Mntboy Posted December 9, 2020 Share I did not pay close attention, but surely Sonny Bill should have featured? Maybe jumping back and forth between Union and League cost him, but inventing the offload in the tackle should count for something. Definitely one of the most influential players in the last decade?Personally I never rated SBW. And the offload in the tackle seems to be the only thing he's really known for imho. I would rate Jamie Roberts as better. He was huge influence on a strong Welsh side and played a big role in the 2013 Lion's win over Aus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delarey Posted December 9, 2020 Share Personally I never rated SBW. And the offload in the tackle seems to be the only thing he's really known for imho. I would rate Jamie Roberts as better. He was huge influence on a strong Welsh side and played a big role in the 2013 Lion's win over Aus.I liked him. That offload in the tackle defined much of backline play the past decade. Even if he is known for only that, its not the same as being known for big or strong or fast. Many players are known for those things, but very few players single handedly change the game. He changed the game. Edited December 9, 2020 by Delarey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mntboy Posted December 9, 2020 Share I liked him. That offload in the tackle defined much of backline play the past decade. Even if he is known for only that, its not the same as being known for big or strong or fast. Many players are known for those things, but very few players single handedly change the game. He changed the game.He is still not making it into my match day 23 or my all time All Blacks 23 for that matter. [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23] You see a genius, I don't. While I will admit that SBW was an exceptional player I don't feel that he was greater or equal to a number of his compatriots or a number of fellows from other countries. And I also feel that he wasn't as consistent as some of those fellows. Sorry I really am not that impressed by him. Delarey 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delarey Posted December 9, 2020 Share He is still not making it into my match day 23 or my all time All Blacks 23 for that matter. [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23] You see a genius, I don't. While I will admit that SBW was an exceptional player I don't feel that he was greater or equal to a number of his compatriots or a number of fellows from other countries. And I also feel that he wasn't as consistent as some of those fellows. Sorry I really am not that impressed by him.I agree he is a polarising figure and very few rugby fans (especially in the Southern Hemisphere) lack an opinion about him. Let me put this argument forward: a player worthy of team of the decade should feature strongly in the game strategy of the opposing team. As a metric, how many times was his name mentioned in pre-match strategy sessions? Based on this metric I propose that McCaw is a worthy winner but SBW must be high on that list. Mntboy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mntboy Posted December 9, 2020 Share I agree he is a polarising figure and very few rugby fans (especially in the Southern Hemisphere) lack an opinion about him. Let me put this argument forward: a player worthy of team of the decade should feature strongly in the game strategy of the opposing team. As a metric, how many times was his name mentioned in pre-match strategy sessions? Based on this metric I propose that McCaw is a worthy winner but SBW must be high on that list.Extremely polarising indeed. Dude I think we're better off agreeing to disagree. I don't think I'll ever see SBW the same way you do and vice versa. Delarey 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delarey Posted December 9, 2020 Share Extremely polarising indeed. Dude I think we're better off agreeing to disagree. I don't think I'll ever see SBW the same way you do and vice versa.Agreed. Don’t get me wrong, I am a Springbok supporter so don’t have any particular affinity for him, but very few players in an apposing team made me as nervous as he did. For me he is up there with Lomu himself. Lomu never scored a try against us, but he created many with the number of players he draw and the opportunities he created as a result. mikkelz and Mntboy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babse Posted December 9, 2020 Share The decade really dominated by the mighty ABs...Read at 8 and Aaron Smith could easily have been in there. Delarey 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delarey Posted December 10, 2020 Share This team of the decade made me dig a bit on the IRB world players of the year and also SA players of the year. In the process I stumbled upon Joe van Niekerk’s story. What an interesting guy! The man is living his dream like a yogi in Costa Rica. How cool is that! Vetplant 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Dale Posted December 12, 2020 Share Remarkable ambassador for the sport. ???? Disclosed about his struggle as a gay man, with bulimia and, with all of this or I will suggest, because of these challenges and more, became a legend with whistle in hand. Edited December 12, 2020 by 'Dale Mntboy, babse and Shebeen 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vetplant Posted December 14, 2020 Share 2023 RWC Draw.. LiveSorry, a bit late for the start, but still broadcasting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faBi00OBO1M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vetplant Posted December 14, 2020 Share Bands from which the Pools will be selected. Mntboy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vetplant Posted December 14, 2020 Share Pools: Pool ANEW ZEALANDFRANCEITALYAMERICAS 1AFRICA 1(Squidge reckons it will be Namibia... I'm not going to argue with that ) Pool BSOUTH AFRICAIRELANDSCOTLANDASIA/PACIFIC 1EUROPE 2 Pool CWALESAUSTRALIAFIJIEUROPE 1FINAL QUALIFIER Pool DENGLANDJAPANARGENTINAOCEANIA 1(Likely SAMOA)AMERICAS 2 Mntboy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheoG Posted December 14, 2020 Share Flippen arrogant French, refusing to speak engerish. Vetplant 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vetplant Posted December 14, 2020 Share Flippen arrogant French, refusing to speak engerish.Yeah, well done on screwing a large part of the viewing audience. I switched off as soon as the pools were defined TheoG 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vetplant Posted December 14, 2020 Share https://twitter.com/SquidgeRugby/status/1338460052777283585 Squidge Live assessment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mntboy Posted December 14, 2020 Share Remarkable ambassador for the sport. [emoji464] Disclosed about his struggle as a gay man, with bulimia and, with all of this or I will suggest, because of these challenges and more, became a legend with whistle in hand. https://youtu.be/in3jOLBazIMArguably the finest referee ever. Vetplant 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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