It’s Super Bowl Sunday! Well at least it was.
Tom Brady, Bill Belichich and the New England Patriots ground out a dour 13-3 victory over Sean McVay’s high flying Los Angeles Rams.
The big game got me thinking; if the NFL for some reason wanted a team made up of Super Rugby players to join the league next season, who would make the roster?
A deep dive into 2018 statistics and a full half hours work later, and I believe I’ve got the offence, defence and kickers to give the Pats a run for their money, or at least to be better than the Cardinals.
Here they are:
The Super Rugby Superstars
Offence
Quarterback: Beauden Barrett
A dual-threat playmaker here, not unlike this years MVP Pat Mahomes. An easy choice to get things started, the Hurricanes flyhalf is perfect to lead this team!
Beauden Barrett was a key figure as the All Blacks retained the Bledisloe Cup… Again! (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
Running back: Aphiwe Dyanti
Fast, able to get in and out of his cuts and a strong frame and a viable option catching passes out of the backfield, World Rugby’s breakthrough star of 2018 will lineup as our running back!
Wide Receivers: Israel Folau, Ben Lam
A terrifying pairing on the flanks for our new expansion franchise. Israel Folau, a guy who could conceivably make this transition if he wanted to, adding a fourth football code to his career.
Wide receivers and controversy go hand in hand as well so that will suit Folau as well…Ben Lam, big and strong and able to get those all important yards after the contact. Expect the Hurricanes wing to be the one fighting for first downs when we need it most.
Is there enough sport on FTA? (Photo: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Tight End: Franco Mostert
Our second Lions representative, the versatile backrow forward is a surprise inclusion at tight end but Moster fits the bill perfectly. Tall, quick and able to carry the ball, this guys going to be getting plenty of work both blocking and in the passing game.
Slot Receiver: Ben Smith
Imagine Julie Edelman but with more speed!
Centre: Owen Franks
The captain of the offensive line, Franks’ experience, strength and athleticism makes him the obvious choice as our centre.
Left Tackle: Jeffery Toomaga-Allen
Beauden Barrett’s Blindside needs to be protected, so who better then his own Tighthead teammate, Jeffry Toomaga Allen. A big bruit, but athletic enough to handle the sack hungry pass rushers stateside.
Left Guard: Allan Alaalatoa
One of two Alaalatoa’s on the offensive line, Allan’s fast feet and power make him suitable for the guard position beside Franks.
Right Guard: Steven Kitshoff
Talk about power, Kitshoff has the sheer brutality to deal with the likes of Aaron Donald who’ll be trying to get to our QB.
Right Tackle: Michael Alaalatoa
Alaalatoa just doesn’t miss tackles, so he earns himself a spot anchoring our offensive line from the right.
Defence
Cornerbacks: Juan Imhoff, Rieko Ioane
Raw speed and height to defend those Mahomes bombs!
Safety: Dane Haylett-Petty
Intelligence, bravery and a defensive eye for space, the Rebels fullback will be a key cog in our defence.
Dane Haylett-Petty of the Wallabies runs with the ball during the International Test match between the Australian Wallabies and Ireland at Suncorp Stadium on June 9, 2018 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)
Nickleback: Lukhanyoi Am
To deal with the nippy slot receivers in the NFL, the Sharks dynamite centre is a must have in our secondary.
Middle Linebacker: David Pocock
Leadership and physicality, David Pocock is the only option to captain this defence.
Right Outside Linebacker: Ardie Savea
A multi-tooled player in his day job, I like Savea in this role because he could be as effective rushing the passer as he could be in pass coverage.
Left Outside Linebacker: Kwagga Smith
The Lions backrower will go all day, mostly helping Pocock cover the middle of the field.
Left Defensive End: Malcolm Marx
Try and stop him. Marx is a nice option here because of his ability to drop into coverage and cover a zone.
Right Defensive End: Waisake Naholo
If I may say so myself, I love this pick. Imagine trying to contain Naholo with his blend of speed and size. Nightmare stuff for left tackles everywhere.
Defensive Tackle: Taniela Tupou
The nose tackle is a player who must be quick enough to get off the line and beat his man but also be big and strong enough to handle a double team. Tupou had to be included somewhere, this is probably his best fit.
Taniela Tupou is committed to Australian rugby. (Credit: Sportography/QRU)
Kicker: Hayden Parker
Statistically the best kicker in Super Rugby last year, Parker will have a big role to play in our team success.
Punter: Bernard Foley
Foleys isn’t an obvious choice for our punter but again, statistically, nobody compares to the Wallabies 10, having kicked the ball more times for more yards than anyone else in 2018, whilst remaining low on the error count.
Expecting plenty of feedback for this one. Who do you think should make the squad?
Lewl
Guest
No, Terrence is correct RE linebackers. There are certainly quality LBs at that weight range. Deion Jones is the obvious example - one of the top 3 in the game. Not the only one, though... far from it, just off the top of my head as active players in 2018: Matt Milano, Jerome Baker, Eric Wilson, Roquan Smith, Dorian O'Daniel, Malcolm Smith, Eric Kendricks... even the likes of Zach Cunningham, Darius Leonard, Thomas Davis, Vince Williams, Wesley Woodyard etc could be thrown in there. It's far from a finished list.
piru
Roar Rookie
Calm down mate, this is hypothetical
piru
Roar Rookie
She's worth something like 10 times what he is. I'd be interested to see how he goes without Belichic
Terrence
Guest
what makes you think any top rugby club would offer him a coaching job?..are there any ex-nfl players out there coaching top pro rugby teams?..you propose an unlikely proposition just to slam it?..gosh you're brilliant..
Sheikh
Roar Rookie
What might be interesting is whether, when Brady retires, he could coach rugby. He'd have to learn the game first, but he seems to have a fair grasp of tactic acumen. Of course, Super Rugby simply couldn't afford him - he'd earn far more coaching or doing analysis for the NFL, or simply being Mr Gisele Bundchen!
piru
Roar Rookie
If you're responding to me, I didn't say he was an exceptional athlete. Have another read
piru
Roar Rookie
That's not his fault
Cadfael
Roar Guru
Pocock captain? He isn't even captaining the Brumbies.
Terrence
Guest
..a slow lumbering 41-year-old an 'exceptional athlete'..hardly..
piru
Roar Rookie
Yep, of all the kickers in Super Rugby, he would be the least suited to American Football
piru
Roar Rookie
Tom Brady is a very good football brain, inside a competent athlete, inside and exceptional system.
Sheikh
Roar Rookie
But the article stated: "... if the NFL for some reason wanted a team made up of Super Rugby players to join the league next season, who would make the roster? ... I believe I’ve got the offence, defence and kickers to give the Pats a run for their money, or at least to be better than the Cardinals." So the author considered (tongue-in-cheek, maybe) that Super Rugby players could walk onto an active NFL roster. I don't think they could. I also don't think NFL players are hugely superior athletes (and have never said so). They lack cardio-fitness, and I seriously doubt that any NFL player could make the transition to rugby (league or union); they would probably have more difficulty making such as transition than rugby players heading for the NFL, as the required skill set for rugby is far more varied than that for the NFL. What NFL players are, is superior at the sport they've spent 20 or so years preparing for. Perhaps Hayden Smith could make the switch to NFL precisely because he wasn't a star with Saracans. Maybe there was something about him that lead him to not be a star in rugby, but which allowed him to make it within NFL. Claiming rugby stars would also be NFL stars is like claiming that Roger Federer must be a great golfer, or Tiger Woods could have won Wimbledon. Maybe they could have, maybe they'd have simply been ordinary. We'll never know.
Jacksoc
Roar Rookie
This is a hypothetical discussion. The suggestion is that these players with their size, athleticism and skills would make good NFL players, if they had played Gridiron instead of rugby-I don't believe anyone was seriously suggesting that these guys could go over and walk straight into an active NFL roster. One of the issues I have is that you seem to holding up NFL players as being hugely superior athletes to Super Rugby players, which I don't agree with. Look at Hayden Smith. He was behind three or four second-rowers at Saracens, switched to the NFL and within a year was playing downs at tightend for the Jets. Smith's a good athlete (4.72 40 at 265lb) but no one in rugby would consider him a beast, not when compared to the likes of Nakawara, Retallick, Lawes, Etzebeth, Itoje and Ryan. Of course there are many freaks in the NFL like Clowney, Watt, Fournette, Hill, Gronk etc, but the likes of Ioane, Healy, Nadolo, Tupou, Kolbe, Savea are every bit their equal
Terrence
Guest
seriously doubt tom brady could ever land a super rugby contract in nz..
Rugbyrah
Roar Rookie
Sounded pretty good until you mentioned Foley.
Over here
Roar Rookie
foley? punter? which foley are we talking about? I'd give foley the punt real quick and put someone in there who can kick more than 30 metres. dane haylett petty for instance
Sheikh
Roar Rookie
1) Yes. That's what I've been saying - no current Super Rugby player could currently make it in the trenches for an NFL side; their bodies are conditioned for a different sport. If you gave them a few years notice to build their bodies up, they might be the right size, but they'd also have to learn a new set of skills. Expecting props and hookers who haven't ever had to block (legally!) before to be able to block the best DEs & DTs in the NFL is ridiculous. There are plenty of large lineman who are brought up in the system who don't make it (~98% of college linemen!) 2) Carlin Isles is one of the few rugby players who might have made it in the NFL. He's not only quick, but has amazing acceleration, which is what you really need to make it in the NFL. Some NFL coaches don't like timing players of 40 yards because it's too far; an NFL player rarely has to travel that far in a play (maybe WRs & DBs on long passing plays). Ioane's speed is great, but he probably took 50-60 m to achieve that speed. An NFL WR needs to be at close to top speed after 10 steps. A RB needs to be there after 6. Absolute top speed is fairly pointless - some of the linemen actually have better top speeds than the RBs! Jerry Rice (probably the best WR of all time) never ran quicker than 4.6 for the 40, which would put him slower than many linebackers these days, but was reckoned to be able to accelerate whilst changing direction. That's what got him separation from the DBs. Dwain Chambers, the British 60m & 100m sprinter (and drug cheat) tried out for my american football side. He was too slow. (We laughed when he later got a contract in the NFL Europe, but he'd worked on his initial acceleration.) Just like the props would need to add 30-40 lb to think about being NFL linemen, the speedsters would need to work on their initial acceleration, at the expense of their top speed, to make it in the NFL. There are some rugby players who have that acceleration - Conrad Smith's ability to ghost through a tiny gap comes to mind - but they are usually lacking in other areas. So to sum up my position: could Super Rugby players have been great NFL players if taken into the college set-up at 18? Maybe. Would they be great NFL players if asked to pick it up now. No.
Jacksoc
Roar Rookie
Two things; 1) Rugby players play rugby. It's an aerobic sport that requires big men to be able to drag their bodies around a pitch for up to 80 minutes-that's why there are few players over 300lbs. Most 300lb NFL linemen would need to drop 30 or 40lbs to be able to play rugby competitively. On the flip side, front-five players would be able to pack on extra 30 or 40lbs of muscle because GridIron games don't require anywhere near the same level of aerobic fitness. 2) You don't any cite stats when you say things like 'Savea is too slow', so here's one. Carlin Isles is the fastest man in 7s rugby. He also ran a 4.22 40 in training camp with the Detroit Lions, which is a faster time than any ran by player currently in the NFL. The fastest he's ever been timed playing 7s rugby is 38 kph (23.6 mph). Rieko Ioane clocked 37kph, according to the NZ Herald. Ioane is 6'2 227lbs. He would be one of the biggest freaks in the NFL, as would players like Folau, Tupou, Naholo, Diyanti etc.
piru
Roar Rookie
Pocock would be better at fullback imo
Sheikh
Roar Rookie
I presume you mean Ardie Savea, not Julian. Ardie is 6'2", 220 lb. Pocock is 6'0", 225 lb. The linebackers you mention: Mike Singletary - 5'11", 230 lb - played when everyone was smaller than now. Chris Spielman - 6'0", 250 lb - no-one considered him small (short, maybe). Manti Te'o - 6'1", 240 lb Bobby Wagner - 6'0", 245 lb. Troy Polamalu was a strong safety who was 5"10" and 210 lb. And he was considered small as a strong safety. Te'o, Wagner and Polamalu are known precisely because they are small and put themselves about a bit. Savea and Pocock are both ~220 lb and size-wise would be strong safeties; but both are simply too slow to play SS in the NFL. They'd need to add ~30 lb (~15 kg) to play linebacker in the NFL today. Pocock, at his size, could have played linebacker 30 years ago, but even then would probably have been considered a bit slow.