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  • Mick Gold Coast QLDM Offline
    Mick Gold Coast QLDM Offline
    Mick Gold Coast QLD
    wrote on last edited by
    #55

    Your Zinzan Brooke was special - splendid, especially capable, a joy to watch. He ran like a centre holding the ball out in front and was a punishing tackler.

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  • Mick Gold Coast QLDM Offline
    Mick Gold Coast QLDM Offline
    Mick Gold Coast QLD
    replied to Catogrande on last edited by
    #56

    @catogrande said in Rugby Freaks:

    Lots of great players being touted here, but we're supposed to be talking about freaks.

    So you will throw your boot at the screen if I mention Tony Woodcock or Greg Somerville ... Anton Oliver? 😉 😉

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  • BonesB Online
    BonesB Online
    Bones
    replied to Machpants on last edited by
    #57

    @machpants said in Rugby Freaks:

    Pocock was a freak in the jackal, best player in the world ever at that imo. Not much else, but fuck me the penalties/turn overs he created from nothing. So good at it, ABs made their forwards tactics around running directly at him to nullify him.

    Yeah see I can't really get behind that eh - all he did was look for a jackal - to the detriment of pretty much every other factor of his game at times. I don't see it as anything that can't be pretty much replicated by any other half decent player if they shelve every other aspect too.

    Mick Gold Coast QLDM 1 Reply Last reply
    3
  • Victor MeldrewV Offline
    Victor MeldrewV Offline
    Victor Meldrew
    replied to Mick Gold Coast QLD on last edited by
    #58

    @mick-gold-coast-qld said in Rugby Freaks:

    Hugo Porta, certainly, we saw him do some wondrous things with consummate ease in the '87 World Cup - taking a ball at Concord near halfway, on the sideline in front of the stand. He glanced at the advancing defence and nonchalantly dropped the ball over for three points - just couldn't be bothered expending energy unnecessarily. His left winger, RAF Flying Officer Rory Underwood turned to the crowd and gestured, palms up, as if to say "Is there anything this genius cannot do?"

    Saw him play way back in '78 or '79 in the UK (Cardiff I think). Took the ball from the half-back on the half-way line, ran laterally towards the middle of the park, did a 90 degree left turn and simply outpaced everyone to score.

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  • Dan54D Offline
    Dan54D Offline
    Dan54
    replied to Catogrande on last edited by Dan54
    #59

    @catogrande said in Rugby Freaks:

    Rupeni and Lomu are the stand outs. Cullen great player, amazingly quick, ran great lines but not in the same league of freakishness for me. I’d say Blanco an honourable third.

    Funny I watched Cullen as he was coming through the college ranks etc and thouht he was pretty good, , but kind of familiarity thing didn't really think he that great until I saw him as a 16yo play for the Nua against Northern Transvaal, try he scored I just went f*** me he really is a bit of a freak. I got told by kids that played against him at 1st XV he was special, and my own son when he played him in club rugby was shaking his head at things he did. Funny was similar to what some of the young fellas at the local college said after playing against Lomu in a 7s tournament, just didn't know how they did some of the things they did.

    CatograndeC 1 Reply Last reply
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  • CatograndeC Online
    CatograndeC Online
    Catogrande
    replied to Dan54 on last edited by
    #60

    @dan54

    I didn’t see a lot of Cullen in his prime but I have to admit his highlight reels are pretty special. I guess what I mean is that as special a player as he was there didn’t seem to me to be that thing that said “no one else could do that”. I actually think he was a pretty complete rugby player and maybe the best full back I’ve seen. But the Rupenis, Lomus, Blancos of this world, did other worldly stuff.

    DiceD NepiaN 2 Replies Last reply
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  • DiceD Offline
    DiceD Offline
    Dice
    replied to Catogrande on last edited by
    #61

    @catogrande said in Rugby Freaks:

    @dan54

    I didn’t see a lot of Cullen in his prime but I have to admit his highlight reels are pretty special. I guess what I mean is that as special a player as he was there didn’t seem to me to be that thing that said “no one else could do that”. I actually think he was a pretty complete rugby player and maybe the best full back I’ve seen. But the Rupenis, Lomus, Blancos of this world, did other worldly stuff.

    You're a hard marker.

    alt text

    Give a peak Cullen the modern jerseys and he might never get tackled.

    canefanC P 2 Replies Last reply
    7
  • canefanC Online
    canefanC Online
    canefan
    replied to Dice on last edited by
    #62

    @dice said in Rugby Freaks:

    @catogrande said in Rugby Freaks:

    @dan54

    I didn’t see a lot of Cullen in his prime but I have to admit his highlight reels are pretty special. I guess what I mean is that as special a player as he was there didn’t seem to me to be that thing that said “no one else could do that”. I actually think he was a pretty complete rugby player and maybe the best full back I’ve seen. But the Rupenis, Lomus, Blancos of this world, did other worldly stuff.

    You're a hard marker.

    alt text

    Give a peak Cullen the modern jerseys and he might never get tackled.

    Not only was Cullen brilliant on attack, he was brave and capable in defence, and he was quite small relative to Lomu and Rupeni. He and Lomu were probably the two best I have ever seen

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  • P Offline
    P Offline
    pakman
    replied to Dice on last edited by
    #63

    @dice said in Rugby Freaks:

    @catogrande said in Rugby Freaks:

    @dan54

    I didn’t see a lot of Cullen in his prime but I have to admit his highlight reels are pretty special. I guess what I mean is that as special a player as he was there didn’t seem to me to be that thing that said “no one else could do that”. I actually think he was a pretty complete rugby player and maybe the best full back I’ve seen. But the Rupenis, Lomus, Blancos of this world, did other worldly stuff.

    You're a hard marker.

    alt text

    Give a peak Cullen the modern jerseys and he might never get tackled.

    He seemed particularly unstoppable against the Jocks!

    MN5M 1 Reply Last reply
    0
  • P Offline
    P Offline
    pakman
    wrote on last edited by
    #64

    1 Reply Last reply
    4
  • MN5M Offline
    MN5M Offline
    MN5
    replied to pakman on last edited by
    #65

    @pakman said in Rugby Freaks:

    @dice said in Rugby Freaks:

    @catogrande said in Rugby Freaks:

    @dan54

    I didn’t see a lot of Cullen in his prime but I have to admit his highlight reels are pretty special. I guess what I mean is that as special a player as he was there didn’t seem to me to be that thing that said “no one else could do that”. I actually think he was a pretty complete rugby player and maybe the best full back I’ve seen. But the Rupenis, Lomus, Blancos of this world, did other worldly stuff.

    You're a hard marker.

    alt text

    Give a peak Cullen the modern jerseys and he might never get tackled.

    He seemed particularly unstoppable against the Jocks!

    He might have beaten seven defenders but they were only Scotsmen

    canefanC Victor MeldrewV 2 Replies Last reply
    0
  • CrucialC Offline
    CrucialC Offline
    Crucial
    wrote on last edited by
    #66

    Terrible quality but this...

    1 Reply Last reply
    4
  • canefanC Online
    canefanC Online
    canefan
    replied to MN5 on last edited by
    #67

    @mn5 said in Rugby Freaks:

    @pakman said in Rugby Freaks:

    @dice said in Rugby Freaks:

    @catogrande said in Rugby Freaks:

    @dan54

    I didn’t see a lot of Cullen in his prime but I have to admit his highlight reels are pretty special. I guess what I mean is that as special a player as he was there didn’t seem to me to be that thing that said “no one else could do that”. I actually think he was a pretty complete rugby player and maybe the best full back I’ve seen. But the Rupenis, Lomus, Blancos of this world, did other worldly stuff.

    You're a hard marker.

    alt text

    Give a peak Cullen the modern jerseys and he might never get tackled.

    He seemed particularly unstoppable against the Jocks!

    He might have beaten seven defenders but they were only Scotsmen

    He did it too the aussies too

    I was at the Brook when he scored that try while running through what felt like half the team

    voodooV MN5M 2 Replies Last reply
    3
  • voodooV Offline
    voodooV Offline
    voodoo
    replied to canefan on last edited by
    #68

    @canefan said in Rugby Freaks:

    @mn5 said in Rugby Freaks:

    @pakman said in Rugby Freaks:

    @dice said in Rugby Freaks:

    @catogrande said in Rugby Freaks:

    @dan54

    I didn’t see a lot of Cullen in his prime but I have to admit his highlight reels are pretty special. I guess what I mean is that as special a player as he was there didn’t seem to me to be that thing that said “no one else could do that”. I actually think he was a pretty complete rugby player and maybe the best full back I’ve seen. But the Rupenis, Lomus, Blancos of this world, did other worldly stuff.

    You're a hard marker.

    alt text

    Give a peak Cullen the modern jerseys and he might never get tackled.

    He seemed particularly unstoppable against the Jocks!

    He might have beaten seven defenders but they were only Scotsmen

    He did it too the aussies too

    I was at the Brook when he scored that try while running through what felt like half the team

    Same, good times

    canefanC 1 Reply Last reply
    0
  • canefanC Online
    canefanC Online
    canefan
    replied to voodoo on last edited by canefan
    #69

    @voodoo said in Rugby Freaks:

    @canefan said in Rugby Freaks:

    @mn5 said in Rugby Freaks:

    @pakman said in Rugby Freaks:

    @dice said in Rugby Freaks:

    @catogrande said in Rugby Freaks:

    @dan54

    I didn’t see a lot of Cullen in his prime but I have to admit his highlight reels are pretty special. I guess what I mean is that as special a player as he was there didn’t seem to me to be that thing that said “no one else could do that”. I actually think he was a pretty complete rugby player and maybe the best full back I’ve seen. But the Rupenis, Lomus, Blancos of this world, did other worldly stuff.

    You're a hard marker.

    alt text

    Give a peak Cullen the modern jerseys and he might never get tackled.

    He seemed particularly unstoppable against the Jocks!

    He might have beaten seven defenders but they were only Scotsmen

    He did it too the aussies too

    I was at the Brook when he scored that try while running through what felt like half the team

    Same, good times

    Those were the days. Turn up early to stand on the terraces, no steps of course, just rough gravelly concrete. Buying beers in cans by the 6 pack out of a shipping container. The crowd was screaming by the early afternoon kickoff time. It was Pat Howard's Wallabies debut, he was meant to be the next big thing for them, and he had a stinker

    1 Reply Last reply
    1
  • Mick Gold Coast QLDM Offline
    Mick Gold Coast QLDM Offline
    Mick Gold Coast QLD
    replied to Bones on last edited by
    #70

    @bones said in Rugby Freaks:

    @machpants said in Rugby Freaks:

    Pocock was a freak in the jackal, best player in the world ever at that imo. Not much else, ... . So good at it, ABs made their forwards tactics around running directly at him to nullify him.

    Yeah see I can't really get behind that eh - all he did was look for a jackal - to the detriment of pretty much every other factor of his game at times. I don't see it as anything that can't be pretty much replicated by any other half decent player if they shelve every other aspect too.

    Lazy Owen Finegan, David Wilson, the exceptional George Smith all offered way more than him. Schalk Burger, Thierry Dusautoir, Jerome, Liam Messam and Sir Richie not only monstered him, they were technically better, more effective. World Rugby disagreed - kept awarding him as Australian-World Idol, to stop his agent yabbering in their ear ... and to punish McCaw because they didn't like him.

    "So good at it, as a minor irritation ABs made their forwards tactics around running directly at him to nullify him." That would have taken them all of three minutes in the tactics session a week beforehand.

    canefanC 1 Reply Last reply
    1
  • NepiaN Offline
    NepiaN Offline
    Nepia
    replied to Catogrande on last edited by
    #71

    @catogrande said in Rugby Freaks:

    @dan54

    I didn’t see a lot of Cullen in his prime but I have to admit his highlight reels are pretty special. I guess what I mean is that as special a player as he was there didn’t seem to me to be that thing that said “no one else could do that”. I actually think he was a pretty complete rugby player and maybe the best full back I’ve seen. But the Rupenis, Lomus, Blancos of this world, did other worldly stuff.

    alt text

    1 Reply Last reply
    8
  • canefanC Online
    canefanC Online
    canefan
    replied to Mick Gold Coast QLD on last edited by
    #72

    @mick-gold-coast-qld said in Rugby Freaks:

    @bones said in Rugby Freaks:

    @machpants said in Rugby Freaks:

    Pocock was a freak in the jackal, best player in the world ever at that imo. Not much else, ... . So good at it, ABs made their forwards tactics around running directly at him to nullify him.

    Yeah see I can't really get behind that eh - all he did was look for a jackal - to the detriment of pretty much every other factor of his game at times. I don't see it as anything that can't be pretty much replicated by any other half decent player if they shelve every other aspect too.

    Lazy Owen Finegan, David Wilson, the exceptional George Smith all offered way more than him. Schalk Burger, Thierry Dusautoir, Jerome, Liam Messam and Sir Richie not only monstered him, they were technically better, more effective. World Rugby disagreed - kept awarding him as Australian-World Idol, to stop his agent yabbering in their ear ... and to punish McCaw because they didn't like him.

    "So good at it, as a minor irritation ABs made their forwards tactics around running directly at him to nullify him." That would have taken them all of three minutes in the tactics session a week beforehand.

    I would agree about George Smith. Maybe he had a stronger team around him, but I remember him as being a far more significant nuisance when we played him

    Mick Gold Coast QLDM 1 Reply Last reply
    0
  • KiwiMurphK Offline
    KiwiMurphK Offline
    KiwiMurph
    replied to MajorRage on last edited by
    #73

    @majorrage said in Rugby Freaks:

    Matfield a bit of a freak at the line out.

    He scored a chip and chase try vs Waratahs one year that was freakish.

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    0
  • canefanC Online
    canefanC Online
    canefan
    wrote on last edited by canefan
    #74

    I know he's been mentioned before. But Zinny was a freak. That DG against England in the RWC95 semi, and his cross field pass in the rain at Athletic Park vs Oz stand out as things a player in his position should never have been able to do

    1 Reply Last reply
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