NZ Heralds team of the week...

A good spread across the teams this week...

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10752982

1 - Cian Healy (Ireland)
Healy led an Irish pack that dominated the Wallabies, setting up a platform for their hard-earned victory.

2 - Rory Best (Ireland)
It must have been a close call between a number of the Irish forward pack for the official man of the match, but Best could have easily beaten out Healy for the accolade.

3 - Jannie Du Plessis (South Africa)
Gave the Fijian front row trouble all game and even set up a try for Jaque Fourie after a rampaging run.

4 - Paul O'Connell (Ireland)
The Irish skipper led from the front for the second straight week. The best lock in the world right now?

5 - Danie Rossouw (South Africa)
The Boks lock was everywhere, running for over 140m against Fiji and was rewarded for his efforts with a try in the final stages.

6 - Stephen Ferris (Ireland)
Made the Australia loose-forward trio look very average.

7 - Sean O'Brien (Ireland)
Along with Ferris made sure Australia got no clean ball.

8 - Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe (Argentina)
A superb performance against Romania and will need to do the same if Argentina are to beat Scotland and get one step forward to playing New Zealand in the quarters.

9 - Kahn Fotuali'i (Samoa)
The best New Zealand based halfback at the moment.

10 - Morne Steyn (South Africa)
The ever reliable number 10 is flying slightly under the radar at the moment but was almost faultless against Fiji. Without doubt people will notice when South Africa clash against bigger teams later in the tournament.

11 - Richard Kahui (New Zealand)
Alesana Tuilagi was pencilled in for the 11 jersey after his hat-trick late last week against Namibia but he went missing against Wales. Kahui meanwhile goes from strength to strength and is proving he could be a valid wing option later in the tournament.

12 - Jamie Roberts (Wales)
He just gets the spot ahead of Ma'a Nonu who caused the Japanese problems all night. But Roberts backed up an impressive game against South Africa with another brilliant effort in his side's win against Samoa.

13 - Jaque Fourie (South Africa)
Fourie was the standout in the Springboks backline

14 - Vincent Clerc (France)
Clerc ran in three tries against Japan in rainy conditions in Napier. Will he manage to slip past the All Black defence this weekend though?

15 - Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino (Argentina)
Amorosino impressed in his first World Cup start capped off with a try.

Opinions?

Nice to see so many Irish players but honestly you would expect the NZ herald to know POC is not Ireland captain. Actually scratch that it's not really a surprise.

Jannie Du Plessis got an easy ride at the scrum vs Fiji I think against a decent scrum he might struggle, not at all convinced by him so far.

"9 - Kahn Fotuali'i (Samoa)
The best New Zealand based halfback at the moment."

Hasn't he joined the Ospreys? I'm not criticising the accuracy of the article, just pointing out the good signing of a world cup star. Have the Ospreys made a shrewd signing?

Griff wrote:"9 - Kahn Fotuali'i (Samoa)
The best New Zealand based halfback at the moment."

Hasn't he joined the Ospreys? I'm not criticising the accuracy of the article, just pointing out the good signing of a world cup star. Have the Ospreys made a shrewd signing?

Yes. Was the Highlanders half in the superxv- very good player and pity he couldnt play for the AB's.

Leinsterbaby perhaps NZers acknowledged who appeared to be the Irish Captain, cos he looked it to me as well.

leinsterbaby wrote:Nice to see so many Irish players but honestly you would expect the NZ herald to know POC is not Ireland captain. Actually scratch that it's not really a surprise.

Too be fair he leads like a captain. It's great to see 5 Irish players get recognition.

It's great for O'Connell to get acknowledged too, he's been immense since his return from career threatening injury and has confirmed his place as one of the worlds finest locks again.

Ferris too has been incredible considering a few weeks ago people weren't sure he'd ever play again.

Nice to see so many Irish players but honestly you would expect the NZ herald to know POC is not Ireland captain. Actually scratch that it's not really a surprise.

Interestingly this isn't the first time that POC has been refed to as the Irish skipper by various media since the start of the WC.

Taylorman wrote:

Griff wrote:"9 - Kahn Fotuali'i (Samoa)
The best New Zealand based halfback at the moment."

Hasn't he joined the Ospreys? I'm not criticising the accuracy of the article, just pointing out the good signing of a world cup star. Have the Ospreys made a shrewd signing?

Yes. Was the Highlanders half in the superxv- very good player and pity he couldnt play for the AB's.

Leinsterbaby perhaps NZers acknowledged who appeared to be the Irish Captain, cos he looked it to me as well.

Crusaders actually mate . He only declared for Samoa after missing the AB's AI squad in 2009 - shocking miss by the selectors given the lack of talent around NZ at half-back.

Yeah I know he has great leadership qualities but so does Victor Matfield and everyone knows John Smit is SA captain etc.

I guess Drico isn't the most vocal captain and perhaps was never a great captain but he has 78 caps as captain so I think it is a strange mistake to make.

I would have gone for Steyn or Nonu over Roberts.

leinsterbaby wrote:Yeah I know he has great leadership qualities but so does Victor Matfield and everyone knows John Smit is SA captain etc.

I guess Drico isn't the most vocal captain and perhaps was never a great captain but he has 78 caps as captain so I think it is a strange mistake to make.

I can't agree with the "not a great" captain bit. I think that's precisely what has made BOD a good captain all these years. If you're a player the last thing you want is one of those captains that thinks he has to tell you your job every two minutes and show off to the world by slapping his chest everytime your 3 points down. I think it differs from country to country (and even province to province) but respect from sports players is a much more subtle thing than it is portrayed in the media. I don't think Irish players would respond as easily to the whole Dallaglio "caged tigers" stuff. We work mostly off underdog mythology (especially the Munster boys)... and even that is not always as effective for the D4 southside Leinster players.

At the weekend the game was won in the scrum area... and POC is the clear undisputed captain in there. So a mistake is maybe understandable. BOD's not gonna come along and start shouting every order at them from outside. But in pressure situations how many times (think of the last WC) was it BOD that without any guff or shouting made the plays that got us an extra 10-15 yards or won a turnover penalty or put the big tackle in... or scored a crucial try? I think that characteristic has been proven and developed over so many years to the extent that he now has a level of unrivalled respect from the whole team. And there's an undisputed acceptance that he is team leader and talisman. True, its a very different type of leadership to POC's. But I'd say that works much better for some of the players than the chest-slapping, loud-shouting general stuff. (And that is not a dig at POC btw!)

Fitzpatrick, Pienaar and Dallaglio said on Sunday that Warburton is the form openside so far at this World Cup, that'll do for me and I agree with them

He has been very good alright

Kiwireddevil wrote:

Crusaders actually mate . He only declared for Samoa after missing the AB's AI squad in 2009 - shocking miss by the selectors given the lack of talent around NZ at half-back.

Yes thats right. Was thinking of Sopoaga at the time- he's still eligible here isn't he? Or have we overlooked him too?

Sopoaga plays 10 for Wellington and Highlanders

No Dan Parks?

Seems this was a chance for the NZ Herald to be as anti-Aussie as it could be by picking so many Irishmen. Not that those players weren't up there, but it does seem a little odd. It's a nice break from them being overtly anti-NZ; should Nonu have had the nod over Roberts?

Kahn Fotuali'i was superb last week, not so great this week. I'm sure there were better 9s. Seems to me like they're not doing a weekly team, but a torunament team. And strange that NZ, having scored 19 tries in two games, only have one player there.

Hmmm yeh miaow or maybe the reason is that Australia were dismantled by Ireland?

There are some good choices up there. The teams' best players that easily beat smaller nations stillrewarded for good performance. A good bunch of kiwis and Boks included.

The Irish were the team of the week.

Great also to Amorsino, Futuaili and Lobbe get a mention they had great games.

They were hardly dismantled. I'd call NZ's victory over Japan a dismantling.

Jamie Roberts! Those Kiwis obviously know little about rugby.

Yes, the Lions Man of the Series has been outstanding so far this RWC, but where are the soft hands? The cultured boot? The playmaking interplay game management awareness???

He's not Henson - and thus should never be voted into any of these 'team of the tournament' line-ups...

"Jamie Roberts is not Henson". I'd say he's quite relived to hear that. Deserves the place based on the SA game didn't see much of the Samoa match but Roberts has been very effective.

I'm sure Parisse would have been the team if it were picked after the Russia game. The guy is the most complete all round talented 8 in the world by a small distance. Mind you I'm sure lots of kiwis have never even heard of him.

leinsterbaby wrote:
I'm sure Parisse would have been the team if it were picked after the Russia game. The guy is the most complete all round talented 8 in the world by a small distance. Mind you I'm sure lots of kiwis have never even heard of him.

Of course we have. He eye-gouged Isaac Ross in 2009

Who is Issac Ross? Any relation to Isaac Boss? You don't count you live in England.

leinsterbaby wrote:Who is Issac Ross? Any relation to Isaac Boss? You don't count you live in England.

Isaac Ross - journeyman lock then at the Crusaders who got a few tests in 2009 (my Dad's friends with his old man). The ban Parisse got was used as a precedent for the Schalk Burger ban the following day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_0uRZ8vut4

No wonder nobody saw it. Everyone was watching the lions?

Was that the match played in Italy when NZ took a pounding in the Scrums and Paddy OBrien apologied for the refs performance only to realise the ref was right?

Never trust a Manu fan.

That reminds me of the time on old 606 when Ireland were touring down south. I was talking up Jamie Heaslip as a great player and said something like this.

"One things for sure. Those Kiwi's will know who Jamie Heaslip is after this match".

And what did Heaslip do? He kneed McCaw in the head at the start of the match, got a red car and was suspened for the rest of the tour. In a way, my prediction was right though.

Jeez Burgers gouge looked a lot worse. Parisse hardly put his finger in the eye, looked like beside the eye. Still stupid thing to do and could have been dangerous.

Parisse has pre cons for this kind of naughty stuff though.

leinsterbaby wrote:No wonder nobody saw it. Everyone was watching the lions?

Was that the match played in Italy when NZ took a pounding in the Scrums and Paddy OBrien apologied for the refs performance only to realise the ref was right?

Never trust a Manu fan.

The gouge match was in NZ in '09 - a few hours before the Lions test.

I'll grant you the Burger one was worse. But they wound up with identical bans, and as a result the IRB toughened the gouge sanctions.


ManU fan. Ouch . I watch soccer as an insomnia cure. I support the mighty Marlborough Red Devils provincial team in NZ mate. Even though these days they play about 5 games a year since the merger to form Tasman ...

..sorry

leinsterbaby wrote:..sorry

No worries
I hadn't heard the Red Devil nickname applied to a certain football team before moving to London. And by then I'd been using the moniker online and in tipping comps for years.