Best pack in Europe?

Watching the O's yesterday made me realise how fortunate we are to have such a good pack. It's the platform and foundation of all our play. I may be looking through black tinted spectacles but I would like to nominate the Ospreys pack as the best in Europe. At full strength our line up would be;

1. Bevington
2. Hibbard
3. A Jones
4. A W Jones
5. I Evans
6. R Jones
7. Tipuric
8. Bearman

Now the purpose of this thread isn't to discuss the Ospreys line up per se but more I'm interested to hear other candidates for the title. It doesn't have to be your own team's, it can be one you admire or one you hate because you fear playing against it. Looking forward to your suggestions.

Clermont for me,Leinster would be up there but our set piece has malfunctioned too much this year for us to be realistically considered.

1.V Debaty
2. B Kayser
3. D Zirakashvili
4. J Cudmore
5. N Hines
6. J Bonnaire
7. A Lapandry
8. D Chouly

Forgot to mention. If possible can nominations include the full strength line up?

Toulouse has to be right up there

Steenkemp / Poux
Botha / Tolufua
Cencus / Guillamon
Albacetre
Maestri
Nyanga
Dusatoir
Picamoles

And Toulon

Sheridan / Jenkins
Bruno
Hayman / Kubs
Botha / Shaw
Suta / Kennedy
JVN / Elsom
Armitage
JML / Masoe

The Toulon pack for me with a lineup of:

Sheridan
Bruno
Hayman
Bakkies
Kennedy
Elsom
Armitage
Van Niekerk

Just scary talent in every position.

Got to go with Clermont as well, they are brutally efficient as a unit.

Ospreys have a glaring weakness in Bevington.

Tigers are doing ok with:

1.Ayerza
2. T Youngs
3. Cole
4. Deacon
5. Parling
6. Croft
7. Salvi
8. Crane

Does pack include bench?

16. Hawkins
17. Mulipola
18. Castro
19. Slater
20. Mafi

Should continue to improve thos season with Tom improving ss he gets more big game experience with both Croft and Crane slowly returning to match fitness.

Coleman wrote:The Toulon pack for me with a lineup of:

Sheridan
Bruno
Hayman
Bakkies
Kennedy
Elsom
Armitage
Van Niekerk

Just scary talent in every position.

Agree. Frightening.

Welsh Hall Cusack
Swinson Ryder
Harley Strauss Barclay

Guys imagine Adam Jones coming up against Sheridan that would be carnage, also Hayman isn't what he once was.

What about the Ulster pack:
Court Best Afoa
Muller Tuohy
Ferris Williams Henry

georgestowersbiceps wrote:

Coleman wrote:The Toulon pack for me with a lineup of:

Sheridan
Bruno
Hayman
Bakkies
Kennedy
Elsom
Armitage
Van Niekerk

Just scary talent in every position.

Agree. Frightening.

And a disgusting show of imports with exactly zero input forwards-wise from anyone French. Makes the French WS feel more like karma.

The best pack we have played against this season was Toulouse with the following being a clear step ahead of the Ospreys pack we came up against the following week.

1 Gurthro Steenkamp
2 Gary Botha
3 Census Johnston
4 Romain Millo-Chluski
5 Yoann Maestri
6 Yannick Nyanga
7 Thierry Dusautoir
8 Louis Picamoles





1 Ryan Bevington
3 Adam Jones
4 Alun Wyn Jones (capt)
5 Ian Evans
6 Ryan Jones
7 Justin Tipuric
8 Jonathan Thomas

asoreleftshoulder wrote:Clermont for me,Leinster would be up there but our set piece has malfunctioned too much this year for us to be realistically considered.

1.V Debaty
2. B Kayser
3. D Zirakashvili
4. J Cudmore
5. N Hines
6. J Bonnaire
7. A Lapandry
8. D Chouly

Thomas Domingo at loosehead? (Or has he moved?)

VinceWLB wrote:Guys imagine Adam Jones coming up against Sheridan that would be carnage, also Hayman isn't what he once was.

What about the Ulster pack:
Court Best Afoa
Muller Tuohy
Ferris Williams Henry

Yeah forgot to mention them,they were all fit earlier in the season and were a beast of a pack.Sadly injuries seems to have derailed their season.

Claremont
Toulouse
Toulon

Are top 3 IMO.

Are Ospreys still in Europe?

BigTrevsbigmac wrote:Claremont
Toulouse
Toulon

Are top 3 IMO.

Are Ospreys still in Europe?

Geographically? Yes.

Competitively? Not so much.

Sob sob.

Best pack in Europe could be any of:

Clermont-Aggression and Physicality
Toulon-Experience and power
Ulster- Attack and precision
Saracens- Breakdown and defence

Any of those four are nearly impossible to live with on form.

yappysnap wrote:Best pack in Europe could be any of:

Clermont-Aggression and Physicality
Toulon-Experience and power
Ulster- Attack and precision
Saracens- Breakdown and defence

Any of those four are nearly impossible to live with on form.

A truly awesome pack, can't think of one that I'd chose over it

If Ospreys have the best pack in Europe surely they would have done better in the HC and would be doing better in the Pro12?

I wouldn't call the Saracens pack the strongest in Europe but it's IMO one of them at the moment.

1.Vunipola
2.Brits
3.Stevens
4.Borthwick
5.Hargreaves
6.Brown
7.Fraser
8.Joubert

16.Gill
17.Du Plessis
18.Smit
19.Kruis
20.Wray

The strengths of this pack are the lineout, the defence and the breakdown work. Also they have shown the ability to regroup in the 2nd half and come back firing on all cylinders.

Win against Quins on the weekend was basically all down to the pack.

Ospreys can probably claim to have the best home grown pack in europe

Bevington
Hibbard
A Jones
AWJ
Evans
R Jones
Tipuric
J Thomas

All are Ospreys lads through and through, and come straight from Ospreys feeder teams (technically).

The Clermont pack for me is the best in Europe. The tight five are simply monstrous and Bonnaire is I think one of the most underrated Flankers in world rugby.

Dusatoire always got the credit for France but Bonnaire tackles like a monster and is one of the most abrasive tacklers in the game IMO.

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:The Clermont pack for me is the best in Europe. The tight five are simply monstrous and Bonnaire is I think one of the most underrated Flankers in world rugby.

Dusatoire always got the credit for France but Bonnaire tackles like a monster and is one of the most abrasive tacklers in the game IMO.

I agree with that.

I know it's a big left field but I think Treviso would have a top 10 pack but they don't look so good because their backs don't create as much.

The number one for me is between Toulon and clermont as they have made good teams look ordinary up front.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:Ospreys can probably claim to have the best home grown pack in europe

Bevington
Hibbard
A Jones
AWJ
Evans
R Jones
Tipuric
J Thomas

All are Ospreys lads through and through, and come straight from Ospreys feeder teams (technically).

Agreed, are the Ospreys the only side in Europe's top flight who can boast this ? Also they have very able deputies from within the region for each spot as well.

LordDowlais wrote:

ScarletSpiderman wrote:Ospreys can probably claim to have the best home grown pack in europe

Bevington
Hibbard
A Jones
AWJ
Evans
R Jones
Tipuric
J Thomas

All are Ospreys lads through and through, and come straight from Ospreys feeder teams (technically).

Agreed, are the Ospreys the only side in Europe's top flight who can boast this ? Also they have very able deputies from within the region for each spot as well.

I'd say they probably are,Leinster can boast a pretty strong pack of Irish players but our TH and hooker would be from Munster.

asoreleftshoulder wrote:

LordDowlais wrote:

ScarletSpiderman wrote:Ospreys can probably claim to have the best home grown pack in europe

Bevington
Hibbard
A Jones
AWJ
Evans
R Jones
Tipuric
J Thomas

All are Ospreys lads through and through, and come straight from Ospreys feeder teams (technically).

Agreed, are the Ospreys the only side in Europe's top flight who can boast this ? Also they have very able deputies from within the region for each spot as well.

I'd say they probably are,Leinster can boast a pretty strong pack of Irish players but our TH and hooker would be from Munster.

And from South Africa.

LordDowlais wrote:

asoreleftshoulder wrote:

LordDowlais wrote:

ScarletSpiderman wrote:Ospreys can probably claim to have the best home grown pack in europe

Bevington
Hibbard
A Jones
AWJ
Evans
R Jones
Tipuric
J Thomas

All are Ospreys lads through and through, and come straight from Ospreys feeder teams (technically).

Agreed, are the Ospreys the only side in Europe's top flight who can boast this ? Also they have very able deputies from within the region for each spot as well.

I'd say they probably are,Leinster can boast a pretty strong pack of Irish players but our TH and hooker would be from Munster.

And from South Africa.

Well I was using Cronin in my example but yeah Strauss ain't exactly a Guinness soaked,leprechaun hat wearing Paddy.

asoreleftshoulder wrote:

LordDowlais wrote:

asoreleftshoulder wrote:

LordDowlais wrote:

ScarletSpiderman wrote:Ospreys can probably claim to have the best home grown pack in europe

Bevington
Hibbard
A Jones
AWJ
Evans
R Jones
Tipuric
J Thomas

All are Ospreys lads through and through, and come straight from Ospreys feeder teams (technically).

Agreed, are the Ospreys the only side in Europe's top flight who can boast this ? Also they have very able deputies from within the region for each spot as well.

I'd say they probably are,Leinster can boast a pretty strong pack of Irish players but our TH and hooker would be from Munster.

And from South Africa.

Well I was using Cronin in my example but yeah Strauss ain't exactly a Guinness soaked,leprechaun hat wearing Paddy.

LondonTiger wrote:The best pack we have played against this season was Toulouse with the following being a clear step ahead of the Ospreys pack we came up against the following week.

1 Gurthro Steenkamp
2 Gary Botha
3 Census Johnston
4 Romain Millo-Chluski
5 Yoann Maestri
6 Yannick Nyanga
7 Thierry Dusautoir
8 Louis Picamoles





1 Ryan Bevington
3 Adam Jones
4 Alun Wyn Jones (capt)
5 Ian Evans
6 Ryan Jones
7 Justin Tipuric
8 Jonathan Thomas

Well that's hardly surprising if the Ospreys only fielded 7 forwards.