World XV for the year 2011

With the year coming to a close I thoguht it was worth 606v2 coming up with the top international player in each position in the 2011 calendar year (so covering the RWC, 6N, 3N and all other test matches).

Kiwireddevil’s World XV of the Year 2011:
1. Tony Woodcock. Honourable mentions: Jenkins, Healy – Woodcock was back to his very best in 2011, managing to keep Wyatt Crockett completely out of the AB’s RWC squad is no mean feat. Capped his year with a try in the RWC final.

2. Bismark du Plessis. Honourable mentions: Servat, Moore, Mealamu – South African fans will be asking “what-if” for years after Bismark spent most of the last year starting off the bench behind the aging John Smit.

3. Adam Jones. Honourable mentions: Mas, O. Franks, Castrogiovanni - A tough contest for the 3 jersey, all 4 mentioned have claims.

4. Brad Thorn. Honourable mention: Horwill, Nallet. – Thorn ended his career a double world cup winner (he won an RL one with the Kangaroos). The oldest ever RWC winner will be a tough man for the All Blacks to replace.

5. Victor Matfield. Honourable mentions: Nallet, O’Connell, Charteris – Matfield ended his career in the same place he spent most of it, at the top. Still supreme in the line-out.
6. Thierry Dusautoir/Jerome Kaino. Honourable mentions: Ferris, O’Brien, Burger – world rugby is immensely strong on the blindside flank, even with Juan Smith missing most of 2011 through injury.

7. David Pocock. Honourable mentions: McCaw, Warburton, Brussow – 2011 was a vintage year for opensides, and the impact of the best of them is most noticeable when they’re absent. Australia was hapless without Pocock vs Ireland, South Africa went out of the RWC when Brussow went off, Warburton’s red card cost Wales dear and New Zealand kept on wheeling out a crocked McCaw, such was their need. Pocock in 2011 surpassed McCaw as the top “fetcher” around. If Pocock, McCaw and Brussow are all fit expect some immense battles in next year’s 4 Nations.

8. Imanol Harinordiquy. Honourable mentions: Reid, Parisse The Frenchman’s RWC performances just edged Reid, while Parisse’s class kept Italy competitive.

9. Will Genia. Honourable mentions: Yachvilli, Youngs, Phillips, Fotuali'i.

10. Dan Carter. Honourable mentions: Cooper, Sexton, D. Steyn. Carter missed a lot of the season injured, but showed enough when fit to illustrate the gap in class. Cooper had the lead in this race up until his RWC meltdown.

11. Digby Ioane. Honourable mentions: Ashton, Williams, Kahui. Ioane is simply the best winger around, while the “caterpillar” also beat the swan-dive for top try celebration.

12. Ma’a Nonu. Honourable mentions: F. Steyn, Mermoz, Roberts, Barnes. Nonu showed his class this year while holding off a strong challenge for his jersey from Sonny Bill Williams.

13. Conrad Smith. Honourable mentions: Ashley-Cooper, Rougerie, O’Driscoll, Fourie. Smith carried on as he has for years, gliding through gaps, feeding his wingers and marshalling NZ’s defence superbly.

14. James O’Connor. Honourable mentions: Jane, Clerc, North. - While O’Connor may wind up at 10 or 12 for Australia, he just has that x-factor that forces his selection somewhere in my World XV.

15. Kurtley Beale. Honourable mentions: Dagg, Medard, Foden - Mils Muliaina signed off after nearly a decade as best fullback in the world. There’s plenty of competition for his mantle.

Foden also worth an HM at fullback, but Beale certainly stood out because he just has that X Factor.

A very good and fair list. If you included club form, Brits would also get close to the hooker's list - really is scandalous that SA continued to select Smit when they had two such talented players as du Plessis and Brits available. Even more scandalous is that we've not managed to pick one of them up as English Qualified through residency or long lost grandparent and instead have to keep picking Hartley

dummy_half wrote:Foden also worth an HM at fullback, but Beale certainly stood out because he just has that X Factor.

A very good and fair list. If you included club form, Brits would also get close to the hooker's list - really is scandalous that SA continued to select Smit when they had two such talented players as du Plessis and Brits available. Even more scandalous is that we've not managed to pick one of them up as English Qualified through residency or long lost grandparent and instead have to keep picking Hartley

Point taken on Foden, his 6N form was superb. Adding in an HM now.

Can't argue with that. When are they playing Micka...Mars?

I think North was outstanding in the WC..and i would give him a wing spot....brings so much to the team...

Dusatoir is an openside.....

Expanding out to Northern Hem vs Southern Hem so that the players get a match:

Position SH NH
1. Woodcock Jenkins
2. du Plessis Servat
3. O. Franks Jones
4. Thorn Nallet
5. Matfield O'Connell
6. Kaino Ferris
7. Pocock Dusautoir
8. Reid Harinordiquy
9. Genia Yachvilli
10. Carter Sexton
11. Ioane Ashton
12. Nonu Roberts
13. Smith O'Driscoll
14. O'Connor Clerc
15. Beale Foden

Bench:
SH - Mealamu, Ayerza, Horwill, McCaw, Fotuali'i, Cooper, Dagg
NH - Hartley Best, Mas, Charteris, O'Brien, Phillips, Priestland, Rougerie

bathmad wrote:Dusatoir is an openside.....

True. Though he's more a 6.5 than an out and out 7

Nice list Kiwi. Interesting to see how some positions are full of contenders across the globe and others are found wanting.

bathmad wrote:Dusatoir is an openside.....

Technically he is neither an openside nor a blindside actually. France play a left-right flanker system.

Dusautoir seems to be left, right, and bloody everywhere else when he plays the All Blacks!

So pleased Healy is in the reckoning!
the lad is only 24!
Any other props that young, that good!?

disneychilly wrote:Dusautoir seems to be left, right, and bloody everywhere else when he plays the All Blacks!

Well that is certainly true! He is such an outstanding flanker.

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:So pleased Healy is in the reckoning!
the lad is only 24!
Any other props that young, that good!?

Owen Franks is 23

Touché Kiwi, touché

Over the past number of years, Matfield must be the most consistent player to show up in these World XV teams.

Good list Kiwireddevil, agree with all but one of your selections. Would have chosen Dagg above Beale (although close) and would have given an honorable mention to Jacques Fourie at 13.

As for the NH vs SH team although a Saints fan would probably have put Best at reserve hooker above Hartley, although Hartley did okay in the 2011 6N. Would have selected Nallet for the currently open number 4 in the NH team.

B91212 wrote:Good list Kiwireddevil, agree with all but one of your selections. Would have chosen Dagg above Beale (although close) and would have given an honorable mention to Jacques Fourie at 13.

As for the NH vs SH team although a Saints fan would probably have put Best at reserve hooker above Hartley, although Hartley did okay in the 2011 6N. Would have selected Nallet for the currently open number 4 in the NH team.

I forgot about Fourie

Dagg was FB of the RWC for me, and it was a coin toss between him and Beale over the year.

Good call on Nallet, and in retrospect I agree on Best

Kiwireddevil wrote:

B91212 wrote:Good list Kiwireddevil, agree with all but one of your selections. Would have chosen Dagg above Beale (although close) and would have given an honorable mention to Jacques Fourie at 13.

As for the NH vs SH team although a Saints fan would probably have put Best at reserve hooker above Hartley, although Hartley did okay in the 2011 6N. Would have selected Nallet for the currently open number 4 in the NH team.

I forgot about Fourie

Dagg was FB of the RWC for me, and it was a coin toss between him and Beale over the year.

Good call on Nallet, and in retrospect I agree on Best

Thanks for the edit! Looking at the SH Vs NH teams I can't see past a SH victory. Pretty symbolic of the state of things at the moment maybe, although I feel the NH has closed the gap a little.

Can't pick Beale. I cannot pick a player who gives us the funniest scenes of the year. Don't care what he does before or after.

http://www.sportpost.com/videos/7239-villian-to-herokurtley-beale

Nice vid. They call that a Falcon in Australia (from league) when your head gets in the way of the ball. Anyway that was 2010 in any event Doc.

That was last year? Hard to believe. Jeez, time flies, eh mate? I remember watching on tv with my sons. We still get a laugh at that one.

B91212 wrote:
Thanks for the edit! Looking at the SH Vs NH teams I can't see past a SH victory. Pretty symbolic of the state of things at the moment maybe, although I feel the NH has closed the gap a little.

I agree. The games between the top teams from each hemisphere were all reasonably close this year.

My SH 22 has 11 Kiwis, 7 Aussies, 2 Saffas, an Argentinian and a Samoan which reflects how the year finished (2 or 3 Saffas might have gone closer but for injuries).

In the NH 22 there are 8 French, 6 Irish, 6 Welsh and 2 English which again reflects the end-of-year position, if I was selecting the NH side back in April I'd probably have included Youngs and Flood as starters, with Phillips and Priestland missing. And Hook would have had the bench utility spot. From memory Ferris missed a lot of the 6N injured so O'Brien would have started with Haskell or Croft on the bench.

Although cracking players I wouldn't say any of your selected front row players have had a great 2011.

Can't argue with much after that though, tidy side.