Highlanders all time XV
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Kees Meeuws, Anton Oliver, Carl Hoeft
Simon Maling, ?
Kronfeld, Maka, ?
Aaron Smith, Tony Brown
John Leslie, ?
?, Smith, Wilson -
15 B Smith
14 J Wilson
13 Fekitoa
12 Alatini
11 Naholo
10 Sopoaga (ahead of Brown and Evans)
9 Smith
8 Randell
7 Kronfeld
6 Thomson
5 Maling
4 Thorn
3 Hayman
2 Oliver
1 Hoeft16 Hore
17 Woodcock (not that he played much, or well for us)
18 Meeuws
19 Ryan
20 Maka
21 Kelleher
22 Evans
23 Buckman (perfect utility!) -
i am astounded, i reckon that is the best 15 named yet. what a huge amount of talent. That tight 5...
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@smudge No place for Tom Donnelly?
Looks pretty much right to me - got pretty much everyone I could think of (I was stuck for a second five and a blindside flanker - had forgotten about Adam Thomson and was contemplating Rob for the other slot!).
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@chris-b said in Highlanders all time XV:
@smudge No place for Tom Donnelly?
Looks pretty much right to me - got pretty much everyone I could think of (I was stuck for a second five and a blindside flanker - had forgotten about Adam Thomson and was contemplating Rob for the other slot!).
Yeah, thought about Donnelly after I'd completed the XV. Would start him ahead of Maling, and leave Maling and Ryan to fight for the bench spot.
Leslie, as mentioned above, is a shade unlucky, but...
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@mariner4life said in Highlanders all time XV:
i am astounded, i reckon that is the best 15 named yet. what a huge amount of talent. That tight 5...
Not as many AB legends as in the other teams that's for sure.
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@bovidae said in Highlanders all time XV:
It's interesting that some cult rugby players don't make these XVs. I'm thinking of the likes of Chainsaw Laney for the Highlanders.
You might need a NZ rugby all time cult 15. Big Bill Cavubati would be a chance, and when I was at Otago uni Steve Hotton was a living legend
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Now here is a proper thread
Team at top of ability for Highlanders (ie no Nonu!)
15 Smith
14 Really!!!
13 Stanley
12 alatini
11 Naholo
10 Brown (tight race but he was the heart of the team. Remember semi in SA where he dominated)
9 Smith
8 Manu
7 kronfeld
6 Randell (much better here)
5 Donnelly (heart of team in prime)
4 Ryan (was awesome before retirement)
3 Hayman
2 AO
1 CHOne player who I watched who before he got inj I believe Cld have been a Reiko type player was Paul Williams. I have watched almost every game I reckon and that 2003/4 preseason and early game before ankle he was the most dominant player I had seen for us. He was only 19/20 but amazing. Cld have been great AB.
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saw this posted on a Highlanders facebook page
I dont have a huge problem with most of the names, Hoeata kind of stands out, i know he got a black jersey whilst playing for the Landers but id have Ryan over him
also introduces an interesting question...lets call it the Thorn/nonu paradox, are we looking at players whole carriers? i think you have too if you want to include Thorn as much more of of carrier was with the crusaders....but then you should include Nonu....or! do you only look at their time with Landers.....at which time nonu is a definite NO...and thorn is a maybe but probably a no
i'd probably also have naholo for chainsaw
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@Kiwiwomble Yeah definitely some strange selections. No way should Thorn be selected ahead of Ryan. The same for Hoeata ahead of Dixon.
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@Bovidae even tom donnelly, he got a black jersey whilst playing for the landers, 15 caps compared to hoeata's 3
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@Kiwiwomble said in Highlanders all time XV:
@Bovidae even tom donnelly, he got a black jersey whilst playing for the landers, 15 caps compared to hoeata's 3
Jackson Hemopo even has more test caps than Hoeata. The reason I think that Elliot Dixon is worthy of selection is that he is a centurion.
