"Best" Era in world Rugby history

[Big Ewis]

Don't think this thread's been made before... In fact right now I can't remember if I went to take a crap today so my memory isn't good reference, you see.
So yeah let's make this an interesting diverging explosion of opinions, older generation guys and what they'll have to say, guys from different places in the world might have a different take on things from their cultural perspective, to dip the biscuit or not with the coffee, then there's simply "what does the 'best' era mean" ?...shouldn't be interestingly disinteresting. I reckon !
What is the best era in world Rugby history ? And whaaaahhhh...:moon5zx:

 

[TheSaffycen]

From 2001-2004 for no particular reason.................

 

[Tony Manx]

There are two decades that merge into memory as on 8th November 1980 this guy made the first of his 93 appearances for his country, the last being in the quarter finals of the RWC 19th October 1991.......on that basis, it has to be the 1980's when he won two Grand slams in 1981 and 1987.......................and remains the biggest try scorer for his country!!!!!

 

[j'nuh]

The best era ended when Shane Williams retired from international rugby.

 

[Big Ewis]

From 2001-2004 for no particular reason.................

you mean 2000-2003 !! Getcho dates right, rosbif !!

Ooh, we've got a riddle from @Tony Manx here !..let's see if @ImScotty can get this...

And yeah, wasn't sober when I made this, over-enthusiastically started this thread...much too vast a question, but as I'm sober now I would indeed be interested in reading opinions and reasons why. I've little knowledge of the game past a certain date, and I'd rather bulk my knowledge of the periods I do know for the time being. But it's always interesting to read replies to such a broad, broad question.

 

[iINDOMINUSxx]

im still figuring it out

 

[Tony Manx]

@ImScotty not that hard surely!!!!!

 

[iINDOMINUSxx]

still figuring out!

 

[Tony Manx]

still figuring out!

Still............................................?????

 

[goodNumber10]

I'm astounded Simon_G hasn't ruined this thread... it's tailor made for him.

 

[jonny24]

Well, since I started playing in 2009, I'd say from 2009-2014!

Although really, that's as long as I've been aware of rugby, so I don't really have any idea of previous eras.

 

[Big Ewis]

it's a real toughie. I don't think anyone on this forum really has the knowledge and good judgment to really produce the perfect post, but again, always nice to read an opinion when so much is there to be debated. I don't think too many ppl recognize the game from around the 30's-40's or before, and the 50's/60's are where more recognizable figures and teams dwell. The 70's/80's are classic vintage with big tours and important test match series and stuff but was nothing like today's Rugby, the 90's are a complex decade from what I've seen and establishing a tendency over it is difficult. The 2000's are quite mixed also but contain a lot of remains from the amateur era, and then I'd say 2008 marks the big change, that new RWC cycle right after 2007 really saw the game change a lot and become the ultra-tight, defensive-minded style we watch today.
Rugby during the earlier stages, say 70's/80's, had all the flair and the lightness and was much closer to the principles and original spirit of the game and all, but wasn't as competitive or dead serious as today's game...how does one call a period "better" than the other ?..

 

[Canuck]

Obviously "best" is subjective but for me it would have to be from about 1993 till about 1999. The dawn of professionalism. International rugby was just such a fascinating hybrid at that point. There were sloppy looking, beer-bellied chain-smoking older players taking the field against the physical specimens that would come to define the pro era. You still had the creativity and the somewhat reckless ball movement from the amateur era but mixed in with the structure of the future. Tactics were also evolving at an incredible rate. It was so amazing to see the radical change in play from the '91 world cup to the '95 world cup and then to '99 as well.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Pre-pro.

For many reasons.

On a side note, whatever happened to the 'nicknames' thread; I think it needs an update but I can't seem to find it. You know, the thread where we put down teams and player's nicknames.

 

[TRF_heineken]

For me it has to be the Era when my heroes I looked up to played:

Ruben Kruger, Krynauw Otto, Os Du Randt, Zinzan Brooke, Josh Kronfeld, Vilami Ofahengaue (hope I spelled that right), Joost van der Westhuizen, Uli Schmidt and John Eales.

 

[Peat]

 

[Big Ewis]

For me it has to be the Era when my heroes I looked up to played:

Ruben Kruger, Krynauw Otto, Os Du Randt, Zinzan Brooke, Josh Kronfeld, Vilami Ofahengaue (hope I spelled that right), Joost van der Westhuizen, Uli Schmidt and John Eales.

Yeah, don't know about Eales though...he was nobody...

uuughhhhhh those rosbifs, God...yes yes, that's fantastic, but could you make an effort to maybe actually answer the thread, i.e. give an actual era not a 3-year window and justify why you'd think it was a 'better' time for Rugby ?

 

[nickdnz]

For me if I can loosely define an era it's from around 1996-2002.

Christian Cullen, Tana Umaga, Jonah Lomu, Andrew Mehrtens, Jeff Wilson, Justin Marshall, Zinzan Brooke, Josh Kronfeld, Sean Fitzpatrick, Michael Jones, John Eales, George Gregan, Stephen Larkham, Joe Roff, Toutai Kefu, Jeremy Paul, Matt Dawson, Lawrence Dallagio, Martin Johnson, Will Greenwood, Neil Back, Keith Wood, Christophe Dominici, Fabien Galthie, Emile Ntamack etc, etc, etc.

Probably has a lot to do with getting excited about rugby at first as a kid. Guys like Cullen and Umaga visiting my primary school etc.

That said - I could happily say guys who played most of their rugby outside 2002 are equally heroic - McCaw, Carter, Rokocoko, Conrad Smith, Matfield, Thorn, Wilkinson, Giteau, Mortlock, du Preez, Habana etc, etc, etc. That's what I continue to love about rugby, there are always players out there who are exiting and produce moments of magic.

 

[Big Ewis]

For me if I can loosely define an era it's from around 1996-2002.

Christian Cullen, Tana Umaga, Jonah Lomu, Andrew Mehrtens, Jeff Wilson, Justin Marshall, Zinzan Brooke, Josh Kronfeld, Sean Fitzpatrick, Michael Jones, John Eales, George Gregan, Stephen Larkham, Joe Roff, Toutai Kefu, Jeremy Paul, Matt Dawson, Lawrence Dallagio, Martin Johnson, Will Greenwood, Neil Back, Keith Wood, Christophe Dominici, Fabien Galthie, Emile Ntamack etc, etc, etc.

Probably has a lot to do with getting excited about rugby at first as a kid. Guys like Cullen and Umaga visiting my primary school etc.

That said - I could happily say guys who played most of their rugby outside 2002 are equally heroic - McCaw, Carter, Rokocoko, Conrad Smith, Matfield, Thorn, Wilkinson, Giteau, Mortlock, du Preez, Habana etc, etc, etc. That's what I continue to love about rugby, there are always players out there who are exiting and produce moments of magic.

well that's interesting as it's not the era wherein NZ won the most games/were the most dominant or achieved the greatest things. It's really a choice made on the Rugby itself.

As inspired by a post on this thread, I'd like to say that my favorite era is from the morning of when France upset the Blacks in 1999 to the end of that day. Man, that was some fuccking era..will never forget the days...well, the day.

 

[Peat]

uuughhhhhh those rosbifs, God...yes yes, that's fantastic, but could you make an effort to maybe actually answer the thread, i.e. give an actual era not a 3-year window and justify why you'd think it was a 'better' time for Rugby ?

My justification is surely obvious. Do I really need to spell it out?