<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (An Tarbh @ Mar 30 2009, 10:46 PM)
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can't ever recall De Villiers playing at loosehead for the French, would certainly have Marconnet ahead of him, think he could play both sides.
As for Michalak, no no no no no no no no no, no. Galthié, Berbizier as well as several other scrum halves are streets ahead of the flaky Michalak.
No Jean Pierre Rives either, the man's an absolute legend of the game. I'd also make a case for Benetton as well, always thought he was quite a dynamic player. Always rated Roumat too, not sure about Castaigneide could possibly go with Camberabero.[/b]
galthie was your blood and bones type of scrum half remembered more for his leadership than his abilities, he played with a dominant pack that he directed, michelak is a magician. a creative player, a player who create space for himself and others.
unless you had noticed all the best "creative" players are acused of flakiness, it is due to our high expectations of them...
if you argue michelak why not argue dominici or blanco... they were "Flakey" too...!
Rives was a great open-side, Olivier Magne took JP Rives game on to another level, he was one of the first open-sides to be part of the modern wave of open-sides whos pure role is to maintain link play and follow follow follow in attack, whilst turnover in defense.
if we are discussing who is a great player maybe the role they took in advancing what a player in their position does and taking the game forward is what separates the GREATEST from those who just excelled....?
for example:
Gareth Edwards was a GREAT scrum half, what possibly makes him the GREATEST scrum half is how much he advanced the game with the way he developed his position at scrum-half as a more commanding role in a team...?
he developed the spin pass, the overhead kick, the corner flagging defense. the role of scrum half as an extra back rower in defense and as an extra winger in attack.
Magne developed the role of the open side flanker, JP Rives was excellent but didn't impact the game as much as a player like magne who changed the role of an open-side.
another point:
please don't repost this with figures about caps and figures about grandslams as you did regarding Graham Price...!
i respectfully would rather hear your opinions, as i can read how many tries and assists a player has just as easily as you, and as an experienced rugby afficionado that i presume you are, it demeans the way everyone perceives you when you provide statistics as opposed to opinion and debate...!
