Current best world backline?

First topic message reminder :

Right now I think this would be frightening.

9. Will Genia
10. Quade Cooper
11. Digby Ioane
12. Ma'a Nonu
13. Manu Tuilagi
14. George North
15. Kurtley Beale

HERSH wrote:North is average,

8/10 wingers could score the tries he has for Wales, I rate 1/2p above him, but Shane is still the master.

halfpenny has been out so i cant comment and shane is always the master.
but george norths set up for AWJ in the argentina match showed his class

geoff998rugby wrote:Basiclaly no British, SA or Irish player good enough

Too true, the warm up matches have pretty much shown that in the NH (bar France) there is not too much hope come the RWC.

welshy824 wrote:

HERSH wrote:North is average,

8/10 wingers could score the tries he has for Wales, I rate 1/2p above him, but Shane is still the master.

halfpenny has been out so i cant comment and shane is always the master.
but george norths set up for AWJ in the argentina match showed his class

North could have scored that try himself but showed great maturity in ensuring the try was scored nearer the post.

If North was on the wing for NZ he would be being hailed as the new John Kirwan - For those who don't know his game, Kirwan is the nearest thing to him as a young player. Kirwan for me was NZ's best ever winger and they've had a few decent ones.

TheGreyGhost wrote:You seriously think Tuilagi is the best 13 in the world based on a game against a very very poor Ireland? really?

thought you'd jump on that comment, suppose we'll be hearing on future threads how English supporters think he's the best in the world all based on one/two persons opinion on this thread.

Pretty sure it's a bit more like:

9 Genia
10 Carter
11 Ioane
12 Nonu
13 O'Driscoll
14 (Alesana) Tuilagi
15 Nacewa

20 Cussiter maybe Parra or Yachvili (???)
21 Cooper
22 O'Connor/Jane/Foden/Beale/Bowe

Cussiter

Perhaps 'form backline' is better?

Rougerie walks into the NH 13 spot anywho, sorry Manusamoa.

09 Parra
10 ?
11 Clerc
12 Roberts
13 Rougerie
14 North
15 ?

09 Phillips (6ft 3 , 105kg)
10 Skrela (6ft 3 , 98kg)
11 Trimble (6ft 2 , 98kg)
12 Roberts (6ft 4 , 107kg)
13 Rougerie (6ft 4 , 104kg)
14 North (6ft 4 , 105kg)
15 Traille (6ft 4 , 102kg)

oh dear me, that's a HUGE backline.

Yep. It's almost the most Freudian back line you could have inserted.

I say.

TheGreyGhost wrote:Yep. It's almost the most Freudian back line you could have inserted.

I say.

Not quite, he'd need Henson in there just for the Ego element, Sonny Bill for the Id and Campese for the Super Ego of course

anyone who doesn't include nacewa at 15 or 14 is a moron and truly oblivious of what the NH leagues have to offer the SH league....

please those who have ignored my input argue against my case...

also anyone who ignores alesana tuilagi is a truly naive disrespectful rugby simpleton

The word current has to be maintained it's in the title sure.

BOD doesn't qualify as the current best 13 as the last 3 matches he has played he has been very poor. And that is from an irish and Leinster supporter.

Isa Nacewa is a great shout and much more worthy of a spot than North. He is more worthy than Clerc though?

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:
BOD doesn't qualify as the current best 13 as the last 3 matches he has played he has been very poor. And that is from an irish and Leinster supporter.

I thought he was superb in the magners final and had a very good 2nd half in the HEC final. He wasn't great against France but generally he's had a very good season.

Based on the warm ups he doesn't deserve to be there but if you're looking at the past few months then he's definitely still up there.

He was pretty poor in the HEC final IMO, he got rounded by Foden again in the second half, his only line break or meaningful attack came from that pick and drive through the ruck and that moment off the Shane Horgan break.

Totally accept he was injured that day, if it hadn't been a final he would not have been playing.

I think he was good in the ML and HCup semi and the HCup quarter.

He was poor against France too, he was at the root of the mix up for the Heymans try.

Sounds like I am vicsously attacking the guy but obviously he's a legend and has IMO had a good year in the 10/11 season. Also he is lighter now than he was and thus he should be a bit more elusive and quicker he says. He lost 5kg in pre-season.

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote: Also he is lighter now than he was and thus he should be a bit more elusive and quicker he says. He lost 5kg in pre-season.

Where did you hear that pete? It seems quite a few of our players have slimmed down in preseason. I'm not sure thats a good idea as we did that in 2007 too, whilst the other sides bulked up and we were blown away in the contact area. If that is our strategy I'd be pretty concerned.

BOD's brain keeps him one step ahead but I don't think he'll ever have the pace he had. He seems to get beat more in defence these days which is worrying although he said recently that he's 90% as fast as he was. I hope he can have a big WC but I'm not convinced he can carry on at outside centre for 2 more seasons as is planned.

It is in the Irish times World Cup magazine that was out yesterday there's a very, very good interview with him, best I have ever read. Talks about all of his world cup experiences from the 13 man lineout, to having to take down Corletto, to the horrible 1/4 final defeat.

If you can get your hands on a copy I'd seriously recommend going through it.

I don't mind us being light particularily BOD who is never going to go through defenders and he could do with being a bit more elusive. What ever about top speed he has definitely lost acceleration and explosive yet light agility, however he has developed a mean set of breaks. He can look as if he is going to try the outside break and instead of stepping inside he hits the breaks and then explodes inside using both legs and some remaining momentum.

In terms of our whole team being lighter, yes I would worry about that, now that Wallace is gone we seem short on guys who are gonna make serious metres in contact (just Healy and SOB really and 1F to a lesser extent) this worries me

geoff998rugby wrote:Spence took Manu to the cleaners in a Saxons game recently.

One good performance against a poor centre pairing and suddenly he's the worlds best

Goodness, it's almost like I've seen this before. Somewhere. Let me think...

Can i just point out that no English poster is putting Manu Tuilagi anywhere near a World's best backline. In fact the only person to do so is the OP, as far as i'm aware he isn't English.

George North = Overated.

He'll be plying his trade on the reality TV circuit before long....

cabbagesandbrussels wrote:George North = Overated.

He'll be plying his trade on the reality TV circuit before long....

Now Lee Byrne's gone theres a gap in the 'advertising rubbish companys' agency.

North's a good young player with the potential to be a very very good winger.

Deserve a spot in the worlds best backline? No .
Would I love to see a back 3 of A.Tuilagi/Nacewa/North. YES PLEASE!

my current form backline:

9. Genia
10. Cooper
11. Ioane
12. Jamie Roberts
13. Conrad Smith
14. JOC
15. Beale

Tear apart at will you cannon-packers

How about

9 Genia
10 Carter
11 Ioane
12 Nonu
13 Smith
14 Habana
15 Dagg

I reckon Habana is still great if only someone would give him some ball to use. Smith would give him ball.

on the subject of north i remember people questioning s williams ability around 2007/8 when the welsh were raving about him, it was only after touring SA and continuing to do against them what he did in the six nations of that year that he got the worldwide recognition he deserved (even though he is now past his best and we in wales hang our hopes on him too much)

my point is we do get a little carried away in wales about our players/teams ability, however i DO believe that over the next year north will become a world class winger (and bear in mind he plays in a team whose pack regularly serve up slow ball or no ball- unlike aloth of the NZ/SA/aus backs who have it on a plate at speed) however atm he is not near the worlds best backline having NOT played the best and performed agains the best

Past his best?...

I have to say a worlds best backline with no French in it just doesn't look right to me

9. Genia
10. Carter
11. Ioane
12. Nonu
13. C Smith
14. JOC
15 Beale