Star players of 2014 - 2015

[iINDOMINUSxx]

hi guys, thought i'd post something a little different today. Remember the good old rugby 08 days, and you get players who have a star on they're name eg. Jonny Wilkinson, Dan Carter, Lote Tuqiri etc. and then there was a TRF Rugby 10 patch which players with new stars eg. Tommy Bowe, Jaque Fourie, Fourie du Preez etc. like this.

A.Pichot^ --> Fourie du Preez
M.Giteau^ --> Matt Giteau
C.Spencer^ --> JM Hernandez
J.Rokocoko^ --> Vincent Clerc
J.Collins^ --> Jerry Collins
S.Burger^ --> Schalk Burger
Y.Nyanga^ --> Imanol Harinordoquy
B.Habana^ --> Bryan Habana
G.Smith^ --> Sergio Parisse
R.McCaw^ --> Richie McCaw
J.Lewsey^ --> Tommy Bowe
J.Robinson^ --> Ben Foden
P.Montgomery^ --> Francois Steyn
S.Williams^ --> Shane Williams
J.Wilkinson^ --> J Wilkinson
D.Carter^ --> Dan Carter
G.Gregan^ --> Will Genia
S.Larkham^ --> Quade Cooper
G.Henson^ --> Gavin Henson
R.O'Gara^ --> Ronan O'Gara
T.Umaga^ --> Ma'a Nonu
C.Latham^ --> Chris Paterson
L.Tuqiri^ --> Takudzwa Ngwenya
L.Dallaglio^ --> Andries Bekker
B.O'Driscoll^ --> Jaque Fourie

So if we are going to replace the rugby 10 star players to the star players off the 2014 to 2015 years. who would you replace the old star players with the new star players off 2014 - 2015 i was thinking something along the lines off this (Highlighted players are the new star players and some off them doesn't have to change)

A.Pichot^ --> Fourie du Preez > Aaron Smith
M.Giteau^ --> Matt Giteau > Jamie Roberts
C.Spencer^ --> JM Hernandez > JM Hernandez
J.Rokocoko^ --> Vincent Clerc > Simon Zebo ?
J.Collins^ --> Jerry Collins > Sam Warburton
S.Burger^ --> Schalk Burger > Duane Vermulen
Y.Nyanga^ --> Imanol Harinordoquy > Thierry Dusautoir
B.Habana^ --> Bryan Habana > Bryan Habana
G.Smith^ --> Sergio Parisse > Kieran Read
R.McCaw^ --> Richie McCaw > Richie McCaw
J.Lewsey^ --> Tommy Bowe > Tommy Bowe
J.Robinson^ --> Ben Foden > Mike Brown ?
P.Montgomery^ --> Francois Steyn > Wesley Fofana ?
S.Williams^ --> Shane Williams > George North
J.Wilkinson^ --> J Wilkinson > Nicolas Sanchez ?
D.Carter^ --> Dan Carter > Dan Carter
G.Gregan^ --> Will Genia > Nic Phipps ?
S.Larkham^ --> Quade Cooper > Bernard Foley ?
G.Henson^ --> Gavin Henson > Leigh Halfpenny
R.O'Gara^ --> Ronan O'Gara > Jonny Sexton
T.Umaga^ --> Ma'a Nonu > Manu Tuilagi ?
C.Latham^ --> Chris Paterson > Israel Folau
L.Tuqiri^ --> Takudzwa Ngwenya > Julian Savea ?
L.Dallaglio^ --> Andries Bekker > Steffon Armitage ?
B.O'Driscoll^ --> Jaque Fourie > Conrad Smith ?


I found it hard to do, what are you guys thinking ?

 

[Irishkid]

Nic Phipps is not a star player.

 

[iINDOMINUSxx]

Nic Phipps is not a star player.

well i wasn't sure there, Will Genia is certainly not a star now, he is well beyond that now as there are alot better than him. But i want to see your list.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Surely you can't have Nick Phipps there (who is 2nd behind McKibbin even at the 'Tahs? nevermind Aussie or the rest of the world) and not have the current IRB player of the year in Brodie Retalick and some of the other players nominated for the award in 2014?

I think going about it looking at straight swaps is what has hampered you and has made the process difficult? I see they have 25 players. Maybe just try and get a feel for who are the best 25 players currently? Which is a massively difficult thing to do in itself being so subjective and open to bias and in need of having watched a ton of rugby from ALL corners of the globe.. Maybe something like getting a lot of people from different regions giving a top 25 from their perspective and tempering the results?

To try and assist I'll have a stab at it the way I see it (a rough off-the-top-of-my-head top 25 and not in any order- the numbers are just to keep me at 25);

1 Brodie Retallick
2 Julian Savea
3 Duane Vermeulen
4 Sonny Bill Williams
5 Israel Folau
6 Ben Smith
7 Johnny Sexton
8 Michael Hooper
9 Bismarck du Plessis
10 Keiran Read
11 Conor Murray
12 Conrad Smith
13 Rob Kearney
14 Jerome Kaino
15 Willem Alberts
16 Bryan Habana
17 George North
18 Brice Dulin
19 Eben Etzebeth
20 Aaron Cruden
21 Francois Louw
22 Richie McCaw
23 Augustine Creevy
24 Aaron Smith
25 Bernard Foley

Nowhere near perfect but I'd say better than trying for straight swaps. Still a ton of talent missing though; a near impossible feat. I mean take away the last 10 and add Tuilagi, De Villiers, James O'Connor, Fofana, Adam Ashley Cooper, Giteau, Tevita Kuridrani, Beale, Leali'ifano and Malakai Fekitoa and it'd be no less relevant and I've listed 10 centers there above.. just an impossible and subjective excersize with no chance to be reflective of anything one could call subjective accuracy.. but damn fun though!

 

[LiRFCMatt]

I'd hasten to add Lawes and Launchbury to the fold, maybe a Robshaw shout out too. Brown possibly, Tuilagi possibly... just trying to show some potential English players, don't bombard me with messages about how biased I am, just making suggestions.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I had a few of those names floating around inside my head as well. 25 is actually a damn restrictive number. No worries about the bias (which I'm not saying you're showing)- I'm sure I have a few Saffas in there many would question and I had to bite my tongue so too speak not too mention Handre Pollard, Wille le Roux and Jean de Villiers though the showings of the last two in particular on last year's November test made leaving them out suprisingly easy for me.

 

[ncurd]

I think Brown is a fair should he was brilliant last 6 nations as was dare I say it Danny Care. The hardest part though for England is we had to play 4 games in succession against NZ (three of which away from home) and whilst we had a great start to last year it slowly petered out into injury and massive selection headache's.

 

[Jbobo]

I had a few of those names floating around inside my head as well. 25 is actually a damn restrictive number. No worries about the bias (which I'm not saying you're showing)- I'm sure I have a few Saffas in there many would question and I had to bite my tongue so too speak not too mention Handre Pollard, Wille le Roux and Jean de Villiers though the showings of the last two in particular on last year's November test made leaving them out suprisingly easy for me.

I know the feeling. I would be really tempted to add Roberts in there, but his early performance for the first half of last year made it easier to leave him out. Same goes of Halfpenny, purely because he was injured for part although he's been exceptional since he's got back to full fitness.

On Wales i'd like to nominate AWJ and Faletau.

 

[chippieolamus]

Kieran Reid
Julian Savea
Israel Folau
Brodie Retallick
Ben Smith
Richie McCaw
Aaron Smith
Duane Vermuelen
Bismark du Plessis
Dan Carter
Ma'a Nonu
Michael Hooper
George North
Eben Etzebeth
Adrian Strauss
Samu Manoa (probably shouldn't be here but I like him - replace with Dagg or AAC)
Conrad Smith
Sonny Bill Williams
Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe
Sergio Parisse
Tevita Kuridrani
Jonny Sexton
Willie Le Roux
Bryan Habana
Francois Louw

As a top 25 does that seem fair?

Edit: Just realised I put no English players in.