Planet Rugby's Team of HEC Round 4

Team of Round 4

15 Mike Brown (Harlequins) - Plenty had thrust themselves into the mix for our 15 jersey but two-try Brown saw off Rob Kearney, Olly Morgan and Ben Foden after starring at Le Stadium.

14 Charlie Sharples (Gloucester) - We made an exception to look the other way with shirt numbers at flank, and came close to doing the same here as 11s Ugo Monye, Timoci Matanavou and Rory Lamont were strong. But we opt to stick with a 14 and Sharples was the best of them as he continues to bang on the door for England.

13 Florian Fritz (Toulouse) - What a performance that was from the replacement centre. He was a rock for the French and didn't deserve to be on the losing side after carrying like that.

12 Jonathan Davies (Scarlets) - Another good day at the office for the ever-improving Welshman. Warren Gatland must be delighted with his midfield options at the moment.

11 Luke Fitzgerald (Leinster) - Many have put this versatile player down over the years, but on Saturday he silenced all of his doubters at Aviva Stadium with pace aplenty. Two tries were richly deserved as that effort will have made Declan Kidney sit up and take note.

10 Nick Evans (Harlequins) - Niall O'Connor was metronomic with his kicking in Gloucester but Evans was the master on Sunday. He had the ball on a string, setting up tries, kicking well and overall just being an accomplished director for the triumphant Quins. The two Jonathans, Wisniewski and Sexton, were also good in Round 4 for Racing and Leinster.

9 Conor Murray (Munster) - Much like the Sexton-O'Gara battle, there is one at scrum-half for Ireland. Eoin Reddan was good but man-of-the-match Murray shone for Munster.

8 Thomas Waldrom (Leicester) - His showing proved just how much of a loss he was to the Tigers a week ago in Clermont-Ferrand. A top effort from Waldrom. Mentions are fully deserved for Netani Talei, Samu Manoa, James Coughlin and Nick Easter for their shifts.

7 Jules Salvi (Leicester) - Strong a week ago in France and was up to the task again as Leicester fought back for a priceless win in Pool 4. His try proved the catalyst for Tigers.

6 Jacques Burger (Saracens) - Wore 7 but we just had to get him into our weekly XV. What can you say about this Namibian? His performances do not waver each weekend and he was his usual bustling self in Swansea. He's pushing hard for a spot in our Team of 2011.

5 Devin Toner (Leinster) - The tallest man at Aviva Stadium used all of his height, speed and skills on Saturday as he starred for the champions. He will remember that offload.

4 George Robson (Harlequins) - His stock has risen after that gritty and all-action offering. Toulouse's Yoann Maestri and Ian Gough from the Ospreys also deserve a pat on the back.

3 John Afoa (Ulster) - Man-of-the-match in Monza as he continues to justify the Northern Irish province's decision to sign him as BJ Botha's replacement. The Blues will miss him.

2 William Servat (Toulouse) - David Paice was decent with a try for London Irish but the solidity of France hooker Servat had to be admired, even if he was on the losing side.

1 Tom Court (Ulster) - Fresh from a new deal until 2014, he was another reason why Ulster dominated up front. Yes, the opposition was not the best but one has to beat what is in front of you, and the prop definitely did his job in laying the foundations for Ulster to pull away.

4 Irishmen, 3 Kiwis, 3 Englishmen, 2 Frenchman, 1 South African, 1 Welshman and an Aussie.

Evans must have played epically (I missed the match) but Sexton was fantastic on Saturday...

Close call, there...

Evans was superb in all aspects. Maybe the tougher opposition and away win nudged it in Evans favour...?

would have had jamie heaslip at 8 but everything else looks good. davies was awesome for scarlets even if munster midfield was urine poor defensively in 1st half

Aye, i am surprised Waldrom got the nod over Heaslip, Coughlin or Easter who all played very well.

"4 Irishmen, 3 Kiwis, 3 Englishmen, 2 Frenchman, 1 South African, 1 Welshman and an Aussie...."

That's just bound to be one of the greatest jokes in history when you get round to telling it all.

A complicated one too...!

maestegmafia wrote:4 Irishmen, 3 Kiwis, 3 Englishmen, 2 Frenchman, 1 South African, 1 Welshman and an Aussie.

Jacques Burger is NOT South African.

Jacques Burger is Namibian. He is the Namibian captain, he captained Namibia in the recent rugby world cup.

i am surprised Waldrom got the nod over Heaslip

Waldrom did get man of the match on the back of some clever turnovers and massive carries. Probably his best game in a Tigers shirt and was at the heart of Tigers momentum in attack. I'm not a big Waldrom fan but that was a great performance, particularly in defence where sometimes he tends to wander.

Jacques Burger is Namibian. He is the Namibian captain, he captained Namibia in the recent rugby world cup..

There's another clue in the his description in the OP detail as well.

Isnt Namibia just a little province of SA....

maestegmafia wrote:4 Irishmen, 3 Kiwis, 3 Englishmen, 2 Frenchman, 1 South African, 1 Welshman and an Aussie.

As usual, not a Scotsman in sight! Oh well ...

Weird that Kelly Brown, who had a fantastic game, ignoring the bogus YC, is overlooked too in favour of a 7?

Aslongasbut100 very true K.Brown did have a good game as he normally does. Very consistent player,underrated but highly useful to his respective sides. Saying that I don't think it would be right to have two Sarries players.

Jacques Burger was MOM - he was very good too. Difficult not to put him in. Though he should have been in at 7.

I think the only thing you could argue with is having two Ulster players!

The reps are as follows: 3 Quins, 2 Toulouse, 2 Leinster,2 Leicester, 2 Ulster, 1 Scarlets, 1 Sarries,1 Munster, 1 Gloucester.

12 on the winning side, 3 on the losers side.

I think Kelly Brown got overlooked a bit in that game as he sort of blends in a bit with the head guard. Where as it's hard to miss Captain Namibia as his Bergomasco look sets him out from the crowd. The pair of them along with Barritt absolutely hammered the Ospreys attack.

I dont know what other props were good at the weekend but Afoa was superb and deserves his inclusion. I was quite surprised to see more than 1 Ulster player in there though.

Makes up for leaving Ferris out in the first week though!

"5 Devin Toner (Leinster) - The tallest man at Aviva Stadium used all of his height, speed and skills on Saturday as he starred for the champions. He will remember that offload."

"He will remember that offload"

He better bloody Not remember it. It better be only one of thousands by the time he retires!

No Robshaw?

Watched the Leinster game again. Toner was really good in every facet of play and deserves inclusion. The break, dummy and offload was class.

GeordieFalcon wrote:Isnt Namibia just a little province of SA....

It was until about 20 years ago. Although it's a very big country I think with a small pop.

Anyone see Nathan Hines sent Toner a tweet this morning tipping his cap for that offload, he replied with “learnfromthebest”.

Sha la la laaaaaa

yappysnap wrote:No Robshaw?

Tsk Tsk don't be greedy yappysnap. Already 3 Quins in the XV.

ESPN team of the week:

15. Mike Brown (Harlequins) - Two tries in a famous win over Toulouse, great in defence and a constant threat. Must be there or thereabouts for an England comeback.

14. Timoci Matanavou (Toulouse) - Proof - if it was needed - that real pace can be a nightmare to deal with. Has done exceptionally well since being plucked from relative obscurity in ProD 2.

13. Florian Fritz (Toulouse) - The early replacement did everything asked of him and more, like dropping a match into a box of fireworks.

12. Nick De Luca (Edinburgh) - Edinburgh won this game in the first-half and De Luca had the better of Cardiff's much-vaunted midfield. Superb break to set up their only try.

11. Luke Fitzgerald (Leinster) - The forgotten man of Irish rugby scored an eye-catching brace to leave Declan Kidney on notice prior to the Six Nations.

10. Nick Evans (Harlequins) - While Luke McAlister endured a shocker for Toulouse, Evans kept his side in the hunt with superb passing, great organisation, and strong kicking from hand and the tee.

9. Eoin Reddan (Leinster) - Preferred to Isaac Boss, he did what he does best and kept the tempo lightning fast - far too fast for Bath.

1. Allan Jacobsen (Edinburgh) - So, so important to Edinburgh. Always holds his end up in the scrum and is a tireless presence, hassling at the breakdown and tackling for as long as his wee legs will keep him upright.

2. William Servat (Toulouse) - He ended up on the losing side, but Servat was excellent. He picks support angles that some centres wouldn't be able to draw on a blackboard.

3. John Afoa (Ulster) - An All Black with a reputation for pace and power, he proved that he's at home with the ground and pound as he helped Ulster dominate Aironi up front.

4. Yoann Maestri (Toulouse) - The giant youngster rounded off a brilliant try - set up by the venerable Jean Bouilhou - and looked the part around the park.

5. Devin Toner (Leinster) - Brought in to dominate the sky, Toner also showed an array of skills that helped Leinster attack from all over the field. One superb dummy set up a try for Fitzgerald.

6. Chris Robshaw (Harlequins) - The Quins skipper has been in fine form all season and just keeps passing leadership tests left, right and centre. His exclusion from England squads has to this point been baffling, but shouldn't continue for much longer.

7. Julian Salvi (Leicester) - The Australian has slotted into the Tigers pack seamlessly and is one of Europe's top practitioners at the breakdown. Throw in a try for good measure.

8. Thomas Waldrom (Leicester) - Solid and dependable, Waldrom gave Leicester the confidence and solidity from the base that they lacked at times in France last weekend.

That's a very odd mix. Looks like the ESPN team only watched two or three matches.

4 Toulouse players,3 Quins,3 Leinster,2 Leicester.2 Edinburgh, 1 Ulster

4 out of the XV in a losing team at home? Wow.

Poor calls alright.

Frits was pretty impressive though.

Not sure about Salvi being in there.

I'm curious how being picked while on a losing side is seen as wrong.
It is meant to be best in that position isn't it? So if someone on the losing side manages to still stand out as a better performer is it not more credit to him and highlights how poor the rest of the team was. It takes XV to get the result.

thebandwagonsociety wrote:I'm curious how being picked while on a losing side is seen as wrong.
It is meant to be best in that position isn't it? So if someone on the losing side manages to still stand out as a better performer is it not more credit to him and highlights how poor the rest of the team was. It takes XV to get the result.

I think I need to say something very long and probably very intelligent about that comment.................. em, I have it written down here - I agree.

thebandwagonsociety wrote:I'm curious how being picked while on a losing side is seen as wrong.

Agreed, though I don't see any Castres players in there for some reason...

SecretFly wrote:

thebandwagonsociety wrote:I'm curious how being picked while on a losing side is seen as wrong.
It is meant to be best in that position isn't it? So if someone on the losing side manages to still stand out as a better performer is it not more credit to him and highlights how poor the rest of the team was. It takes XV to get the result.

I think I need to say something very long and probably very intelligent about that comment.................. em, I have it written down here - I agree.

Lets say it is good to have an open mind... Though to be fair, there aren't any Bath RFc players in that team for 52 very good reasons.

thebandwagonsociety wrote:I'm curious how being picked while on a losing side is seen as wrong.
It is meant to be best in that position isn't it? So if someone on the losing side manages to still stand out as a better performer is it not more credit to him and highlights how poor the rest of the team was. It takes XV to get the result.

It's a bit wrong when the XV has the most representatives from a team that lost. 4 is an awful lot. Especially when that loss was a very poor result.

One or two from a losing team is fine but to almost dominate the list?

SecretFly wrote:"4 Irishmen, 3 Kiwis, 3 Englishmen, 2 Frenchman, 1 South African, 1 Welshman and an Aussie...."

That's just bound to be one of the greatest jokes in history when you get round to telling it all.

Lancasters announced the new EPS?

beshocked wrote:

thebandwagonsociety wrote:I'm curious how being picked while on a losing side is seen as wrong.
It is meant to be best in that position isn't it? So if someone on the losing side manages to still stand out as a better performer is it not more credit to him and highlights how poor the rest of the team was. It takes XV to get the result.

It's a bit wrong when the XV has the most representatives from a team that lost. 4 is an awful lot. Especially when that loss was a very poor result.

One or two from a losing team is fine but to almost dominate the list?

Sorry which four players from which team that lost?

Toulouse. He's talking about the ESPN picks not the PR.

beshocked wrote:

thebandwagonsociety wrote:I'm curious how being picked while on a losing side is seen as wrong.
It is meant to be best in that position isn't it? So if someone on the losing side manages to still stand out as a better performer is it not more credit to him and highlights how poor the rest of the team was. It takes XV to get the result.

It's a bit wrong when the XV has the most representatives from a team that lost. 4 is an awful lot. Especially when that loss was a very poor result.

One or two from a losing team is fine but to almost dominate the list?

In what way was Toulouse's loss a "very poor result"? It wasn't like they had an off-day against Newcastle, or rolled over and died. They dominated much of the game, against quality opposition and finally lost out because Quins played out of their skins. I'd agree it's odd that they supply the most players to ESPN's team, but it's not as if they were plucked from a weak team performance.

maestegmafia wrote:4 Irishmen, 3 Kiwis, 3 Englishmen, 2 Frenchman, 1 South African, 1 Welshman and an Aussie.

they all walk into a bar.

the barman says 'what is this, some kind of joke?'

Poorfour wrote:

beshocked wrote:

thebandwagonsociety wrote:I'm curious how being picked while on a losing side is seen as wrong.
It is meant to be best in that position isn't it? So if someone on the losing side manages to still stand out as a better performer is it not more credit to him and highlights how poor the rest of the team was. It takes XV to get the result.

It's a bit wrong when the XV has the most representatives from a team that lost. 4 is an awful lot. Especially when that loss was a very poor result.

One or two from a losing team is fine but to almost dominate the list?

In what way was Toulouse's loss a "very poor result"? It wasn't like they had an off-day against Newcastle, or rolled over and died. They dominated much of the game, against quality opposition and finally lost out because Quins played out of their skins. I'd agree it's odd that they supply the most players to ESPN's team, but it's not as if they were plucked from a weak team performance.

Of course it was a very poor result from Toulouse's perspective. A win would have seen them wrap up the pool and firmly on target for a home quarter. The loss hits Toulouse's Heineken Cup bid hard. It saps their confidence and shows that they can be beaten. They are no longer in complete control of their pool. Toulouse lost at home in a game they should have really won.

It just looks like the ESPN team only watched one or two games.

Juts because it was a poor result for them doenst mean they didnt have individuals who played well.

Ask the Welsh who the better players were in the WC semi.

PSW I understand that. Just think that 4 players for Toulouse is overexcessive! 1 or 2 sure but more? Not in my opinion.

True about Wales but you wouldn't put 4 Welsh players in a world XV would you?

dogtooth wrote:

maestegmafia wrote:4 Irishmen, 3 Kiwis, 3 Englishmen, 2 Frenchman, 1 South African, 1 Welshman and an Aussie.

they all walk into a bar.

the barman says 'what is this, some kind of joke?'

they all walk into a bar

the barman says to his mate 'eh up, lad. 12 deaf, dumb and blind guys just walked in smiling'

Think about it, it'll come to you.

Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler wrote:Juts because it was a poor result for them doenst mean they didnt have individuals who played well.

Ask the Welsh who the better players were in the WC semi.

......................................The French?

Sorry, couldn't resist the downright open invitation!