Expat NZ, SA & Aus XV vs Best 6N XV

[first5eight]

So, best current expat players in Europe vs best 6 Nations team?

Who wins? Who's in your teams?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

6N, easily.

 

[Peat]

Quick shot at best expat team...

1 - ?
2 - Brits
3 - Hayman
4 - Botha
5 - Roussow
6 - Braid
7 - Louw
8 - Masoe

9 - Pienaar
10 - Evans
11 - Mitchell
12 - Giteau
13 - Ranger
14 - Ioane
15 - Muliania

You probably can get a better team than that, but don't really have the knowledge... but that's tasty. I can see that giving a Best of the 6N team problems.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I'll take the liberity of adding players from Japan* (or an alternative) as well.

1 - Heinke van der Merwe
2 - Craig Burden
3 - Carl Hayman
4 - Bakkies Botha
5 - Juandre Kruger
6 - Juan Smith
7 - Francois Louw (c)
8 - I'll have to get back to you..

9 - Fourie du Preez* (move Kockott up and bring in Ruan Pienaar or Jano Vermaak)
10 - Nick Evans
11 - Bryan Habana
12 - Matt Giteau
13 - Richard Kahui* (okay, so Jaque Fourie is also in Japan... hmmm.. move Payne to 13 and bring in Mitchell)
14 - Rene Ranger
15 - Jared Payne

16 - Guthro Steenkamp
17 - John Afoa
18 - Schalk Brits
19 - Francois van der Merwe
20 - CJ Stander
21 - Rory Kockott
22 - Morne Steyn
23 - James O'Connor

If you add Argentina to make it RC rather than just SANZAR I'd bring in Lobbe, Ayerza and Figallo.

 

[Peat]

Payne has not been particularly impressive at 13 in the NH so far. Also, very shortly, he officially won't be an expat... ditto Kockott iirc...

 

[Big Ewis]

1 - Van der Merwe
2 - Burden
3 - Hayman
4 - Bakkies Botha
5 - Juandre Kruger
6 - Juan Smith
7 - Vosloo
8 - Masoe

9 - Rory Kockott
10 - Evans
11 - Hosea Gear
12 - Giteau
13 - Ranger
14 - Habana
15 - Drew Mitchell

And that team would cause trouble to any team, the 6N one included.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Payne has not been particularly impressive at 13 in the NH so far. Also, very shortly, he officially won't be an expat... ditto Kockott iirc...

I'm surprised to hear that; about Payne I mean, he was quite a handy 13/15 at the Auckland Blues. Wouldn't be the first class center not to make an impession in an Irish team though; I remember Jean de Villiers looking way off his usual pace for Munster.

All I can say about Kockott and Payne other than that is they aren't capped yet!

As for 8 I am finding it very difficult to pick now that Jerome Kaino is back in NZ. I've always liked Erst Joubert but have no idea how he is faring. There is Justin.. oh, I forgot Melck is German now. Then there is Masoe who is destructive but I remember him being one of the most off-and-on players I've ever seen. Thomas Waldrom is now English. Claassen and Le Roux both now French. Elsom? Vosloo surely to old.

 

[profitius]

I'm surprised to hear that; about Payne I mean, he was quite a handy 13/15 at the Auckland Blues. Wouldn't be the first class center not to make an impession in an Irish team though; I remember Jean de Villiers looking way off his usual pace for Munster.

De Villiers was off the pace for a month or two but was excellent after that and showed his class.

 

[Feicarsinn]

1 - Van der Merwe
2 - Burden
3 - Hayman
4 - Bakkies Botha
5 - Juandre Kruger
6 - Juan Smith
7 - Vosloo
8 - Masoe

9 - Rory Kockott
10 - Evans
11 - Hosea Gear
12 - Giteau
13 - Ranger
14 - Habana
15 - Drew Mitchell

And that team would cause trouble to any team, the 6N one included.

How is Heinke getting on? I always liked him as a player, but I'd still struggle to see him as an international calibre player (particularly for a side like South Africa.) We've lost very little in replacing him with Jack McGrath.

 

[psychic duck]

How is Heinke getting on? I always liked him as a player, but I'd still struggle to see him as an international calibre player (particularly for a side like South Africa.) We've lost very little in replacing him with Jack McGrath.

Rugbyrama said he was best loosehead in the league (http://www.rugbyrama.fr/rugby/top-1...gauches-du-championnat_sto4272507/story.shtml)