Moore and Philips?
I know you like a good joke, Ewis, but that's taking it too far
there isn't a no.9 that convinces me categorically. I like Laidlaw, I like some of the french ones, I like Smith from NZ, du Preez....heck, Care played excellent in Paris. There's Genia...bug none really strike me as decisively the right one. And I've seen the advantage of being so massive at 9 from Philips, I've seen some fine games from him in recent memories (he sucks in France but plays awesome for his country), he started for the Lions...plus, he's just a gorgeous man. I'll pick him...mostly because he's good at Rugby, not because he's a gorgeous man, of course, that would be insane.
Moore has been under my radar for a while and I really liked him this year. I'd like to think he brings Moore, sorry, more* to the game than a more linear/classic Bismarck.
Bismarck in for Moore
Healy in for Beast
O'Brien in for Alberts
Genia in for Phillips
Swap centres round and maybe Ben Smith in for Tuilagi
Otherwise it's a perfect team haha
I'd agree with all those actually...can't believe I forgot O'Brien for a while there. How ungrateful is memory, guy's been injured some weeks I'd already erased him integrally from my mind !
And honestly I'm not convinced by my choices at locks. I've seen attractive stuff from Etzebeth and know stuff, and Retallick is a good young powerful second rower...but I'm totally fine with someone coming in with totally different choices for both, I'm just curious to see who.
Healy does do more than Beast in real time play though, i.e. away from the scrum...maybe Healy should be picked there, but he's not as powerful a LH in the scrums.
Same for Jonny Sexton and the 10 jersey: with Wilko out of the race and Carter fading slowly, I don't think Cruden's the best in the world, France are still confused about which one they want...I don't have a clear favorite. I'd go with Sexton because he best fits the modern 10: tall, strong, sound on defense, excellent kicker, and fulfills FH responsibilities well over all, but he's no attacking legend or super athletic and magnificent to watch or anything...he's a rigid, classic 10. Probably the best bet right now, though..
