All time Super Rugby XV (all teams)
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@Toddy said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
@Duluth great find!
It was an awesome game to watch. Auckland were generally my second team to support in the NPC, especially as the in-laws absolutely hated them. It was a bizarre watch as this 'new' winger kept tearing them a new one.
Rupeni's got to be top of the "players you wish had more nutritional discipline" list. Occupying second would probably be Tameifuna.
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@pakman said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
@nzzp said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
@cgrant said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
Olo Brown was a much more impressive THP than Owen Franks IMO.
Olo Brown was the most impressive THP ever.
also, his straight back says 'hi' :D.
I'd vote for Olo for Mayor
Olo takes some beating. Cobus Visagie probably best THP of last 15 years.
Cobus and Os made a pretty handy front row.
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@Chris-B said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
@Canes4life I'm not sure Dan Carter actually warrants selection in an all time Super team. All time ABs, sure - but I'm doubtful about Super.
He only played in two championship winning Crusaders teams - and through the Blackadder era, I think a lot of the Crusaders' All Blacks played within themselves for most of the season and then tried to finish over the top of everyone - playing away from home. A strategy that didn't work.
Dan pretty much admitted as much in his book.
Three: 2005, 2006 & 2008. And it's funny how - because we've won so many - two is refrerred to as "only two". With three championships, only a handful of guys who were in the 1998-2000 and 2002 Crusaders have won more. In saying that though, I wouldn't have him in my XV. This would be:
15 Mils Muliaina
14 Rico Gear
11 Bryan Habana
13 Stirling Mortlock
12 Aaron Mauger
10 Andrew Mehrtens
9 Will Genia
8 Mose Tuiali'i
7 Richie McCaw
6 Reuben Thorne
5 Chris Jack
4 Victor Matfield
3 Greg Sommerville
2 Corey Flynn
1 Wyatt CrockettRes
16 Jeremy Paul
17 Gurthro Steenkamp
18 Owen Franks
19 Sam Whitelock
20 George Smith
21 Fourie du Preez
22 Daniel Carter
23 Ben Smith -
@shark Pretty sure Dan was overseas in France in 2008. Broke his leg, I think. I think Stephen Brett probably had the tiller in 2008.
So in terms of Crusaders' titles:
Mehrts 4
Mo'unga 3
Carter 2
Brett 1I struggle to see that Dan should be ahead of Mehrts in particular at Super level, but probably even Richie.
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@shark Pleased to see you've got Chris Jack in your team. He was awesome at Super level.
Lots of good fullback contenders, but I reckon Leon should go very close. A master of blindside attacking and arguably a dual pivot in the days before that was a thing.
I recall years ago, NTA posting that he'd had a conversation with Ewen McKenzie (or been at a function where EM spoke) and EM reckoned the key to beating the Crusaders was to nullify Chris Jack and Leon MacDonald.
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@Chris-B said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
@shark Pretty sure Dan was overseas in France in 2008. Broke his leg, I think. I think Stephen Brett probably had the tiller in 2008.
So in terms of Crusaders' titles:
Mehrts 4
Mo'unga 3
Carter 2
Brett 1I struggle to see that Dan should be ahead of Mehrts in particular at Super level, but probably even Richie.
Agree re that ranking, which is why DC is on my bench behind Mehrts. He's also covering 12 in my team. I considered Richie, but couldn't put him ahead of either. The standard the last few years just isn't what it once was as the playing ranks and depth have thinned, and I had to take that into account with the more recent players.
And we certainly never won a title with that flake Brett running the cutter, although he was there as a sub https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Super_14_season#Grand_final
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How about a Crusaders first-five ranking:
- Mehrts
- DC
- Richie
That covers 1997 - 2004, 2005 - 2015 and 2016 to 2020. Three distinct eras and 10 titles. Plus I would say 80% or more of the starts, so it's hard to rank the back-ups, essentially.
Here's a few names:
Havili'i
Brett
Slade
Taylor
Delany
Bleyendaal
Volavola
T Pisi
Gard
Miller
Dempster
Coffey
Cameron
Hunt
Burke
McIntyre
MacDonald
Feeney
Bowden
BerquistI thought Mal Arnold and Derek Maisey had also played, but perhaps both played for other franchises. I know one of them certainly played for the Canes.
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@shark said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
How about a Crusaders first-five ranking:
Mehrts
DC
RichieI'd put DC above Mehrts. If for no other reason than he managed a critical drop goal against South Africa...
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@antipodean said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
@shark said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
How about a Crusaders first-five ranking:
Mehrts
DC
RichieI'd put DC above Mehrts. If for no other reason than he managed a critical drop goal against South Africa...
He also put the best performance of any 10 ever vs Lions in 05
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@KiwiMurph said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
Cullen scored 56 tries in 85 games for the Canes which is a higher strike rate per game than Folau in a more competitive era of Super Rugby (Cullen wasn't playing Aussie derbies x2 per season).
Going by the last two pages you have to be surrounded by enough awesome players that your team wins all the time to be selected for this team.
Cullen was a superstar at Super level, there's no better attacking fullback in any era, his defence was strong (people forget this) and he was genuinely quick enough to cover any positional lapses. Had an ok boot the two times he used it. A pity he didn't hold the ball with the right grip but nobody is perfect.
Awesome player that Rangi was he really wasn't at the same level as Cullen.
@shark said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
I thought Mal Arnold and Derek Maisey had also played, but perhaps both played for other franchises. I know one of them certainly played for the Canes.
Maisey played for the Chiefs I think and Arnold the Canes. Also, wasn't one of Mehrts titles when he was essentially the back up to DC? But, then I think that puts him up to 5 titles won?
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@antipodean said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
@shark said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
How about a Crusaders first-five ranking:
Mehrts
DC
RichieI'd put DC above Mehrts. If for no other reason than he managed a critical drop goal against South Africa...
That's not Super Rugby
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@Machpants said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
@antipodean said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
@shark said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
How about a Crusaders first-five ranking:
Mehrts
DC
RichieI'd put DC above Mehrts. If for no other reason than he managed a critical drop goal against South Africa...
He also put the best performance of any 10 ever vs Lions in 05
Also not Super Rugby
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@shark said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
@antipodean said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
@shark said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
How about a Crusaders first-five ranking:
Mehrts
DC
RichieI'd put DC above Mehrts. If for no other reason than he managed a critical drop goal against South Africa...
That's not Super Rugby
@shark said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
@Machpants said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
@antipodean said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
@shark said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
How about a Crusaders first-five ranking:
Mehrts
DC
RichieI'd put DC above Mehrts. If for no other reason than he managed a critical drop goal against South Africa...
He also put the best performance of any 10 ever vs Lions in 05
Also not Super Rugby
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@taniwharugby said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
@Toddy he did have a couple, played a hand on one of our rare wins over Auckland, but I recall when he played his first game for us, may have been v SOuthland, he 'broke' the Fantasy Rugby system, they had to delay the results for a few days while they fixed things as his numbers were unprecedented.
I remember around the same time, he'd just come out on the 7's circuit and was filthy as fark. Fuzzy memory of him getting a red card and/or suspension for kicking someone over the sideline?
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@shark said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
@Nepia Yeah you're right, he was still in the squad in 2005 and on the bench for the final, so that gives him a whopping 5.
Who won the most?
I'm guessing Reuben or Leon?
(Razor coming back into contention).
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@Nepia Cully was quite spectacular - but, the Hurricanes were basically rubbish during his era. Made the play-offs twice. So, he's sort of a Sergio Parisse at Super level.
I'm not going to pick him, because he was never there at the business end.
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@Crucial said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
@taniwharugby said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
any backline that doesnt include Rupeni in it, is wrong haha
Shame we never saw more of him, nor did we probably even see the best of him.
I think we saw the best of him. It was just that his best only appeared in short bursts.
That Blues game against the Brumbies back whenever showcased freakiness.
That Crusaders game in '04 also saw him score three fairly freakish tries, although it is most remembered for Carlos' last minute try.
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@Chris-B said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):
@Nepia Cully was quite spectacular - but, the Hurricanes were basically rubbish during his era. Made the play-offs twice. So, he's sort of a Sergio Parisse at Super level.
I'm not going to pick him, because he was never there at the business end.
Largely what I was thinking in not selecting him also.