So you find it perfectly okay to praise the braggarts, the guys too big for their britches, whose head's are too big to fit through a door. But you don't seem to okay with praising the guy who never misses a training session, who always helps out when one of these braggarts are sick, or not feeling like playing, yet he knows he'll never be a regular starter. Or what about the fat kid? the one without any skills, but he's there because he can stand his man at a scrum and helps these showboats to get the ball in their hands and let them do whatever they like?
By praising one part/group, and not praising others is borderline bullying by not having others part of their exclusive group. And that's where bullying manifests. You might not even realise it, but by only focusing on the show-offs, you are partly to blame if others are not being praised.
As for the guys you mentioned above, never really liked them cocky jerks. Guess that's partly the problem here. You use those guys as examples, who are show-offs, while others would rather look at someone like Thomas Du Toit, the springbok prop. A gentle giant, who hardly had any game time at the RWC, but got the most praises from his teammates, for his analysis work and preparation work to help the other players perform better on the field.
Team players also deserve a spot in the sunlight. Not just the cocky, arrogant *****...