Roar Guru
Joined December 2014
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Just another rugby mad teen, passionate kiwi living in Aussie.
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Since the expansion of the Super Rugby competition in 2015 to meet the demands of an increasingly globalised sporting landscape, it is fair to…
Rugby's Top 100 players returns again this week for the tenth and final time, as the Rugby World Cup is now mere days away,…
The Top 100 makes its return this week for the ninth and penultimate edition of the overall countdown, looking at the players ranked from…
The Top 100 returns this week with the eighth instalment in the series, as the top 30 players in the world begin to be…
The Top 100 once again returns this week, counting down those players ranked from 40 to 31. Last week's edition concluded with English tighthead…
The Top 100 moves into the final 50 this week, marking the second half of the countdown as well as five weeks until the…
The Top 100 reaches the halfway point this week, counting down numbers 60-51, after concluding last week with Argentine flyhalf Nicolas Sanchez. 60 –…
The Top 100 returns again this week for another edition, this time counting down numbers 70 to 61 after concluding last week with Irish…
The Top 100 returns again this week with its next edition, this time counting down the players ranked 80 to 71, concluding last week…
The second edition of the Top 100 continues this week counting down numbers 90 to 81, after concluding last week with Springbok loosehead Tendai…
It is an event that has lingered on the horizon for many a year now, promising the best of what the rugby world has…
What defines a successful team? It's the question that has stumped clubs, franchises and nations for as long as sport has existed. How can…
In light of the Telegraph's release of their top 100 current players in world rugby, some decisions had me thinking, just who are the…
Another week, another fantastic round. With the early season blues now behind us, and the actual Blues behind everyone, teams are slowly beginning to…
From Newlands to New Plymouth, this has been a week where on-field exploits were overshadowed by drama beyond the white lines and advertising signs.…
It's that time of the year again. Like Bolt in Berlin, Super Rugby came flying back onto our TV screens on Friday, marking the…
G'day everybody, hope you are all doing well, and let me state officially what a privilege it is to have you all peruse my…
Thanks mate!
Geez I had no idea about that. Talk about a career altering decision.
Rugby's Top 100 finale: Recap and 10-1
Great to hear you’ve enjoyed it RT. Agree with Taylorman here, as long as you’re tuned in throughout September and October, the rest doesnt matter!
Rugby's Top 100 finale: Recap and 10-1
You are right Haydn, it is perhaps a little generous given Read’s current form, but he does look to be getting back to his best and we all know what that is like. One could make a case for him appearing anywhere within the top 10.
Rugby's Top 100 finale: Recap and 10-1
Yes I think Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is only a matter of time away now. Glad you enjoyed it mate!
Rugby's Top 100 finale: Recap and 10-1
One of the rules I established at the start is that I would not speculate on whether a player would shine at test level or not. NMS is good, but still has a lot to prove in my eyes. Also keeping in mind that by the time he made his debut only the Top 30 were left to be unveiled.
Rugby's Top 100 finale: Recap and 10-1
If I had a dollar for every time I heard that one.
Australia will not be complacent against United States
Mate as a fellow SC fan im as optimistic as anybody in regard to their chances this year. An underrated receiving core with a standout walk on whose name escapes me (check their website) adding some depth, a selection headache at running back, and a strong looking defence with a lot of returning starters. I think the recruitment of Iman Marshall, who was the top rated secondary DB in high school last year will help immensely, especially given that if he shines early on, Adoree Jackson is likely to see more time as a valid receiver. He was outstanding against Notre Dame and the Holiday bowl at the back end of last season.
One thing I am concerned about though is their draw. I understand it is a bit of a cop out to blame externals even in advance, but it certainly doesn’t favour them. I think ESPN had them at 2nd in regard to their schedule difficulty rankings. Another one is their short pass defence. In Su’a Cravens they have a talented Safety (if he isnt used as a LB), but not an awful lot past that. Again, Marshall could make a huge difference here.
If they are to move into the national championship games, burnout from a tough season could really hurt them. Tough to see them knocking over Ohio State who look unbelievably good all over once Bosa and co serve their early suspensions. Still, I remain optimistic.
College football 2015: Five stories to follow in 2015
Hard to disagree with that Chinmay. Halves efforts, no matter the class of the players wearing the jerseys, will almost perpetually be at least partly determined by the performances of the players in front of them. Ireland were out passioned and out done up front, and it certainly showed. Having said that, it is important not to make knee jerk reactions in regard to a perception of a player after one dud performance.
Rugby's Top 100: 20-11
Im glad to hear you’re enjoying it RT! iv attempted to become as Rankean as possible for this and keep my own biases out of the affair as best I can. Fortunately the rugby championship did not demand a complete re-shuffle of players, minus a select few. Some players rank themselves, others require some degree of discretion to be utilised.
Rugby's Top 100: 20-11
As a Crusaders fan, as much as I would love that to be the case, it flat out isnt. Putting in a kick behind him and forcing him to turn and run is one glaring difference between he and Savea. The latter may be able to cover it, however Nadolo’s top speed and weight does not allow for it. Defensive alignment is another one; Savea is one of the best in the world in this respect.
Rugby's Top 100: 20-11
Close to 10 kgs. A huge increase given a loss of athleticism as a result would make the whole idea of weight gain as a method of improvement completely counter-intuitive.
Rugby's Top 100: 20-11
You should re-read the biography I have given. This list is to showcase the Top 100 players in the world AS OF NOW. Carter in my opinion has not only been my idol since childhood, but will go down as the greatest back ever to play the game, but he is not a top 10 player in the world right now. Five years ago? Absolutely. Probably number one. But just because a payer has achieved something in the past does not mean his current form is obsolete. I have given him the credit he deserves. Many would argue 13 is very generous.
Rugby's Top 100: 20-11
Harry I would love to hear your sentiments of how you think this would play out, specifically the High court case (if it goes through). It is to my understanding that this party would need some sort of political mechanism that specifically states that 30% of selected players must be coloured, and this policy would not come into play until a few years after the world cup (from what I have heard). My knowledge on this is sketchy, but it certainly seems like an intriguing topic. Sentimentality driven arguments never succeed in court, but one suspects there is a bit more to it than just that.
Court bid to bar Springboks from World Cup
and subsequently struggle to adapt against a side that is actually able to test them. An easy pool in ’07 meant the All Blacks went through to the finals whilst barely breaking a sweat, however what happened after that is hard to forget. The contrary to this is Pool A, where the winner could realistically be any one of four teams, who will have to work hard to top their pool, but are blessed with a much easier finals run.
2015 Rugby World Cup: Pool C preview
Edward this is not meant to be a swipe at you in any way, as I am a big fan of your writing, but how can you claim that Burgess may be one of the most potent defensive players in the game after only a handful of appearances at centre? Its a nice thought that he could adapt that quickly, but in reality a clear thinking opposition coach would immediately recognise the flaws in his defensive alignment. Hitting hard means very little when a player does not have the ability to work within a defensive gameplan, and can get drawn out of the line as a result of dummy runners, passes etc. The 3rd test between the all blacks and england last year in Hamilton demonstrated this whole concept. Kyle Eastmond, as potent as he is, was exposed badly by New Zealand’s backline off the set piece. So often he was sucked in, drawn out, and the like that he was responsible for three of NZ’s tries before the half time mark. One would suspect the same will happen to Burgess. It isnt his fault he is not yet able to play tactics on defence, anyone would struggle after six games, but if he is selected at centre he will be badly exposed, and in a knockout tournament that could mean goodnight for England. Sure he can hit, but reading opposition D is far more important, and he likely wont get a chance to strut his stuff. He is still far too green for my liking.
Burgess' selection is a stroke of genius
Its the most difficult part of the countdown Peter, are form drops just that, or do they reflect the final decline of a player? If i was able to conclude it was only form and not the latter, then I would have no problem ranking them highly. I only see Kuridrani’s situation as the former, and Kaino has slowly worked his way back into form after an outstanding season of super rugby.
Rugby's Top 100: 30-21
As someone who usually supports the super rugby/ national side he plays against, i tend to notice how much he can disrupt the flow of a team. Its all relative really to the team you support, you tend to notice the bad things more than the good things.
Rugby's Top 100: 30-21
lets not forget about those who come on and vote for absolutely ridiculous marks too. Someone gave Dane Coles a 1, assuming outliers are taken into account on this that would probably have gotten him over 8, which would be totally deserved.
DIY player ratings: Bledisloe 2 - the results
He was tough to rank, but in all honesty there doesn’t seem to be some standout factor contributing to his performances ie. his age. I still think he has the potential for a few world class performances.
Rugby's Top 100: 40-31
Quite true. But short term form has never played much of a part for me in making these decisions. Sexton almost single handedly won the six nations earlier this year, and Read was another who was outstanding all of last season. These two have clearly not been at their brilliant best recently but that should not impact to greatly IMO. A Smith was simply too good this year not to recognize. It is difficult to define the balance I attempted to create between form and potential, and the beautiful thing about ranking players is that the criteria in making a decision is simply so vast that there will never be one sole opinion. You yourself make some excellent points.
Rugby's Top 100 finale: Recap and 10-1