• Help Support The Rugby Forum :

Memorable Rugby Player Performances

Sexton in the HEC final. Literally dragged Leinster kicking and screaming (when they seemingly were determined to be beaten) in the 2nd half.
 
Mick O'Driscoll and Tony Bucley against S.A. in 2010 were both God awful.

All the goo ones have been mentioned though being me I have to say Healy vs Clermont in the Aviva 2011 was pretty awesome.
 
Teh Mite said:
Sexton in the HEC final. Literally dragged Leinster kicking and screaming (when they seemingly were determined to be beaten) in the 2nd half.
Click to expand...

Their performance was fantastic. Just refreshed my memory by watching the highlights on YouTube. Just, wow.
 
Lewis Moody vs Munster away, last ever game at Thomond Park. Brilliant. Wilkinson vs ireland 2003? Or either NZ 2002-03? So many from him from that period really. Fantastic against Ireland in 2002 aswell. As for shockers Henson against Ireland when he came off the bench and played 10 (after about 10 mins)
 
Phillipe Lamazion. France v NZ RWC 99. France wouldn't have won without him
 
Shane Williams for the majority of the 2008 Grand Slam.

Also for anyone interested highlights of "the most complete performance by a 10 ever"- it still scares me every time.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
That New Zealand team from 2004-2007 ish was the best team I've ever seen play. They were about as close to perfection as you could get. Woodward gets a lot of flak for that tour, and probably rightly so in light of the Maori loss, but I don't think any team, no matter how well prepared, would have came close to touching them.
 
Carter was absolutely untouchable in those 3 years- makes me hope he can make a full recovery from his recent bout of injury .

Although it might be cheating a little, SBW's MotM performance against Scotland is the 2010 Autumn tests was comparable in spectacle (against a far weaker team).

No matter how many defenders the Scots threw at him they just could not stop him:

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Christian Cullen vs South Africa Tri-nations (can't remember which year, but it was when he scored a Hat-trick)
 
Stephen Donald RWC final vs. France 2012

went from waikato river white bater to RWC winning first five in a matter of days, no he wasn't the best All Black on the park, Thorn, Woodcock and McCaw where huge and Kahui was arguably the best back for the AB's but the circumstances around it were amazing after everything he went through he came up with a pretty much flawless 50min and was massive on defense critically making the tackle that produced the turnover that got the All Blacks their final possession that sealed the game and kicking the winning points.

Richard Kahui's debut vs. England was pretty impressive but one super rugby performance he had against the stormers in SA a few years ago was mind blowing. Chiefs behind and he had already scored a try but in the last part of the game stormers are on attack near the chiefs 22 Kahui makes a massive tackle and wins a turnover, couple of phases later Kahui makes a big touch finder up the right hand side of the field to near the stormers 22. Stormers win the lineout but Kahui makes another tackle and turns the ball over again then a couple of phases later he actually scored or setup the game winning try, I think he scored two and setup two trys in that game. I've never seen a player dominate a game for a period like that and change the result. hes one of those rare players that are good pretty much all the time but when he needs to he seems to have another level that he can lift to.

one performance that sticks in my mind from the last World cup was by one if the Irish props in the Aussie game, that was super impressive.
 
dullonien said:
On the flip side, I've always remembered Iestyn Harris' debut at CAP for Cardiff Blues when he switched codes. Was it against Glasgow? He was brilliant in that game from what I remember, and got extremely excited about the prospect of him playing for Wales. I know it wasn't all plain sailing, and it took him quite a while to settle in (and ultimately went back to league just as he was reaching his potential in union), but that performance was memorable.
Click to expand...

shame Iestyn Harris left when he did, he was just starting to get good

and then Henson was re-discovered, and great for a season so the loss of Harris didn't matter, and then we all know how his career went off the rails at this point, so it would have been good to have had Harris longer

TRF_Feicarsinn said:
Dusautoir in the 2007 QF will be hard to top.

I'll always remember Rob Kearney single handedly man-shaming South Africa when we played them in 2009
Click to expand...

Kearney was also immense during the 2009 Lions tour as well vs South Africa

in fact many of the Lions 2009 team were at the top of their game at the time, Shaw, Croft, Phillips, Stephen Jones, Roberts, Kearney, O'Driscoll, Wallace, Jenkins, Rees, Flutey, Bowe were all on some of the best form of their careers, yet somehow thanks to the performances of single players Vickery and O'Gara the series was lost

cmac95 said:
Andy goode had a stormer vs Leinster in the 04 Qf, haven't a clue why that one springs to mind.
Felipe for Leinster vs Toulouse 06.
O'gara vs Leinster 06.
O'driscoll vs England 09.
Rocky in any HEC match 09.
Ferries vs Australia 11.
Pocock vs S.A 11.
Gorgodze vs Leinster 11.
Click to expand...

Gorgodze's great effort for a draw against Leinster has been the nearest any team has come to beating Leinster in the Heineken Cup since 2010

Sker said:
Ronan O'Gara 2009 British and Irish Lions vs South Africa. 2nd Test ;)

I remember Andre Pretorius having a LOVELY game against Tonga in the SA vs Tonga game, RWC 2007 QF. Almost made us lose vs Tonga...
Click to expand...

didn't people think Pretorius would be a great international 10, the only good game I ever remember him having was for the Lions once, surprised he's playing Vodacom Cup rugby nowadays with the Leopards rather than playing in Europe

ZeFrenchy said:
On the "shocking" side:
Damien Traille vs. Australia 2010
Click to expand...

why was Traille so shocking in this match?

TRF_nickdnz said:
Sione Lauaki v Australia 3rd Test 2008
Stephen Donald v Australia 4th Test 2010
Click to expand...

why was Lauaki so shocking in that match?

also don't you think people exaggerate Donald's poorness that day, yes he missed a gettable kick, and missed touch towards the end, but people remember it as if it was 80 minutes gone and he missed touch, but he missed it with 40 seconds to go (and also cost a scrum advantage the All Blacks had at the same time), so even if he made touch Australia could have still scored anyway, and it wasn't his fault the All Blacks couldn't defend the last try

Sixesandsevens said:
Lewis Moody vs Munster away, last ever game at Thomond Park. Brilliant.
Click to expand...

Thomond Park is still in use, what are you talking about

TRF_Feicarsinn said:
That New Zealand team from 2004-2007 ish was the best team I've ever seen play. They were about as close to perfection as you could get. Woodward gets a lot of flak for that tour, and probably rightly so in light of the Maori loss, but I don't think any team, no matter how well prepared, would have came close to touching them.
Click to expand...

and the draw to the Argentina reserve side
 
Henry Lem Honniball vs France 97, Robbie Fleck vs NZ, Thinus Delport vs NZ, Jannie De Beer vs England, Brian O Driscoll for the Lions vs Australia, Beating NZ 13 - 3 in Auckland when Peter Russouw scored that clinching try , Jonah Lomu vs England ver 1 and Ver 2, Serge Blanco vs NZ, Joost v Westhuizen taking down Lomu, OS vs Argentina, Pocock vs us in the WC and that bloody Larkham drop vs us in that semi final. There is about a 100 more i can remember
 

Similar threads

Kiwiwomble
World Rugby Men's 15s Player of the Year
Replies
1
Views
411
tirawleybaron
T
A
Player shaped tackle bag/dummy
Replies
8
Views
922
awaldo
A
B
World Rugby
Replies
0
Views
79
Black Hawk
B
M
a rugby app for rugby fans
Replies
3
Views
265
SmokeysGang
S
B
Local rugby
Replies
2
Views
179
Kiwiwomble
Kiwiwomble

Latest posts

Top