Dan Carter, World Rugby Player of the Year 2015
Gregor Paul selects his World XV for 2015 which features 6 All Blacks, 3 Australians and Argentinians, and 1 Fijian, Georgian and Scotsman — and nobody from South Africa, England, Ireland, Wales or France.
15 Ben Smith (New Zealand):
Ben from all accounts had an outrageously good season. He captained the Highlanders to the most unlikely Super Rugby title and then inspired the All Blacks to a World Cup victory. His aerial skills and footwork are unbelievable.
14 Adam Ashley-Cooper(Australia):
Ashley-Cooper is the Wallaby version of Smith. He’s a superb all-round footballer who continually does the right thing. Has pace, footwork, awareness and the ability to covert half-chances. Was deadly at the World Cup.
13 Mark Bennett (Scotland):
A rugged, tough ball runner with innate timing. Picked off the intercept try in the World Cup quarter-final that should have sunk Australia and contributed some big tackling and deft passing.
12 Ma’a Nonu (New Zealand):
Ended his All Black career in the best possible way. Most direct and destructive midfielder world rugby has known. And yet he’s more than bash and dash – throws a cracking long pass, has soft hands and a clever short kicking game.
11 Juan Imhoff (Argentina):
He found his best form at the World Cup and it was impressive. He’s got natural predatory instincts and the pace and power to make good on them. Scored a try against Ireland that was hugely under-appreciated – his timing, decision making and skill were all first class.
10 Dan Carter(New Zealand):
The old class returned once he had the confidence in his body. Vintage Carter. No one else could have snapped those critical goals, or kicked as accurately under pressure as he did. Ten years after he beat the Lions with his running game, he won a World Cup with his kicking game.
9 Aaron Smith (New Zealand):
Was electric for much of Super Rugby and while his passing and running were the headline acts, his kicking game developed into a world-class component of his armoury. Does anyone in the game have a better step?
8 Mamuka Gorgodze (Georgia):
This dude played only 45 minutes against the All Blacks at the World Cup and he was the official man of the match. He’s huge, agile, smashes people off the ball and, despite being the size of a house, motors around and keeps up with the ball.
7 Richie McCaw (New Zealand):
The old master played as well as ever and while some of his Aussie backrow mates won rave reviews, neither David Pocock nor Michael Hooper offered the same range of skills and overall influence as McCaw. He cleaned them both up in the World Cup final.
6 David Pocock (Australia):
He was shown up in the World Cup final for having only the one trick, but it is a magnificent skill he has. No one is as effective at the breakdown as Pocock and his ability to win as much ball as he did had a major impact on the World Cup.
5 Leone Nakarawa (Fiji):
The big Fijian showed an incredible ability to offload and yet not shirk his core roles. He won lineout ball, tackled like a loose forward and carried the ball like an outside back. Was named as the Pacific Island Players’ Association Player of the Year.
4 Sam Whitelock(New Zealand):
The more he played, the better he got. Was a towering force at the lineout and took some critical steals in the World Cup semifinal win over South Africa. What impressed most about him, though, was his tackle count. Whitelock racks up the same sort of numbers as the best loose forwards and he’s also become a world-class ball carrier.
3 Ramiro Herrera (Argentina):
Anchored an impressive Pumas scrum and also thumped about. A huge man but he wasn’t in any way lumbering. Gave the Argentines an air of intimidation.
2 Agustin Creevy (Argentina):
The Pumas captain is a late convert to the hooking role and there is still much of the loose forward about him. He gave Argentina much of their go-forward and added a sparkle to their play with his clever offloads. Threw well at the lineout and got his body into great positions over the tackled ball.
1 Scott Sio (Australia):
A strong, agile, mobile prop with the technical ability and skills to hold his own in the set piece and yet play a meaningful role elsewhere. The Wallabies haven’t had a player likes this for decades.
nzherald
Test cricket must be the best job ever….you start at 10:30 and 2 hours later you go on lunch
Game on?
So all 3 options are still on.
A draw. An English victory. Or a Proteas win.
Who said this match is borefest? Own up!
@ IAAS:
It was a borefest, good thing the wind and weather changed today 😉
@ MacroPolo:
haha
First it is the dropped catches. And now the wind and the weather.
The thing about test cricket is that if you can put 2,even 3, good sessions together, one after the other, you are back in the game.
nortie wrote:
The same can be said about people working for the government. 🙄
@ IAAS:
No doubt the cloud cover this morning made a big difference in the sideways movement. Would be foolish to argue against it.
Geez morris really doing his best booking a spot for the next test match.
@ MacroPolo:
Cloud cover or not, you still have to put it in the right areas. And take the catches that come your way.
Right now, the Proteas are finishing the stronger of the two sides.
@ IAAS:
Definitely. I think the Morris wicket really rattled england… His first spell was sublime, as the second morkel spell.
Too bad Rabada was a bit loose this morning, but really exciting stuff… Always hoping for the best.
43 overs to go…have to feel we need 4 wickets in the next 3 overs.
Great stuff de kock. So close
If only we batted just a fraction faster.
May as well go off. Wont take many more wickets now since the ball has stopped swinging.
The match is all but over. An enthralling contest. Slow on the third day, yes. Boring, no. But in the context of the game and the batting form of the Proteas going into this match, that is what was demanded.
Stokes should get the Man of the Match award.
But Hash’s double ton kept us in the game. Bavuma’s ton put us in the game. And the 2 wickets in the first twenty minutes this morning. Then Piedt’s 3 wickets put the nerves in the English dressing room.
Stokes will get MotM because of the sheer entertainment his knock brought…the other contenders..
Amla’s knock because of the importance that was for (a)his team leading from the front and (b)so badly out of form and the way he played himself back in,Bavuma’s knock for the historical significance.
Well done both sides, really enjoyed that test match, had it all. Looking forward to the next one.
Wow.
Hash has resigned as Proteas captain. I know he was under the pump. But I thought his 201 would have solidified his position.
@ IAAS: Yup, that was a shock on the journey home from work. Nearly drove off the road. Hash is his own man. He decides. Clearly he’s a great thinker and a highly intelligent individual. He also happens to be one of the best batsmen in the world. What he’s done is in South Africa’s best interests and I believe that’s the reason he did it. We have our best Test batsman back. I say that with the full realisation that some are going to argue that AB carries that mantle. Beg to differ. Amla is the most ideal Test batsman any side could wish for, since Kallis. The captaincy compromised that.
Now I can say with confidence; we can compete with and beat the best.
and that 201 was one of the bravest and best knocks I’ve seen, the dropped catches notwithstanding. Its part of the game. The pressure on our ex-captain cannot be overstated and to concentrate for that length of time is simply super-human. Hash I and the cricket world salute you.
Amla said “the decision to stepdown as captain was made 2 weeks ago” which means after some introspection-he came to realize the captaincy pressure is too much for him,wrt his batting being affected-however we all still appreciate the man will continua to do so captain or not.Could be that he batted better knowing he was going to resign as the pressure was now off him.It’s a damn good call by Amla as he is such a talented batsman to be burdened by the weight that the captaincy brings.
* and will continue to do so captain or not.
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