Peak ABs
-
A little game to hopefully pass some time.
Pick an AB team based on a players peak season. So you pick a player, and you pick the year they absolutely killed it in. It may even be the only decent year they ever had playing tests, but it was unreal. So it's not based on a complete career's worth of work, just an incredible year.
My incredibly obvious and not very nuanced team would be:
Christian Cullen 1996
John Kirwan 1987
Frank Bunce 1996
Ma'a Nonu 2015
Jonah Lomu 1995
Dan Carter 2005
Justin Marshall 1996
Zinzan Brooke 1996
Michael Jones 1987
Jerome Kaino 2011
Sam Whitelock 2015
Brodie Retallic 2017
Carl Hayman 2005
Dane Coles 2016
Tony Woodcock 2010Honourable mentions to Joe Rokocoko in 2003 and Kieran Read in 2011
Does yours differ to your all time AB XV? Mine changes at 14, 9, 7, 3, and 2 .
-
@mariner4life may be easier (and fairer) to run a 'professional era Peak XV'. The game changes so much it's hard to compare eras... also keeps it fresh.
You'd only hav eto change MJ and JK
-
@mariner4life may be easier (and fairer) to run a 'professional era Peak XV'. The game changes so much it's hard to compare eras... also keeps it fresh.
You'd only hav eto change MJ and JK
i reckon 80% of us on here are all around the same age, so i doubt there are going to be many players pre-87 anyway
MJ and JK also helped to change the game, so i'm keeping them. And i really don't want to leave out 95 Jonah
-
@mariner4life Marshall? Hell no.
-
@mariner4life Marshall? Hell no.
1996 Justin Marshall was awesome, that running game
-
-
@mariner4life I always thought Marshall best was in 2003.
-
@Darren-Nicholson said in Peak ABs:
How amazing would it be to see that team on the field, couldn't even imagine.
Some are debatable, Read at his peak would be close, McCaw?Which year of Richie? (there are a lot)
Plus that year that MJ burst on to the scene was unreal, a new type of player
-
@mariner4life I always thought Marshall best was in 2003.
good point, losing him in that semi was very bad for us
i just think his early running game offset is weaknesses more early on (ie prior injury)
he was nearly my favourite player for a bit
-
-
-
-
Graham Bachop was a different player but an excellent HB also. He had a great 1996 iirc
You're one year out
1995 was his peak and also his last season
Oh yeah, world cup year 😫. Now i recall Meg raising his arms in triumph on the 1996 tour of SA. So no love for peak Sean Fitzpatrick?
-
McCaw 2011. Winning the World Cup after 24 years after an earthquake, with a broken foot and getting up after the Frenchman tried to poke out his eye. Still made the most tackles in that game.
Never seen more courageous or defiant leadership in any sport.
-
McCaw 2011. Winning the World Cup after 24 years after an earthquake, with a broken foot and getting up after the Frenchman tried to poke out his eye. Still made the most tackles in that game.
Never seen more courageous or defiant leadership in any sport.
And he did it with four million people on his back 😀
-
-
-
Gonna throw in Josh Kronfeld ( 1995 ) and Tana Umaga ( 1997 )
Josh was awesome, but not as good as peak GOAT or MJ. And I loved his play -- just don't think he reached the athleticism of MJ or the mental toughness and all round play of GOAT
All round no but in 95 he was pretty damn amazing.
-
Kronfeld in both 95 and 96 I thought was pretty phenomenal. To me he outshone MJ.
Kronfeld took openside play to a new level with the way he attacked the ball once it hit the deck. No regard for his own safety!! -
@ACT-Crusader His defence was always weak. Massive penalty count. Most overrated player of the modern era
-
@mariner4life said in Peak ABs:
@Darren-Nicholson said in Peak ABs:
How amazing would it be to see that team on the field, couldn't even imagine.
Some are debatable, Read at his peak would be close, McCaw?Which year of Richie? (there are a lot)
McCaw in 2006 and even 2007, was vintage.
Then even the two seasons prior to the 2011 WC. I actually don’t think as a whole 2011 was one of his better seasons, albeit he rose to the pinnacle in that final.
-
@ACT-Crusader His defence was always weak. Massive penalty count. Most overrated player of the modern era
I actually think they changed the rules given how this guy played and the fact other nations were trying to find their own breakdown menace.
-
Kronfield was a gun. Scorer of my favourite AB try ever.
Blessed in the 7 Jersey are we.
-
@ACT-Crusader said in Peak ABs:
@mariner4life said in Peak ABs:
@Darren-Nicholson said in Peak ABs:
How amazing would it be to see that team on the field, couldn't even imagine.
Some are debatable, Read at his peak would be close, McCaw?Which year of Richie? (there are a lot)
McCaw in 2006 and even 2007, was vintage.
Then even the two seasons prior to the 2011 WC. I actually don’t think as a whole 2011 was one of his better seasons, albeit he rose to the pinnacle in that final.
Agree wholeheartedly. 2005/2006 McCaw was peak IMO.
2006 was a bit of a fallow year with the Lions Tour/Grand Slam and RWC either side of it - but for me it is up there with 1997 as the best team in my life time.
-
Just to put the lie to no pre 1987 nominations BG Williams breakthrough year in 1970 was pretty special. 18 years old - first PI in the AB's in like forever, touring SA. His impact on the game was Lomu like. Fast strong, big (for the time) with a prodigious side step. 14 tries in 13 games....
Stil gotta go with Jonah though
He's a total knob but Ali Williams 2005 was pretty special too.
-
@ACT-Crusader said in Peak ABs:
Kronfeld in both 95 and 96 I thought was pretty phenomenal. To me he outshone MJ.
Kronfeld took openside play to a new level with the way he attacked the ball once it hit the deck. No regard for his own safety!!Bahahaha, comedy gold.
Kronfeld was a great player (@Tim's comments about him are comedy gold too) and Hawkes Bay born and bred, but even then he's only just good enough to lace Jones boots.
-
Just to put the lie to no pre 1987 nominations BG Williams breakthrough year in 1970 was pretty special. 18 years old - first PI in the AB's in like forever, touring SA. His impact on the game was Lomu like. Fast strong, big (for the time) with a prodigious side step. 14 tries in 13 games....
Stil gotta go with Jonah though
He's a total knob but Ali Williams 2005 was pretty special too.
Yeah, talk to the old timers from SA and they reckon BG was unstoppable that year. Although, to pedant, he was the first PI in the ABs in 3 years.
-
Julian Savea - October 17 - 2015
-
-
@canefan shit, i trust you over me on this, but my impression of Savea's career was that he started not so good and didn't look like ever stepping up, then suddenly he was fucking amazing, and then his form fell off a cliff.
-
@mariner4life said in Peak ABs:
@canefan shit, i trust you over me on this, but my impression of Savea's career was that he started not so good and didn't look like ever stepping up, then suddenly he was fucking amazing, and then his form fell off a cliff.
I wouldn't trust me mate! I've got plenty wrong before. I do recall going home and seeing him play, probably in his first super season, thinking this guy is Jonah v2.0
-
@mariner4life said in Peak ABs:
@canefan shit, i trust you over me on this, but my impression of Savea's career was that he started not so good and didn't look like ever stepping up, then suddenly he was fucking amazing, and then his form fell off a cliff.
I wouldn't trust me mate! I've got plenty wrong before. I do recall going home and seeing him play, probably in his first super season, thinking this guy is Jonah v2.0
my memory is of him looking like he should be, and then disappointing the shit out of everyone. And then the turned in to the Savea we all love, seemingly out of nowhere
but again, my memory is fallible.
-
I thought 2014 was Saveas peak? Was awesome all over the park, taking high balls, smashing people in attack and defence, looking for all money as the very best thing playing rugby.
Kronfeld is one of my fave players (guess what TR Jnr's name is, and it aint Kronfeld) he followed in MJ's footsteps and redefined the role of a 7, and McCaw did when it was his turn...even if Kronfeld wasnt impressed they picked him haha.
I am a HUGE McCaw fan, and he would be in any 15 I could pick.
For my mind, without thinking too hard I know Cully would be my FB, Jonah on one wing, Bunce at 13, DC at 10, McCaw at 7...I'd need to sit down and think through the rest of my options.
-
Kronfelds strength was his support play, look at all the great tries we scored in that era. He was either the guy scoring the try or on the shoulder of the guy who scored in the end. He followed Jonah every where he rampaged in the 95 RWC
-
@mariner4life said in Peak ABs:
Kronfield was a gun. Scorer of my favourite AB try ever.
Pop pass from Jonah to go over after taking the short line from a scrum? RWC95 - I think it was maybe England or Ireland???
Blessed in the 7 Jersey are we.
Yep. Marty 'not enough caps' Holah says Hi
