its only because Carter is. Wow what a player and to think some clowns would select Morne ahead of him. What an insult.
The lad is just magic and walked the MOM today against Wales. His vision, his hands, his feed........just sublime........which try did he not have a hand in.
Now that is what you call a creative pivot
Saffex you are obviously an astute rugby analyst - QC is a champion and has been for the last 3 or 4 years he has matured more now and takes better options but it just shows how BAD idiot KIWI coach deans was -
that was a pretty solid performance from the wallabies and with exception of betn referee against the poms it well coukld have been 5/5 - also the first time the wallabies have won 4 in a row since 2008 - another damning stat against idoit kiwi deans.....
anyway Folau after one season in the game clearly the best 15 in the world and can onlky get better - it will be interesting to see if wallabies can keep the pack togethere and add a bit more size and mongrel becasue i think the real threat is going to come from the saffas - especially with the size of their forward pack -
the kiwis have peaked and on the slide now....
BTW SBW showed up for the very average rugby league player he is last night with the Aussies absolutely schooling the tryhard kiwis in rugby league - SBW had nothing and just shows hes all hype and that the player of the year call was just marketing strategy.....
next for the 2nd ashes test.... i feel aussie sport has turned the corner....!!!!
The Chiefs are coming for QC in Feb preseason match so get back to us after he faces Cruden...
....the only AB game Cruden has been involved in that lost ever is against England last year where Carter had a shocker...so given how many recent Super XV titles the Chiefs have with Cruden as playmaker ( despite playing injured ) and the hand he had in the ABs perfect record this year, his kicking stats and all his other stats compared to QC ...there's no comparison... Cruden is No 1....
"The man plays 1 blinder in amongst all the shit he produces and now he is worlds best 10!"
"We have been in exactly this place before, and the same posters were claiming him the worlds best. They never learn."
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Listen Beens.... All I remember about the yellowbelly Quadupe is the semi final of the RWC 2011 with him standing in the in goal area behind a wall of Ozzie defenders. The only othet thing I remember is his hands slinding off Nonu's shoulder in the poorest of poor attempt at a tackle costing his team the game.
Tap me on the shoulder when he has a decent game against the AB's or the Boks,until then I couldn't give a flying 'Roo fart about his new found "maturity"
Denny keeping it real.
Now let me come into the discussion. Cooper had an excellent game yesterday - there can be no arguments about that one. If he maintains that level of performance in in Super 15 and the RC - he would really be a handful in future. I like very much the way he played yesterday - innovative and very dangerous most of the time.
On the other hand I do not look at one incident in a game or for that matter one game to judge players on. I prefer to watch a series of games and then come to a conclusion.
At this stage I think the jury is out on the best flyhalf at present in the world. I believe it is Carter - but indications are he is on the way out. The lot that followed him in the race - Cruden, Barrett and Cooper - will have ample opportunity in Super 15 to come to the fore.
What I do know is that the SA teams have problems at 10. Aside from kicking at goal - Morne Steyn is useless in both defence and attack and a serious liability to have in any team. Lambie is a much better all-round flyhalf - but his goal kicking has to improve drastically. Goosen is always good in him having excellent ball sense - with a question mark about his kicking at goal. The ball sense whiz kid - Swiel - is an excellent kicker at goal.
I am going to make a forecast about Super 15 next year. I think the top flyhalfs in SA in Super 15 will be Goosen, Lambie and Swiel - with the latter being the one really to look out for under Jake White - that is if he gets enough playing time.
Steyn to my mind is part of Bok history - but he let the Boks down so often that we should forget about him in future.
Wardad
Barrett looks very good in attacking ball carry. I have serious reservations about his defence though - he did not look good in that Department - both in tests and in the past Super 15 series. I like him though - matter of fact I think he has more ball sense than the dour Cruden - but he needs to improve drastically in defence. Lets see how he goes in that Department of the game in Super 15 in 2014.
With Carter dodgy at this stage - Barrett will get more game time in tests was well - so he will really be put to the test next year in test rugby as well.
Beeno
You pick three guys that would give Barre tt a hard tackle - I can understand Vermeulen and Bismarck - but the third choice Sloth Alberts will never make any tackle on Barrett. The only way Sloth will tackle any backline player is if they run straight at him - two meters either side of him and he will either miss the tackle - fairly standard - or attempt no tackle at all. You need a modicum of speed to tackle backline players - a commodity entirely missing in the case of Sloth.
All the talk about 10's and South Africans have'nt even seen the Blues new standoff...haha what a suprise dem Blues got in store for you...code hopper Benji Marshall will be the talk of the town...
...has All Black aspirations and NZ Sevens rep aspirations for Rio...
A very ambitious kiwi keen to impress and about to be cut loose on the Super XV comp...
...great passing game , mean step, can kick , very tricky and elusive so just the tonic for an ailing Blues outfit...
...add ABs Nonu, Piutau, Halai, Saili to the backline...looking dangerous...
Brycy
I am not overly impressed by that backline of the Blues. The only player in that backline that made any impression in Super 15 was Charles Piutau. If Nonu can last out a match without a card - and without getting penalized for illegal tackles, maybe he would make a contribution. Without Ranger that backline is a house of cards and they still do not have a decent forward pack. Their only really decent forward is Steven Luatua
Marshall ????????????????
Brycy
I am not overly impressed by that backline of the Blues. The only player in that backline that made any impression in Super 15 was Charles Piutau. If Nonu can last out a match without a card - and without getting penalized for illegal tackles, maybe he would make a contribution. Without Ranger that backline is a house of cards and they still do not have a decent forward pack. Their only really decent forward is Steven Luatua
Marshall ????????????????
...not so clever mike i think even a misery guts like you will be impressed by Benji Marshall...yr right about Ranger being a big loss to them...but tell me why should South Africa have a monopoly on all the yellow cards?
... Will be interesting to see what chemistry that Blues backline has next year with Nonu running off Benji and Piutau running into the line... Saili and Halai also no slouches....
...could spell big trouble for SA franchises with that globetrotters basketball style running rugby NZ is famous for about to be unleashed by the new look Blues...
Dave, you dumb son of a bitch. Spare us your take on a flyhalf please. You think Jantjies is a good player and the answer to SA's troubles at 10.
You know fuck all about a flyhalf. Quade has hit a purple patch against NH teams that have not shown good form over the past month and now all of a sudden you bracketing him with Carter. You are clearly fucked in the head.
Carter has played 100 tests for the AB's and plenty games for the Crusaders. Every game he has been a star player and done well. Quade has performed exceptionally well in about 10% of his games, been ordinary and done the necessary in about 30% and been dismal in about 60% of them..Just like Jantjies.
Please, dont insult Carter by mentioning him in the same sentence as Cooper.
You will see, come 2014 Super rugby and RC, Quade will be back to his usual self the min the pressure goes back on him. Carter thrives in pressure..Cooper loses it.
Dont be dumb Dave. Stop making these premature calls that leave you with egg on your face..Haha Cooper second to Carter..Ha ha Cooper is not even the best 10 in his country! Lealifano should be play 10.
Brycy
We had the same story about the Blues last year an where did they end up? At the start if the season we were also told that the Highlanders with Nonu are prime candidates to win the trophy. Nonu did his ultra best to ensure that the Highlanders went nowhere.
If Nonu repeats what he did this year for the Highlanders - it was a bad move to contract him for Super 15 next year. I have no hope that he will improve this year and being rapidly on the way to 32 years of age - he is kept in the All Black team in the absence of SBW.
I agree Benji Marshall will be a name all will be discussing come this next s15 season.
He is very Quade like and could have been one of the players QC has based his style on...
Benji has been tested in the tough arena of NRL so tackling wont be a problem hes got enough experience to give the kiwis and Blues a good shake.
But the Blues perpetually have cultural issues within the team they always look good on paper... we'll see if they can put a season together.
Anyway agree with the call - Benji Marshall one to watch @ 5/8 this year.....
For me Goosen is the future of 10 for the saffas - if he can stay fit for the next 2 seasons or so - THERE is the answer to unleashing the saffa backline... especially behind THAT forward pack.
..That said JK might trial Benji at fullback and alternate him with Charles Piutau ...in addition to experimenting with Benji at standoff alternating him with Baden Kerr and Chris Noakes who's just back from neck surgery...to see where's Benji's best fit...
Good depth there like the Chiefs so always healthy when players are competing with each other for positions... an incentive to perform well or be replaced being added motivation...
...all will be revealed in preseason when the Blues clash with the Mighty Chiefs...
Just_win
Just like the Blues this year? They had a huge pre-season hype around them - yet in the longer run they fade out.
They have had the classy Piutau at full back and their most dangerous player was Rene Ranger. However, their forwards were poor (with the exception of Luatua) and their flyhalfs worse. Piri Weepu looked good in the first three matches an then petered out.
I do not believe in pre-season hype - if the Blues up their performances they may do better this year than last year - but the main issue is wrapped up in one word - IF.
Cloudy-headed you are either too young or too dense to realise that Benji and Quade have HEAPS in common.
Both were schooled in Australia (so naturally more intelligent)
Both excellent attacking players
Both crappy defenders - although Benji now ~31yo has bulked up and learnt to tackle - QC is ~24yo and LEARNING to tackle....
Both sported extremely dodgy faddish kiwi mullet tracked hair cuts
Both have the wildly unpreditable passing and stepping game
Both are maoris who have made it good in Australia...
So tell me what are their differences again????
Except that QC gave his loyalty to the country that gave him so much opportunity where as Benji choose to never play Elite rugby league by choosing NZ over State of Origin....
