6 Nations Team of the Decade

[bushytop]

Flats & Shanks just picked their 6 Nations Team of the Decade

So many variables within 10 years of rugby that I'd imagine that everyone else would make pretty different selections.

The Flats and Shanks XV: Liam Williams; George North, Jonathan Davies, Owen Farrell, Jonny May; Johnny Sexton, Conor Murray; Cian Healy, Guilhem Guirado, Tadhg Furlong; Maro Itjoe, Alun Wyn Jones; Tom Curry, Sean O'Brien, Taulupe Faletau.

 

[MikeTheNative]

Stopped reading when it didn't have Bergamasco at 9.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Tom Curry the "let's get this trending" pick anyway.

 

[bushytop]

Tom Curry the "let's get this trending" pick anyway.

A 'bit' of recency bias in a few areas to be fair.

 

[big ginger 8]

Think most of them have some argument but one year isn't enough to put Curry in especially when there's been so many good backrowers. Obviously almost completely dominated by three teams but they have been the most successful ones in this period.

EDIT: And yeah a lot of recency bias in effect.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Would have replaced North with Watson, Curry with Warburton and Faletau with Picamoles. I'd say Curry really shouldn't be there. He has been fantastic but has not yet proven consistency over many years. If you wanted to make a top 15 best prospects for the future, I think he'd get into that no problem.

 

[Reiser99]

The issue is that a decade is such a long time. North at the start of the decade every time, but North over the last few years no.

Question do you pick people based on their best at any point during the decade or players who have been the most consistent/best over a significant chunk of the decade.

Also finally there is the simple fact that you forget over time and recent performances stand out more as people have hinted at with the recency bias.

 

[Leinster Fan]

Guirado, Sean O'Brien, May, Williams and especially Curry are all doing very well to get in. The rest are fair enough calls and I suppose about 10/15 reasonable decisions isn't bad at all for one of these list things.

 

[Scotty]

They did well, how to get people interested and talking about what youve said.... put a good TOTD out there with the odd issue like curry at 6 in their to get people saying really from the whole decade its him.

 

[FLOBALOB]

Not including Player of the tournament (x2) is a schoolboy error.
Williams on the wing ,maybe, but not FB.

 

[MikeTheNative]

The issue is that a decade is such a long time. North at the start of the decade every time, but North over the last few years no.

Question do you pick people based on their best at any point during the decade or players who have been the most consistent/best over a significant chunk of the decade.

Also finally there is the simple fact that you forget over time and recent performances stand out more as people have hinted at with the recency bias.

I agree it's really hard to pick a from over a decade, not many players keep up consistent form over those years. Take for example Faletau who for between 2013-2017 his form would have wanted selection but he hasn't really played the last 3 years due to injury.

 

[Mr Ruggleby]

Based more on statistics like appearances, tries, points, and therefore providing a slightly different lens:

1. Healy
2. Best
3. Cole
4. AW Jones
5. Lawes
6. Zanni
7. Warburton
8. Parisse
9. Murray
10. Sexton
11. Earls
12. Farrell
13. Davies
14. North
15. Hogg

Close calls: Earls/Hogg > Halfpenny, Warburton/Zanni > O'Brien, Farrell > Roberts, Best > Ghiraldini

Obviously not a reflection of the best team for a one off game, but hard to argue with any of these players contributions across the decade, specifically within the 6 nations tournament.

 

[bushytop]

Barnes has gone one better and given his 6 Nations Team of the Century (though it's only from 2000 when the 6N started, so is essentially the team of the last two decades).

Barnes' team of the century: Stuart Hogg (Scotland); Jason Robinson (England), Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland), Yannick Jauzion (France), Shane Williams (Wales); Johnny Sexton (Ireland), Dwayne Peel (Wales); Gethin Jenkins (Wales), Raphael Ibanez (France), Tadhg Furlong (Ireland), Martin Johnson (England), Paul O'Connell (Ireland), Richard Hill (England), Sam Warburton (Wales), Lawrence Dallaglio (England).

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Hogg isn't even the best fullback in that side let alone the century

 

[big ginger 8]

Yeah I'd shift Robinson to 15 and put in Clerc, maybe Bowe.

 

[Chief Pete]

In terms of 6N tournaments Dan Lydiate should be in the mix, several outstanding tournaments in a row...

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Furlong is an audacious pick as well - I mean I rate him very highly but....well: Adam Jones.