Michael Noel Brown v Rob Kearney

First topic message reminder :

As it says on the tin ,
Who is the better?

I have to be honest I have never really been a big fan of Rob Kearney, yes his a talented guy but for me he drifts along too often between big performances.

Oh i think Kearney is excellent Scurmpy. In the Ireland England game this 6n both him and Brown were outstanding. Two top class FB's on display.

Way ahead of the rest in the NH at the moment.

Hogg can join them and i think Halfpenny needs to be given a free role.
Whilst Williams was playing against Scotland and with a man down at that...he still gave Wales a different dimension. Halfpenny needs to do that.

On his day I agree Geordie.

Maybe I'm being too critical, but to me if you are that good then you need to make an impact everytime you play, Brown is doing that at the moment and that is why he is the best FB in the NH.

On current form!

I do agree with you consistency is a key part of being at the top.

Brown has shown that for years for club...and now showing that same consistency for England.

Scrumpy wrote:I have to be honest I have never really been a big fan of Rob Kearney, yes his a talented guy but for me he drifts along too often between big performances.

He paces himself?  

Big performances when he needs them - as in possibly he has little to prove and few people putting a hand up as challenger yet either in Leinster or Ireland. You might call him complacent in that attitude but others might call it pragmaticism down to a fine art.
Brown has or had quite a bit to prove to potential doubters and is at the stage of his career where he's intent on displaying that proof - thus the 6N performances.

Like I said somewhere before on this topic - Kearney once did the gung-ho chasing and balletic jumping too (and often actually kinda looked over-qualified for the Irish job in Kidney's time when his team mates weren't being coached to make use of his individualistic search and seek talents) But now he slots into team dynamics more and his role is part of controlled processes rather than individual moments of brilliance expressed.
But three HECs and two 6N titles suggests those big performance moments come when needed.

Scrumpy wrote:On his day I agree Geordie.

Maybe I'm being too critical, but to me if you are that good then you need to make an impact everytime you play, Brown is doing that at the moment and that is why he is the best FB in the NH.

On current form!

Go that way and you'll often be disappointed. Its a bit like the May debate. People like the honest trier who smashes into contact but doesnt get any where. People are much happier criticizing guys like Tuilagi because of the one game where he didnt make something out of nothing and score a brilliant try.

The really good guys do manage amazing things when it matters most (which is why Mike Phillips used to be rated so highly despite lacking in most scrum half skills) But even then they wont always manage it

SecretFly wrote:

Scrumpy wrote:I have to be honest I have never really been a big fan of Rob Kearney, yes his a talented guy but for me he drifts along too often between big performances.

He paces himself?  

Big performances when he needs them - as in possibly he has little to prove and few people putting a hand up as challenger yet either in Leinster or Ireland.  You might call him complacent in that attitude but others might call it pragmaticism down to a fine art.
Brown has or had quite a bit to prove to potential doubters and is at the stage of his career where he's intent on displaying that proof - thus the 6N performances.

Like I said somewhere before on this topic - Kearney once did the gung-ho chasing and balletic jumping too (and often actually kinda looked over-qualified for the Irish job in Kidney's time when his team mates weren't being coached to make use of his individualistic search and seek talents) But now he slots into team dynamics more and his role is part of controlled processes rather than individual moments of brilliance expressed.
But three HECs and two 6N titles suggests those big performance moments come when needed.

Quite the opposite with Brown. He's always played like this, with some small but important tweaks to his technique. What's changed this season is that Lancaster has told him to come into the attack much more in the last third of the field to make use of his individual brilliance.

Maybe he will have to economise on his efforts as he gets older and slows down, but at the moment if anything he is increasing his input. I just hope Quins can make use of it in the run-in.

Who is behind Brown & Kearney (as standouts) in the NH?

Sgt_Pooly wrote:Who is behind Brown & Kearney (as standouts) in the NH?

Alex Goode     

Brad71090 wrote:

Sgt_Pooly wrote:Who is behind Brown & Kearney (as standouts) in the NH?

Alex Goode     

On a serious note;

1) Mike Brown
2) Rob Kearney
3) Brice Dulin
4) Leigh Halfpenny
5) Jared Payne

No room for Lee Byrne? No.2 on the list at least...

He actually would have been right up there but he's struggling to hold off Buttin- who would also be up there on the list. Big fan of Byrne.

It's been awfully harmonious on here of late.......

Both excellent players at the top of their respective games. Brown has stood out more recently and has probably needed to amongst the backline he is playing in with England. He is fully deserving of his player of the tournament.

Kearney tends to pull out the performances when he needs to (a bit like Heaslip). He didn't start this season particularly well, had a shocker against Australia in the AI's and then exploded against NZ. He has been excellent since and I wouldn't trade him for anyone for two reasons; 1 - his current form and 2 - Clermont away in the 2012 semi-final.  Excluding Italy I doubt anyone from a 6N country would trade their fullback currently.

Sgt_Pooly wrote:It's been awfully harmonious on here of late.......

Head on over to the Leinster vs Munster thread - unrivalled entertainment   

Back up choices of Foden, Payne, L Williams/Byrne, Buttin and Maitland not bad to have either

XV does seem a relatively strong position in the NH at the moment. Since the Scotland game I have wondered did Liam Williams ignore team orders as such and just play his game or did Gatland say lets play cos there was nothing to lose.

We seen what Halfpenny can do in the third test in Oz which again makes it more frustrating that he is so obviously playing to orders when with Wales.

Brown, for me was head and shoulders in front of anyone else this season. Kearney is always there or there abouts but does seem to either be brilliant or just average.