My best forward pack

Following on from the best backline.

Once again this is my pack, selected from my personal view, tinged with SH bias and subjective experiences.

1. Os du Randt - 80 tests - 5 tries
2. Sean Fitzpatrick (C) - 92 tests - 12 tries (my most difficult decision as John Smit with his leadership and Bismarck du Plessis with his Abrasive play are favourties of mine)
3. Carl Hayman - 45 tests - 2 tries
4. Martin Johnson - 92 tests - 2 tries
5. Victor Matfield - 110 tests - 7 tries
6. Juan Smith (7 in SA) - 69 tests - 12 tries
7. Richie McCaw - 116 tests - 19 tries
8. Zinzan Brooke - 58 tests - 17 tries

Firstly I have to say it is very difficult for me not to put Schalk burger in this team, I even considered putting him at 8 as he is one of my favourite players of all time. However not to put Zinzan in will just be wrong.

From a performance point of view, the tight five is abrasive and physical, Vicki is probably the least physical in the pack, but his line out supremacy cannot be ignored. with Martin Johnson as his enforcer and Fitzpatrick to keep the fornt row busy whilst Os and Carl are putting the squeeze on you want for nothing.

With Juan Smith's ability to run the ball and his work rate combined with McCaw there will be so much space for Zinzan he will have a field day.

All in all a pretty good combination of players.

Close to perfection as a pack. I'm guessing you played upfront Biltong.

I like that pack Biltong but I would have Richard Hill at 6 & the bias has gone

Yep, was a loosehead during my club rugby days, played 6 at school, but got bigger and slower as I grew older.

My fighting weight as a prop was a mere 92 KG's, but was technically rather proficient.

Nothing wrong with Hill Trev, but Juan Smith will walk into any team I select, my mostest, favouritist player in the world.

Aye, that's a cracking pack.

I'd swap Smith for Hill though.

I always think one of the big debates for these teams is :

Buck v Zinzan...Zinzan had the skills but Buck was a feroucious awesome 8.

My non of you are likely to remember them pack or old timers that left a huge impression on me...!

8 Morne du Plessis
7 Fergus Slattery
6 Dai Morris
5 Brian Lochore
4 Frik du Preez
3 Barry Llewelyn
2 Bobby Windsor
1 Wilson Whineray

1.Du Randt - Stands a fair way above the rest IMO
2.Fitzpatrick
3.Hayman - Hayman from 07 and Vickery 03 are about on par with each other. It's odd no stand-out candidate has emerged at as vital a position as tighthead.
4.Johnson
5.Eales - Matfield was also exceptional
6.Hill
7.McCaw - Hurts so much to leave Michael Jones out I almost had him at 6
8.Brooke

16.Wood 17.Leonard 18.Matfield 19.Jones

Due to it hurting so much to leave certain players out I named a bench!

1. Jeff Probyn
2. Brian Moore
3. Tom Smith
4. Martin Johnson
5. Simon Shaw
6. Richard Hill
7. Ben Clarke
8. Dean Richards

16. Tim Rodber 17. Zinzan Brooke 18. Keith Wood 19. Paul O'Connell

Heavy English bias, sorry...

1 Woody. RWC final try buys a selection in the team
2 Smitty. Can't remember Fitzy too much so opted for the next best option
3 Hayman
4 Matfield
5 Thorn
6 The Iceman.
7 The King (Richie)
8 Parisse

MMMM Rodber only on the bench?

HHmmm id have him miles ahead of Clarke...

Geordie
As much as I admire Rodber, I have fond memories of Clarke bowling over the opposition when he set off with the ball in hand and he had a great tour in 1993. Was he forced to retire through injury?

It was a tough call though...

Neil Back and Lawrence Dallaglio both scored 17 tries = Colin Charvis tops the charts at 22 (outside Japan). Richard Hill was always the 'Players player'

Good pack Biltong. Obviously I'd have Jones in there instead of Smith as a personal favourite.

That pack would give any side nightmares. Jonesy would just make sure they were recurring ones.

I like the lock combo though Eales pushes Matfield for a very similar role- again a personal choice as Eales gave us blimmin headaches for a few years, and even rubbed it in with one of those 'You remember what you were doing when JFK got shot' memories when he kicked that damned last minute penalty. Sunk NZ rugby to a new low with that one kick- even though thats not the point here. Matfield and Eales were both well ahead of any locks for the lineout role, Johnson the idea enforcer type role in the Bakkies/ Thorn mould.

Happy new year to you and family anyway Biltong. Been on and off the boards this holidays so not following a lot at the moment...

1. Os
2. Fitzy
3. Price
4. Meads
5. Nobody
6. Iceman
7. Ritchie
8. Zinny

I'm not saying that team could give a thorough spanking to any of the other packs listed here.

But it could.

Iceman?

Michael Jones

Cyril on 606v2 wrote:Michael Jones

Almost spot on Biltong.

I'd have Thorn over Johnson and maybe Andre Venter over Juan Smith (even though he is also my best Bok of the last 10 years, 8 out of 10 every game at least, a third lock in the lineout, never misses a tackle etc)