Rugby World's team of 2018 - 1 Bok player at 2

Cape Town - Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx is the only South African named in Rugby World magazine's team of the year.

The respected magazine comprised the team of the year from a panel of experts from 12 different countries.

The rest of the team includes five New Zealanders, four Irishmen, two Englishmen and one player each from Australia, Fiji and Wales.

An interesting selection is New Zealand's Beauden Barrett at fullback, with Ireland's World Rugby Player of the YearJohnny Sexton preferred at flyhalf.

Rugby World's 2018 team of the year:

15 Beauden Barrett (New Zealand), 

14 Ben Smith (New Zealand), 

13 Jonathan Davies (Wales), 

12 Owen Farrell (England), 

11 Rieko Ioane (New Zealand), 

10 Johnny Sexton (Ireland), 

9 Conor Murray (Ireland), 

8 Kieran Read (New Zealand), 

7 David Pocock (Australia), 

6  Peter O'Mahony (Ireland), 

5 Leone Nakarawa (Fiji), 

4 Brodie Retallick (New Zealand), 

3 Tadgh Furlong (Ireland), 

2 Malcolm Marx (South Africa), 

1 Mako Vunipola (England)

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This may well be the best team, but it seems that many players are out of position to accommodate them. Some players are also out of form like Retalluck, Kieren Sook Reid and Pocock who were injured for most of the season.

I wonder which odd-ball selected the above team.   Not very convincing.   It is only relates to test games tee are some players who were pretty hopeless - yet in the team.

So lets analyze them:-

15   Barrett - he was always selected at 10 and moved to 15 when Mo-unga came from the bench/ He should have been considered at 10 in view as his limited time at full back.

14    Ben Smith - very indifferent performances in most tests  - much below the performer he was as little as two years ago.

8      I think he could at bet be described as a very average performer - Picamoles was far better than Read.

5    I have not seen enough of Nakarawa - but have eriosus reservations about how he matches up against more prominent players/

1    How many game Vunipola played this year?    he was not really top class in the games I watched him. . 

And Mostert and Etzebeth  and Vermeulen and Louw?

Van Staden was a favourite at the start of the season.

WAtch Live:~ https://livestreamingtv24.com/Rugby-Sevens-Cape-Town/

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