Would your World XV be Aussie-free?

Roar Guru

By pothale, 28 Sep 2009 Pot Hale is a Roar Guru

Tagged:: Rugby Union, Springboks, Super Rugby, The Springboks, Tri Nations, wallabies

Related coverage

So as the southern hemisphere season comes to a close, and the northern hemisphere season has kicked off again. Who has put their hand up for inclusion in a current World XV?

Ireland and South Africa have taken most of the cup honours with the Grand Slam, Triple Crown, Heineken Cup, Magners League, S14, and Tri-Nations sitting in their respective cupboards.

But inevitably, certain players shine no mater what. Many people would have put Australian, Rocky Elsom, as a shoo-in for a jersey after his season’s performance with Leinster finished with a Heineken Cup medal in his pocket.

However, the rigours and foibles of his national team-mates in the Tri Nations took the sparkle off what had been a good start to the year.

Sergio Parisse was one of the top players in the 6 Nations and at club level, despite Italy coming nowhere once again including their summer tour down south.

Argentina did well against England during the summer, and their players shone at various levels in the Top 14.

The Super 14 featured South Africa and New Zealand in the business end of the competition, with the South African Bulls walking away with the final, scoring tries for fun in a truly lop-sided game. Half the Bulls side were destined to walk into the national Bok side for the Lions’ tour visit.

The four home nations got a chance to shine on their tour to South Africa. They went home defeated 2-1, but their reputations as a touring team was restored with players like Simon Shaw, Tommy Bowe, Rob Kearney, Jamie Heaslip, and Mike Phillips discovering new playing heights.

South Africa continued to dominate the headlines winning all of their Tri-Nations home matches, with players like Broussow, Morne Steyn, Fourie as well as Habana, Smith, du Preez making waves. They went on to win two of their away matches too, whitewashing the All Blacks in the process.

Australia and New Zealand fought it out on the last day to see who would get the unwanted wooden spoon, with very few players receiving plaudits from their media and fans for their performances.

Still, form is temporary, and class is permanent, so who would you put into your current World XV?

Enjoy sports? Enjoy a bargain? All Sports Online has your favourite sporting brands at up to 70% off. Online only, premium quality sporting goods and merchandise at discounted prices. Get a deal now.

The Crowd Says (64) | Page 1 of Comments

Frank O'Keeffe said | September 28th 2009 @ 10:41am | Report comment

Benn Robinson would in my World XV right now. Os du Randt rates him the best loose-head in the world and he’s gotta be close. Tony Woodcock would also be close, but he needs to stop touching the ground during every scrum.
Elsom probably would make a World XV, but he hasn’t played enough Test rugby for me to be sure of that, and he went missing in Wellington.

The good thing about the year in which Lions tours take place is you can actually guage how good everyone from four countries are at one time. So I’ll have a stab.

1. Benn Robinson
2. Bismark du Plessis
3. Adam Jones
4. Bakkies Botha
5. Victor Matfield
6. Juan Smith
7. Heinrich Brussow
8. Pierre Spies
9. Fourie du Pleez
10. Dan Carter
11. Bryan Habana
12. Jean de Villiers
13. Brian O’Driscoll
14. Cedric Heymans
15. Rob Kearney

I wanted to squeeze a few more Frenchmen in there, but Marc Lièvremont chopped and changed his front row so much that it’s difficult to pick one front-rower who dished it up to the All Blacks. The French scrum was dominant in that series, but yeah their coach just changed the front-row too much.

Bismark du Plessis was consistently good in this tri nations are deserved his spot. Only Tatafu Polota-Nau played better than him and that was only one game in Brisbane. Whether or not you consider the Beasts scrummagging to be illegal or not, you can’t deny that Jones did a better job against him than Vickery.

The front-row picks itself. Botha may be South Africa’s best forward, and while Matfield is overrated in terms of how much he does around the park, he’s such an awesome line-out exponent that no coach in the world would ever drop him and trade on that ability. He wins games just off the line-out alone. I’ve never seen a better line-out exponent.

The back-row is tricky and I felt bad selecting an all-South African back-row. Juan Smith is underrated. He’s a very good player and people were insane to think South Africa would drop him so they could play Burger (two opensides). South Africa have the most balanced back-row in the world and Smith is a huge part of that. Brussow was probably better against the Lions than in the Tri-Nations, but I can’t think of any game where McCaw was clearly better than him, if better than him at all. Maybe that last SA/NZ game McCaw was better. Spies is freak of a player and got a lot of undeserved criticism I didn’t understand in these tri-nations.

du Preez is an easy choice and probably the best player in the world right now. Carter returning just showed how above everybody else he is when he’s at his best. New Zealand are a much less fearsome side when he’s not there. Even though he’s only played a few games, he’s just so many leagues above everybody else.

Habana I was iffy about. I’m not a huge fan of him, and for a lot of the tri nations he spent his time chasing high balls. He’s the best chaser in the world, which is actually an important thing in the South African side. Of course give him a chance and he can burn you off. What really got Habana into this side was his defensive effort in Brisbane. Wonderful.

I had to pick Cedric Heymans for scoring probably the best individual try I have seen in the past 5 years. Let me see if I remember. He burnts off Corey Jane, beat Muliana with an in and away, beat the covering no 8 (forget who it was), and stepped into Sivivatu for the try. Wonderful.

Jean de Villiers I have no hesitation about. I feel bad about putting so many Saffies in this World XV, but he’s not one of them. What a wonderful centre! Robbie Deans rates him the South African player that’s the most dangerous. He certainly was dangerous from set plays and he’s the intercept king. Jim Boyce wrote a nice little post about him not too long ago I wish I could dig-up when he compares his talents to John Gainsford. It was quite insightful.

O’Driscoll was the player of the Six Nations – a six nations which bore only Ireland’s 2nd ever Grand Slam. O’Driscoll stood-up in those games and often did what had to be done. For the Lions he was fantastic. He and Roberts made such a great centre pairing it’s a shame they’re not from the same country. I think the Lions missed him in the last quarter of the 2nd Test. They had to rearrange things and the part where they had the most peneration – through the centres – was no longer an option for them.

Muliana was the world’s best fullback but he had an indifferent tri nations. Actually he wasn’t that bad, it was more Rokocoko and occasionally Sivitvatu who were found wanting. Muliana took some couragous grabs against South Africa. With hindsight perhaps Kearney should have been in the Lions 1st Test line-up. Ever since Ireland played New Zealand in 2008 he’s looked like a classy attacker. That first try he scored for the Lions in the second Test showed wonderful composure and skill.

Well I feel bad putting so many South African forwards in there, but at least in the backs there’s a bit of variety.

Reply
- MarkR said | September 28th 2009 @ 4:28pm | Report comment
  
  Cedric Heymans made that run for 20 metres without once stepping out of the 5m tram lines….it was breath taking….
  
  Reply
Frank O'Keeffe said | September 28th 2009 @ 12:10pm | Report comment

Actually with hindsight maybe I should have put Imanol Harinordoquy in my team. He was fantastic against Wales this year in what was probably the best Test of the year. Where was he when France were in New Zealand anyway?

Reply
- Knives Out said | September 30th 2009 @ 9:21pm | Report comment
  
  Injured.
  
  Reply
Hoy said | September 28th 2009 @ 1:20pm | Report comment

I say Frank, that you don’t have to apologise for so many saffas when their team is clearly the worlds best right now.

I would personally play McCaw over Brussouw. Class for too long to be left out because he was forced to play a lone hand trying to hold his team together.

Reply
JamesB said | September 28th 2009 @ 1:28pm | Report comment

Well you have to include Carter and McCaw as they have won an astonishing 88pct of games when they both play.

Reply
Hammer said | September 28th 2009 @ 4:01pm | Report comment

Would your World XV be Aussie-free? – yes …

Robinson has been the standout Wallaby this year – but really that’s not too hard given they’ve been poor … The AB scrum again coped easily with the Wallabies in Wgtn and Robinson didn’t budge his opposite all night …. Woodcock, even though a bit off form early on in the tri nations due to returning from injury, has been the standout loosehead of the competition … and their only other real contender – Elsom – has been off his game since returning from up Nth and then being injured … he’s been slow and ineffectual

Reply
Knives Out said | September 28th 2009 @ 9:54pm | Report comment

Robinson has been very good, but I’d have to include Roncero. He is granite tough.

1. Roncero, 2. Du Plessis, B., 3. Jones, A., 4. Shaw, 5. Matfield, 6. Croft, 7. McCaw, 8. Heaslip,
9. Du Preez, 10. Carter, 11. Habana, 12. Roberts, 13. O’Driscoll, 14. Bowe, 15. Kearney

16. Szarzewski, 17. Marconnet, 18. Albacete, 19. Spies, 20. Phillips, 21. Steyn, M., 22. Nalaga

Reply
van der Merwe said | September 28th 2009 @ 11:00pm | Report comment

No one is doubting McCaw’s legendary status or that he played well despite the invisibility of his teammates, but how can he justifiably make a world 15 this year over someone who outplayed him two, maybe three times?

Reply
- Knives Out said | September 28th 2009 @ 11:10pm | Report comment
  
  I think Brussouw started the 3N tournament with a bang (and the Lions series) but then fell off. McCaw carried well and did so much good stuff. I think he had an underrated tournament. Anyway, all things considered I really struggle with the world 22 theories. Does one include players in the team so that the team would play in a certain manner, or just pick in their opinion the best 22 players? I think that for every position there are a handful of world class players. For example at openside flanker: McCaw, Ouedraogo, Brussouw and Williams. At loosehead: Robinson, Woodcock, Roncero, Sheridan, Jenkins and Barcella. What separates them? Would Williams be even better with a stronger pack than the Welsh pack? There are endless permutations. In hindsight given the pack I’ve selected (with an agenda of a tough front row and mobile back five) I’d probably consider Williams ahead of McCaw and Brussouw. Horses for courses and all that.
  
  Reply
- ohtani's jacket said | September 29th 2009 @ 1:53am | Report comment
  
  McCaw wasn’t outplayed in those Tests. That was such a fallacy. Brussouw played with the best backrow in the competition. McCaw didn’t get any help at blindside until the final Test. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Brussouw is Richie McCaw circa 2002-03.
  
  I don’t see the point in this exercise until the end of November, but Carter and McCaw are the only All Blacks I’d consider at this stage. To date, the All Blacks have only played well against the Wallabies. Matfield, Botha and du Preez would be locks from South Africa. No Wallabies.
  
  Reply
  - mother teresa said | September 29th 2009 @ 6:35am | Report comment
    
    yep;but mccaw,carter were not great imo whatever the reasons ;but you are probably right oj
    
    Reply
  - van der Merwe said | September 29th 2009 @ 7:51am | Report comment
    
    I include the Crusaders/Cheetahs game in that assessment, by the way.
    
    I agree that he didn’t get the same support that Brussow did. Although I have to disagree with inadequacies you refer to at blindside, as I actually thought Kaino was very unlucky to be dropped. If you ignore his repeated infringements in the Durban Test, he was very industrious around the park throughout the tournament and, if you watch the Hamilton game, was very prominent in bringing the Bok’s mauls to a hault. Veterans like So’oialo and Thorn shouldn’t be cut more slack than Kaino.
    
    Reply
    - Jerry said | September 29th 2009 @ 12:20pm | Report comment
      
      So’oialo hasn’t been cut more slack, he’s been dropped to the bench most of the season.
      
      Reply
pothale said | September 29th 2009 @ 2:39am | Report comment

Maybe I should have said class is more permanent, but current form for club and country this year would merit you for inclusion in a current World XV.

1. Benn Robinson
2. Bismark du Plessis
3. Adam Jones
4. Simon Shaw
5. Victor Matfield
6. Rocky Elsom
7. Heinrich Brussow
8. Jamie Heaslip
9. Fourie du Preez
10. Stephen Jones
11. Tommy Bowe
12. Lifiemi Mafi
13. Brian O’Driscoll
14. Cedric Heymans
15. Rob Kearney

Reply
- Knives Out said | September 29th 2009 @ 4:15am | Report comment
  
  I happened to catch Sirelio Bobo the other day, and he still has it. There’s some real Island talent out there. No room for Paul Hodgson in your XV?
  
  Reply
- katzilla said | September 29th 2009 @ 7:14am | Report comment
  
  Your 15 is very close to my own Pot, Except I don’t entirely agree with club performance as an indicator of worlds best.
  NZ have plenty of clubmen who are outstanding at a provincial level yet would never make it at international.
  I think your clubman from Munster would be the same.
  
  Going on the very last international I saw from any international 2nd fives, i’d give it to Riki Flutey.
  Although JDV is permanent Class.
  
  Reply
  - Knives Out said | September 29th 2009 @ 7:16am | Report comment
    
    No Jamie Roberts, Katzilla?
    
    Reply
  - pothale said | September 29th 2009 @ 9:31am | Report comment
    
    Well, since Mafi is Tongan, his opportunities for International test play are limited. i just think he was a class act last season for Munster and made a huge contribution to their winning the Magners. I was watching him again at the weekend albeit at 13 this season, and he is a great presence in the midfield. He suffered initially in previous years from rushing up too soon and leaving his line exposed but he has matured into one of the great unsung centres in NH. I like him a lot. His breaks and runs in midfield are eye catching, he links well with people like Howlett, Hurley and Murphy, and scores some lovely tries but more often helps to make them for others. His tackles on guys twice his size are astonishing in their ferocity and their effectiveness – he not only brings them down but invariably manages to snaffle the ball. If only he hadn’t played NZ 7s, he’d be in the Ireland squad in the morning. Or quite a few other test squads as well.
    
    Reply
    - Knives Out said | September 29th 2009 @ 9:30pm | Report comment
      
      Howlett scored a nice try on the weekend. Did you see it?
      
      Reply
      - pothale said | September 29th 2009 @ 11:18pm | Report comment
        
        Yep. Still a great runner who has an eye for an opening and the gas to take it. But he wouldn’t be good enough for the ABs…..
        
        Reply
        
        Knives Out said | September 29th 2009 @ 11:20pm | Report comment
        
        You think? In light of Rokocoko’s average form, Sivivatu’s erratic nature and a lack of domestic alternatives? He’s a very, very clever player. I’d love to have him playing in England.
        
        Here’s something that I noticed today that corresponds to your article:
        
        http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16016_5592556,00.html
pothale said | September 29th 2009 @ 11:49pm | Report comment

Well, I say that about Howlett in the same way that I said Elsom wasn’t good enough for the Wallabies and should stay put in Leinster.

Reply
- Knives Out said | September 29th 2009 @ 11:54pm | Report comment
  
  I see, I see. He’s a class act.
  
  Reply
pothale said | September 30th 2009 @ 12:19am | Report comment

No, no, no – he’s average – don’t forget that he’s just collecting his pension as a has-been in the Northern Hemisphere…..

Reply
- Knives Out said | September 30th 2009 @ 12:28am | Report comment
  
  One of those guys, eh. Too many of them around, that’s for sure. I mean.. if Riki Flutey can make the England team then they really must be in dire straits in that part of the rugby world.
  
  Reply