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It’s a little late but I want you to consider your Super Rugby Team of the Year. I want you to name yours. But first, let me name mine.
1. James Slipper
2. Bismark Du Plessis
3. Kieran Longbottom
4. Brodie Retallick
5. Victor Matfield
6. Boom Prinsloo
7. Michael Hooper
8. Jerome Kaino
9. Faf De Klerk
10. Beauden Barrett
11. Nemani Nadolo
12. Damian De Allende
13. Malakai Fekitoa
14. Henry Speight
15. Jason Woodward
I know what you’re thinking. Why do I have a Super Rugby Team of the Year with players like Faf De Klerk at halfback. Surely a Nick Phipps would be better served there? And why do I have Woodward at fullback? He was good but surely he isn’t anything compared to the three on-fire fullbacks in Israel Folau, Ben Smith and Willie Le Roux?
These are men who ignite comment wars wherever their names are mentioned.
This can be answered simply. Politics. We all know there are politics in sport, and this can lead to players being selected who may not be the best available.
Imagine, you have been selected to pick an Official Super Rugby Team of the Year, this sounds like a great honour right? But you haven’t considered all the pressure that has now been heaved on you. Managers from all 15 Super Teams breathing down your neck. You have to make this fair, with no one left out.
And so you have it. A team of the year, comprising one player from each franchise.
Let’s go out of the hypothetical for a moment. I had a lot of fun with this challenge because of the complexities. You have teams like the Lions, whom perhaps have only a few players you rate and thus demand selection first. It leaves you with teams full of valuable players not having their best player selected as they have good players across the board, and are needed to fill a gap.
You may want to select Wycliff Palu, Bernard Foley, Kurtley Beale or Israel Folau in your team, but they need to make room for other players, so you utilise Sekope Kepu to fill a hole at tighthead.
Simply put the challenge is this – select the strongest team you can, using only one player from each franchise.
Try to select the players in positions they actually played. Enjoy, and hope your memories stretch back far enough to remember the Super season, as I had taken so long to get around to writing this article.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.