McCaw ahead of PSDT is insulting or most blindsides for that matter
Read ahead of Vermeulen
Malherbe ahead of Hyman
Marx ahead of Wood
Hooper ahead of Schalk
McCaw ahead of PSDT is insulting or most blindsides for that matter
Read ahead of Vermeulen
Malherbe ahead of Hyman
Marx ahead of Wood
Hooper ahead of Schalk
Not a bad team at all, Moffie.
I would have Sean Fitzpatrick (and Malcolm Marx) ahead of Keith Wood and you're going to have to decide which one of your all-time favourite locks to lose in favour of John Eales, but Eales was in the era under discussion and unless you're hopelessly biased or a rugby noob, he walks any World XV of any era. I'd keep Eben if I were you.
I'd have Pieter-Steph as my blindside flanker and Jonah Lomu as my left wing but I know the very mention of Pieter-Steph gets your heart rate monitor going off the charts and your alternatives aren't bad so I'll say it again, a pretty good team by someone who clearly knows their rugby.
Unluckiest players other than the alternatives I've suggested are Michael Jones, Jonny Wilkinson, Will Jordan and Andre Venter.
Edit: Zinzan Brooke is the best #8 of our era.
I thought about Eales and Joel Cool as options. Larkham too was brilliant. I have no problem with Eales at 5…he was a dominating player.
Jomu in 1995 form was a first choice for the team, let alone as a wing…..it seemed to me that was a bit before our time here, but again I have no problem selecting him.
Dud Toit had two great WC finals but in a very narrow role…Juan Smith might be my next choice. But Schalk, who played more like a blindsider after his injury gets my vote….he made so many contributions every time he was on the park.
Moffie, I've complimented you on selecting a good side but your well-known bias against Pieter-Steph would simply detract from an otherwise good thread so I won't bother, other than to say Pieter Steph, Juan Smith and Andre Venter are all well ahead of Schalk as the blindside flanker, not to mention non-SA players like Richard Hill and Jerome Kaino.
If Schalk is to have a say in a world XV it's as an opensider before his neck injury and I reckon I'd still go with McCaw. Jones or Brussow (or even Kwagga) ahead of him.
My cat caused this double post, she was head-butting me as I hit submit.
And yes, Lomu was probably before the time we were all posting on rugby message boards so I have no problem with Habana.
Just to be clear, my Rugby World XV of the new millenium (which is pretty much the time I've been posting on these boards at the same time as the likes of Moffiie, Saffex, ou Maaik and Baboon-ou):
15 Christian Cullen (don't even try dispute this one)
14 Will Jordan (I'll accept Cheslin Kolbe as an alternative, especially considering I was on the Cheslin bus long before many of his current fans)
13 Brian O'Driscoll (no-brainer in my never humble opinion)
12 Jean de Villiers (unless you consider Manu Tuilagi's one phenomenal year in isolation)
11 Bryan Habana (Jonah Lomu was before this time)
10 Dan Carter (Jonny Wilkinson very unlucky and Hugo Porta and Henry Honiball before the relevant time)
9 Joost (possibly before the time otherwise Faf de Klerk . . . Gareth Edwards still the all-time greatest scrumhalf)
8 Zinzan Brooke if he fits in the timescale or else Duane Vermeulen (Imanol Harinordoquy and Sergio Parisse unlucky)
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (using the SA/French numbering for a blindside flanker)
6 Richie McCaw (George Smith and Heinrich Brussow unlucky)
5 John Eales (never really liked him but always admired him)
4 Eben Etzebeth (best lock of the modern era)
3 Taniela Tupou (Pumas Thomas Gallo unlucky)
2 Malcolm Marx (Dan Sheehan my next choice)
1 Ox Nche (Os du Randt if he falls within the timescale)
Did some ignoranus really just say Hooper ahead of Schalk?
Sweet baby Jesus!
Schalk Burger (pre-injury) is probably the player I'd most want in my team when they don't have the ball, once they get the ball he drops way down the list . . . but as a scavenger in his day he was unmatched.
Mozart
Hall Of Famer43,921 posts
Cullen
Kolbe
BOD
JdV
Habana
Carter
Joost
Beast
Wood
Hayman
Eben
Matfield
Schalk
McCaw…captain
Vermeulen