Ireland has the best team in the world right now. They have the best system where the collective performance is better than the sum of individual parts.
They may lack outright pace and game-breakers to go all of the way to the final.
Sexton and Furlong and the open flanker at world-class, but they could do with oDriscoll.
When oDriscoll was in his prime, Ireland was good - but nowhere as good as they are today.
My late Oupa said BOD was the best he'd seen since Gerber.
I've always thought he was overated. Good player but nowhere as good as Gerber, Bunce? or even Greenwood.
Ringrose and Hume would go through, over or around BOD.
We remember him how he was at the end of his career...he probably over stayed a bit...I also liked Bunce.
Philippe Sella
Mortlock, Fourie, Gerber, Umaga were some of those who were better. But he was highly effective. The Ireland of the middle of his career was loaded with individual talent, but they lacked the coaching and the tactical nous. That Ireland coached like the present team would have been a major presence at the top end of world rugby. The current team is very good at maintaining their structures and discipline under pressure and at key moments in big games.
Frank Bunce was a #12 playing inside Walter Little. Will Greenwood was a #12 playing inside Mike Tindall or Mike Catt (even though he wore the #13 jersey).
Brian O'Driscoll is one of the all-time great outside centres, right up there with Danie Gerber.
You chaps always forget the great Will Carling
Gerber is the best centre I've seen by far. O'Driscoll was good but a tad susceptible to the odd spear tackle.....
Rooi, I may be wrong but from my faded memory, Bunce always played outside Waltz a Little, not the other way round.
Carling doesn't even rate a mention in the great centres' debate I'm afraid Becs. Presumably you jest by the smiley face ??
Although Gerber played with a 13 on his back...his most games for the Boks were inside center.
And it was probably the combo of Bunce and Little that stood out more than the 2 individuals.
moolaa, I think you might be right about Bunce playing outside Little.
Jason Little & Tim Horan wasn't half shabby either (as pair)...Nonu & Smith...de Villiers & Fourie.
Gerber had a 50/50 split between 12 and 13. Essentially, the first half of his tests are at 12. He commonly had Willie du Plessis has his partner.
A very underrated centre pair was Horan and Daniel Herbert. Watch the awesome 2001 Lions tour to see what I mean.
Whilst He hasn't ever been mentioned as one of the greats, my favourite outside center to have played the game so far is Rene Ranger. He is also my favourite AB player even though he had far too few caps IMHO.
moolaa, Will Carling was great ! But I appreciate what you’re saying and, in that context, I see why he’s absent !
Carling was better than most remember, but it's Jeremy Guscott who is criminally underrated. He is right up there with the best 13s of all time.
I agree with you, Deus. But Will was 13, Jerry played 12.