RWC - Team of the Weekend.

Standard debating rules for this kind of thread, if you have selected a team you can criticise anyone elses - otherwise STFU.

I will update this first post with the boards consensus once we have some teams submitted.

It may take time!

We'll have to do a lot of Googling to be able to spell the Japanese names.

Easy every Japan player lol

bedfordwelsh wrote:Easy every Japan player lol

Good call!

15- M Brown (good case for Goromaru ahead of him)
14- T Nanai-Williams
13- S Williams (thought he was Wales best player apart from maybe Tipuric)
12- Harumichi Tatekawa
11- N Nadolo
10- J Sexton
9- A Smith
8- M Gorgodze
7- J Tipuric (Dusautoir close)
6- M Leitch
5- B Retallick
4- I Henderson
3- D Zirakashvili
2- A Creevy
1- E Ben Arous

My team:

15) Brown (Eng) - do not think whe was as good as some reports suggest, especially his kicking. However a good performance.
14) van der Merwe (can) - standout perforrmer in a side well beaten. Galloping runs, plenty of defenders beaten and a try.
13) Allen (Wal) - Hard to ignore a hat-trick
12) Williams (NZ) - Complete reversed the flow of the game when he came on.
11) Tuilagi (Sam) - alessana did what alessana does and put the fear of god up the yanks.
10) Sexton (Ire) - Only error was failing to convert his own try.
9) Tanaka (Jap) - MoTM in an epic win, hate to thing just how many miles he covered getting to the breakdown to ensure ball was released quickly and SA were unable to maul his team to death.

8) Gorgodze (Geo) - A colossus. 24 tackles, 5 linouts, carried the ball well in the tight and scored a try in the tournaments first surprise result.
7) Tipuric (Wal) - Effective link man, high tackle count and good source of ball in the lineout.
6) Leitch (Jap) - was everywhere. Tackled like a madman, competed at every breakdown and scored a try.
5) Henderson (Ire) - huge tackle count, good carrying in they tight and two turnovers.
4) Whitelock (NZ) - Rettallick won MotM, but for me Whitelock had the stronger game.
3) Ross (Ire) - cornerstone of the Irish scrum with strong defensive work.
2) Horie (Jap) - lots of hookers did well, but I have to include another from that amazing performance by Japan.
1) Ayerza (Arg) - caused his opposite number problems throughout. Rarely for a fronmt row forward played the full 80 minutes.

Japan.

LT, if we have to stick to official positions, say Allen at 13 and DTH on the wing

I would be with Chequered Jersy bar 2,9 and 11
Would have Tanaka at 9, Kearney at 11 (although he played 14). Hooker is difficult. Not sure any hooker particularly stood out. Just to have another Japanese guy will go with him

actually not sure about Brown at 15. Has any full back stood out. The japanese 15 was good. While talking about 15's what the hell is Zane Kirtchener doing in the boks squad never mind the frist Xv. Is probably 3rd choice full back for Leinster

bmcr wrote:actually not sure about Brown at 15. Has any full back stood out. The japanese 15 was good. While talking about 15's what the hell is Zane Kirtchener doing in the boks squad never mind the  frist Xv. Is probably 3rd choice full back for Leinster

Here are Brown's stats-

192m made, over 100m more than anyone else in his match against a non-kicking opposition...
2 tries scored (one saved)
Over 10m per carry
5 offloads
6 clean breaks
11 defenders beaten
3/0 on tackling

All the moment leading to our last 2 tries.
One dodgy kick
Usual strength under the high ball

He had a great game.

Otherwise, I thought the Japanese 15 was very good and Nanai Williams too

Maybe so. I don't like metres made stat for full backs. They are always going to be inflated. He always beats the first man or two whcih is probably his best atribute. I have no problem with Brown at 15. Probably wanted another Japanese lad in there but no real arguement from me about choosing him

Planet rugby



The World Cup is well and truly underway with eight games over the weekend and no question over the biggest surprise.

Given that they knocked off the Springboks on Saturday, it's no surprise that Japan's stars make it into our team of the week, while there are also three places for Georgia who upset Tonga.
The rest of the side is made up of players from Ireland, New Zealand, Wales and France, as well as a Canadian and a Fijian sneaking in.

15 Ayumu Goromaru (Japan): It seems wrong to leave out Mike Brown, who was England's best player by a country mile on Friday, but how can we leave out Goromaru? Followers of Japanese rugby are well-aware of his kicking ability, but he also proved hugely influential around the park, even finishing off the fine set-move for Japan's second try. A mention for Samoan standout Tim Nanai-Williams in what was probably the most tightly-contested position.

14 DTH van der Merwe (Canada): Shifting to the other wing, DTH van der Merwe was a shining light in a dismal Candian effort against Ireland in Cardiff. Racking up 141 metres with ball in hand, three clean breaks and scoring his side's only try, he was in a different league to his teammates. He'd have had another as well, had it not been for a knock-on in the build-up.

13 Cory Allen (Wales): Sadly his tournament is already over because of a hamstring injury, but Allen took his chance while he had it, running in a hat-trick against Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium. Granted the opposition left something to be desired but you couldn't have asked for much more from the 22-year-old in his 54 minutes on the pitch.

12 Sonny Bill Williams (New Zealand): The All Black centre came on as a replacement for Ma’a Nonu, who had looked flat all game. The rugby league star made an immediate impact, running good lines and getting away his freakish offloads. Nehe Milner-Skudder’s fumbled one on the line, but Williams put away Sam Cane for a crucial score later in the second half. That's enough to just edge out Juan Martin Hernandez who lived up to his nickname as El Mago with some magical flicks and passes.

11 Nemani Nadolo (Fiji): He'd been talked up all week as the man to watch for Fiji, and Nadolo didn't disappoint, making Anthony Watson look like a child as he soared over him to score Fiji's only try. His kicking could have been better, but after beating seven defenders, it's fair to say he's Fiji's biggest attacking threat.

10 Jonathan Sexton (Ireland): The opposition offered little, but Sexton was outstanding for Ireland, playing the perfect tactical game, while also enjoying the extra freedom granted by the holes in defence. One kick into touch five metres from the Canadian line was reminiscent of a peak Ronan O'Gara, but his try was all Sexton. Showing a remarkable turn over pace he raced nearly 40 metres for his first-half score.

9 Vasil Lobzhanidze (Georgia): The tournament's youngest-ever player wasn't overawed in the slightest for Georgia's opening clash with Tonga, marshalling his forwards magnificently. He wasn't afraid to try things, with a couple of sniping runs, and played a key role in helping them to their biggest World Cup win. Fumiaki Tanaka was excellent for Japan and a word for Aaron Smith, who came up big when the All Blacks looked to be under the cosh against Argentina.

8 Mamuka Gorgodze (Georgia): The Georgian giant turned in a match-winning performance for his country, leading from the front and scoring their first try. This was Georgia’s first win over Tonga since 1999 and Gorgodze made an eye-watering 24 tackles, along with eight offloads and five defenders beaten. He edges out Samoa’s try-scoring captain Ofisa Treviranus and France's Louis Picamoles, while Japan replacement Amanaki Mafi was massive off the bench against the Springboks.

7 Sean O’Brien (Ireland): One of Ireland’s many try scorers in Cardiff, O’Brien carried with his typical gusto by chipping in with 13 runs while also making 11 tackles on the other side of the ball. Has a key role to play in Ireland’s bigger games to come.

6 Michael Leitch (Japan): Outstanding. Japan’s captain led from the front throughout their battle with the Springboks in Cardiff, with 17 tackles to his name along with 12 carries and a turnover. But it was his leadership that stood out, turning down the draw and going for the most famous of wins.

5 Sam Whitelock (New Zealand): The 2011 World Cup winner has subtly got better and better over the last four years and outshone his World Rugby Player of the Year partner Brodie Retallick in the All Blacks’ engine room. He finished with nine carries. A word too for 37-year-old Japan lock Hitoshi Ono who left everything out on the pitch in Brighton.

4 Iain Henderson (Ireland): The young Irish lock brings great physicality to their forward pack and scored his first international try in Saturday’s win over Canada in Cardiff. Two turnovers, 12 carries and an impressive 19 tackles rounded off a good day for the Ulster player.

3 Rabah Slimani (France): The French scrum was utterly dominant against Italy on Saturday at Twickenham, with Slimani also popping up for a try as he kept les Bleus on top in the set-piece and chipped in at the breakdown too.

2 Guilhem Guirado (France): Another key cog in France’s scrum, Guirado also made six carries for 30 metres, one leading to the opening try, and weighed in with nine tackles for Philippe Saint-André’s side - probably enough to keep him ahead of Benjamin Kayser and Dmitri Szarzewski in the pecking order.

1 Mikheil Nariashvili (Georgia): Dominance in the scrum was at the heart of Georgia’s win at Kingsholm with Nariashvili playing his part. The loosehead prop also made seven carries during an impressive 60-minute outing.

Japan - that is all.....

My team;

15. Ayumu Goramaru (Japan)
14. Alesana Tuilagi (Samoa)
13. Cory Allen (Wales)
12. Sonny Bill Williams (New Zealand)
11. Nemani Nadolo (Fiji)
10. Johnny Sexton (Ireland)
9. Fumiaki Tanaka (Japan)
8. Mamuka Gorgodze (Georgia)
7. Justin Tipuric (Wales)
6. Michael Leitch (Japan)
5. Brodie Retallick (New Zealand)
4. Iain Henderson (Ireland)
3. Rabah Slimani (France)
2. Agustin Creevy (Argentina)
1. Eddy Ben Arous (France)

I may have to rewatch the England Fiji game. So many people touting Nadolo - but I was deeply disappointed after all the rave previews. One decent run, but in general I thought he looked overweight, unfit, slow and disinterested.

LondonTiger wrote:I may have to rewatch the England Fiji game. So many people touting Nadolo - but I was deeply disappointed after all the rave previews. One decent run, but in general I thought he looked overweight, unfit, slow and disinterested.

Yeah I thought until the last 20 minutes or so he was very ineffective.

How about an honourable mention to....

Kirchner; Habana, Kriel, de Villiers, Mvovo; Lambie, Pienaar; Mtawarira, B du Plessis, J du Plessis, De Jager, Matfield, Louw, du Toit, Burger.

Feel sad posting this about my own personal favourites Bissie & Schalk but hell, it happens.

15. Ayumu Goramaru (Japan)
14. Amorisino (Argentina)
13. Conrad Smith (New Zealand)
12. Sonny Bill Williams (New Zealand)
11. Noa Nakaitaci (France)
10. Johnny Sexton (Ireland)
9. Arron Smith (New Zealand)
8. Keiron Read (New Zealand)
7. Justin Tipuric (Wales)
6. Michael Leitch (Japan)
5. Luke Thompson (Japan)
4. Iain Henderson (Ireland)
3. Tetaz Chaparro (Argentina)
2. Agustin Creevy (Argentina)
1. Eddy Ben Arous (France

Scottrf wrote:

LondonTiger wrote:I may have to rewatch the England Fiji game. So many people touting Nadolo - but I was deeply disappointed after all the rave previews. One decent run, but in general I thought he looked overweight, unfit, slow and disinterested.

Yeah I thought until the last 20 minutes or so he was very ineffective.

He got the try (and some kicks) but the England wings were more busy and dangerous. It was a good catch but its interesting the fuss made about that when Watson out jumped him earlier on and is all but forgotten.

It was OK, but the jumper from behind should always win that battle. The one he lost was more of a 50/50.