Living and dying with a golden generation

First topic message reminder :

I wondered if any Irish posters could pass on some helpful tips to us English and Welsh.

Scrumdown wrote:Secretfly,

In his early 20's BOD would strike fear into the opposition every time he touched the ball and you could argue that he was the best 13 in the world but we haven't seen that level of performance from him since he was in his mid twenties. He is now 33 and has been living off his reputation for about 6 years especially at international level.

Even at 34, shane williams was easily the best player in the welsh backline and could turn a game in a blink of an eye as he did with that try in his final game against Australia.

You have a strange definition of turning a game.

Scrumdown wrote:Secretfly,

In his early 20's BOD would strike fear into the opposition every time he touched the ball and you could argue that he was the best 13 in the world but we haven't seen that level of performance from him since he was in his mid twenties. He is now 33 and has been living off his reputation for about 6 years especially at international level.
Even at 34, shane williams was easily the best player in the welsh backline and could turn a game in a blink of an eye as he did with that try in his final game against Australia.

Hmmm..Brian O'Driscoll is 34 for a start.

You're right, 6 long years ago most people thought he was finished...and it would still have been a splendid career had he actually finished then. But he didn't. And only four years ago he virtually won the 6N on his own, top try scorer that year in 6N, a tour de force of personal conviction leading a side on and on - and then he went on to help Leinster to a HEC the same year.

Now, as for Shane Williams at 34 easily being the best player in the Welsh backline....................... that's Wales and he was a Wing, not a punching, hitting, impact resistant, fighting, poaching, skallywag Irish Centre. Shane was a wing. They have few excuses for lasting the pace better both in speed and longevity - they take less punishment by design, and they certainly take less of it than O'Driscoll has put himself through in his career.

You make a case for Shane Williams being a more influencial player, Scrum....not many people around the world who know rugby will share your opinion.

Wasn't Shane Williams finished as a Test player in his mid-20s when he wasn't deemed good enough for Wales?

Since it's such a bizarre comparison to make, this can only be a wind-up and a smokescreen to have another dig at Ireland.

BOD and Shane are incomparable due to their positions and different contributions. Both fantastic players and servants to their countrys. However whilst Shane will go down as a Wales legend and a great player which is rightly so, BOD will go down as a World legend; a player of a generation who would have slotted into any SH midfield. The same could not be said of Shane unfortunately but that should not detract from his undoubted success and both players should be congratulated and celebrated for their contributions to rugby

RubyGuby wrote:BOD and Shane are incomparable due to their positions and different contributions. Both fantastic players and servants to their countrys. However whilst Shane will go down as a Wales legend and a great player which is rightly so, BOD will go down as a World legend; a player of a generation who would have slotted into any SH midfield. The same could not be said of Shane unfortunately but that should not detract from his undoubted success and both players should be congratulated and celebrated for their contributions to rugby

dead right Ruby

RubyGuby wrote:BOD and Shane are incomparable due to their positions and different contributions. Both fantastic players and servants to their countrys. However whilst Shane will go down as a Wales legend and a great player which is rightly so, BOD will go down as a World legend; a player of a generation who would have slotted into any SH midfield. The same could not be said of Shane unfortunately but that should not detract from his undoubted success and both players should be congratulated and celebrated for their contributions to rugby

You're a gentleman and a scholar Ruby .

BOD is also better at stamping his authority on a game