has provided devastating insight into his pea brain. Look chump the clue is in something obvious you said; ' doesn't even play test rugby'. And then Turncoat nominates Stephanie!

..

LMAOFY!

 I would still have Barrett high on my list, Retallick is up there also. What about fat Frans? 

I have lost a bit of elevation on Frans now that he lost weight. The best player in the World is likely to have played in the Lions series. Best players in the series were Davies, Murray, Itoje, Barrett, Retallik. Given that list Barrett is a likely choice. As for his not showing 'the same flair'.....saving a try with an interception and creating a try with a perfectly weighted cross kick seemed like flair to me.

 Frans lost weight - but he cannot run 60 meters at his slow pace without being totally out of breath.   Fat Fransie has lots no weight - he is still grossly overweight at an estimated 115 kgs.   Take a good look at him - his stomach was hanging over his pants after that circa 60 meter run - when he was bent over trying to breath.      

I would have thought that Jantjies would have been the obvious selection for most if not all Saffers. especially after his brilliant display at fly-half in the test against the French.

Another historical classic.

2017 Steph? Ouch! Better than Barrett? 

What am I missing here? McKenzie has played a number of times, 23 to be exact, for the AB's, why are people talking as if he is yet to get a call up? In tests thus far he has battled to find his feet. I think the tighter game patterns in test matches don't suite a player like him that thrives in a bit of space. Huge talent, of that their is no doubt, but like many that have come before him, especially South Africans, he has battled to replicate his Super Rugby performances on the test stage. That may still happen, but there is a reason he is battling to cement his name in the starting line up for the AB's. 

An obvious choice for best player right now would be Johnny Sexton. He has not been on quite the same level this year as last year, but he is still playing very well. As a tactical fly half he is is well ahead of Barrett, although his running game is not quite as good. Tests are very often won and lost by the tactical prowess of the fly half, and he is the best fly half tactically in he world at the moment.  

Damian McKenzie seems to have lost a lot of his mojo since his switch to flyhalf and he's also facing much stiffer competition for the AB #10 jersey than he would be if he was competing for the #15 jersey.

Oh snap. I didn't realise this was an regurgitated post, I thought it was a new thread . My bad. 

My nomination for best player in the world right now is an absolute pleasure to watch every time he plays. He has amazing skills, even more amazing decision making, he's a model of consistency and almost every time he gets the ball (which is often for someone playing his position) he has a positive impact . . . take a bow Damian McKenzie.

Thanks Moz one forgets these nuggets. Hahhahaahahahahahhahaha

Faf

So much of our game depends on Faf. His intangibles are very difficult to stop. He can singlehandedly stall the opposition and he launches our entire attacking game. Good call Pum. 

A good player ... with a very poor pass off his left hand  ... best in the world?? ... Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahaaaa ... yeah right!!

My nomination goes to Akira Ioane ...

If I had to nominate a player today (as opposed to the "today" in the original post on this thread which was in fact July 2017) then I'd be tempted to go for Malcolm Marx but would probably pick Louis Picamoles or Brodie Retallick.

Are you sure about that Albi? 

Klown, please remember that Omlett and Omellete don't understand sarcasm.

Surprised Ben Smith hasn't been mentioned, not a single weakness in his game. 

Haaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahaaa!!!

Yes ... it seems there's a lot he doesn't understand ...

Well.........hahaha.....I'd say recalling this certainly 'Trumps' Peeper recalling my very accurate post about Esterhozen.

I have to say though, looking back at Peeper's repertoire there are so few opinion pieces on rugby .....strings about other posters, strings about Fantasy rugby, strings about results, strings about player news....almost no views.

Pretty much an empty suit.....and then when he does come up with an opinion it's a laugh like McKenzie is the best rugby player in the world.

Stay down Peeper.

Nothing beats Schalk at fly half. On the face of it, this is just a silly little mistake, in reality it exposes a deeply flawed understanding of the game. It falls out of sync with how a coach will view first receiver and what they are endeavouring to do from phase to phase. The POD off 9 with the playmaker back in behind is a very basic shape that is used at all levels by every team. The failure to pick this up means he didn't understand what the attacking shape was and what those mini units were. It also means he wouldn't have been able to discern any aspect of the attacking movement in any given phase or what the plan was moving the ball from phase to phase. This is needless to say a huge gaff. A colossal error.

Then the best part - as if that wasn't bad enough. Rassie uses the very same shape off 9 at first receiver - not first or from first phase exclusively - but with more more simplistic plays and structures and he fails to pick up on the cul-de-sac ball from Steph! The very thing he accused Schalk of doing. Schalk was distributing the ball almost five times as often as Steph over the same number of games.

This is hilarious. Yet it gets better still. Taking this nonsense to The Roar and then getting involved in a spat with another member and then returning here in disgrace. That isn't even the end of these gaffs, but it'll suffice. So calling another member out for an opinion on a player' s speed is absolutely hilarious. Especially when nobody said the player in question was a fast player. 

I literally can't stop laughing. Not even Lügnerin sunk this low! 

Stick with moz.

After today’s performance by McKenzie the sheer stupidity of the pompous declaration that started this string is even funnier. Your eyes deceive you, according to sic McKenzie is the best player on the planet.

Toss up between Kolbe and PSDT, with Piet er edging it ATM...

Good call, Squeaky Toy.

Eben and Ox are the most valuable players in the game today. Anybody can do the process tackling.

Bakkies and Eben. What a pair those two would have made. 

To be the best side in the Workd you have to have some World class players. Guys like Eben, Du Toit Marx, Kolbe 

In addition we have had some fine Bok players, very solid etc.

Where are the new World class pjayers. Sascha could be one. Williams, Willemse, OX? 

Name the guys who could become greats.

Yes ou rooitwit got Damian McKensie all wrong. Rooitwit likes dainty players like Luke Watson and really didn't like Schalk Burger or Eben and Bakkies who played it too rough. 

The best player in the world could well be Du Toit. He get the man of the man in the big matches so often. 

What an athlete, huge engine and remarkable athlete. Great in the lineouts and playing out wide. Best tackler in the game. Powerful guy and the best number 7 I have ever seen,  I doubt there ever was one better.

Moz please seek the assistance of an optician and a brain surgeon. They say Ivermectin helps with brain fog! To many parasites affects ones well being.  Hahahhahahahahahaha

What a player PSDT is he has always been good physically but now we see his ball in hand added

In the top 3 best players in the game right now

Gets better and better with every game.... he's work in progress.

Eben is great, but PSDT is next level...probably the best player in the world ATM...

Long past work in progress he is pure class - they just need to refrain from interviewing him - those opening lines thanking Jesus - fuck sake

Its always a great thing to thank your creator. Jesus saves and everyone needs to get saved including you Dave. Life is but a moment and then the judgement day.

Whenever players thank their god it always makes me wonder . . . did their god want them to win? Did he influence the result? Were their fewer believers in the other team?

Dud seems like a nice bloke…..he is playing his best rugby this year. Last year was pretty forgettable apart from the final. 

"Whenever players thank their god it always makes me wonder . . . did their god want them to win? Did he influence the result? Were their fewer believers in the other team?"

Nope...just Grace for those who accept it...

Beeno there is no God it’s pretty obvious

 I want to refer to the ehading of the thread - if that pplaies to 2024 - I think th answer would be iro of 2024 - the player  would be P-S  du Toit.

Beansht, I doubt whether there is one, but if there is a hell    that's definitely your final destination. Amen.

I think we have 3 top players in the world in the bok side. Namely Kolbe, Ox and Pieter Stehp Du Toit. 

To me Eben should feel hard down by back in 2023 or even 2022 as he was playing out of his skin but the boks didn't hit the same notes as the Irish teams. Normally the number 1 team walks away with the best player of the year. 

If you look when an SA player won the award is when SA won the World Cup and all other years our players get snubbed. 

I know the media is in love with Du Pont, great player but he was very quiet this year, probably because he was on Olympic duty.