Highlanders all time XV
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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.
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@Bovidae hemopo! loved Hemopo, think he could have been a great
guess that asks another question, are we bothering to pick a squad that would work, then i personally would have another lock, not just someone who can cover....but very good point re a dixon
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Factor's I guess is how many years played for the team in question. And his form over these years. Thorn could qualify. But not Franks for the Canes as an example as he is only making up the numbers at the end of his career. Whereas Lomu might
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@Winger an interesting discussion where to draw lines, Jimmy cowen for example played twice as many games for the landers, was a centurion and about the same number of AB games as Byron
Coltman played loads more games the Ash Dixon and was an AB...but i'd still pick Ash over him
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@Kiwiwomble said in Highlanders all time XV:
@Winger an interesting discussion where to draw lines, Jimmy cowen for example played twice as many games for the landers, was a centurion and about the same number of AB games as Byron
At their respective peaks, I'd take Jimmy every time. Byron was flaky and fragile mentally - if your scrum half can't keep calm you're stuffed
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Isitolo Maka would probably be my preference at 8.
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@taniwharugby another good shout, nasi pips him for me due to his captaincy during 2015
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@taniwharugby said in Highlanders all time XV:
Isitolo Maka would probably be my preference at 8.
Oh hell yeah. I don't know if I can abide no Ropati too. Leslie is a romantic pick, he's not as good as Alatini - that's like picking Holwell over BB for the canes. Besides, Jeremy Stanley is better than both.
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@Smudge good team bro.
I reckon Josh Blackie is a little unlucky not to make the bench spot. He was one of few shining lights for the Landers during some dark days. I thought he should’ve made the ABs but that doesn’t IMO minimise what he was doing in Super rugby at a high level.
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@Bones said in Highlanders all time XV:
@taniwharugby said in Highlanders all time XV:
Isitolo Maka would probably be my preference at 8.
Oh hell yeah. I don't know if I can abide no Ropati too. Leslie is a romantic pick, he's not as good as Alatini - that's like picking Holwell over BB for the canes. Besides, Jeremy Stanley is better than both.
i use to think the same, maybe not specifically Ropati...but i watched some old footage of Leslie....he was very good...a lot of our backline moves start with Leslie
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@KiwiMurph that was a pretty common thread in the comments of the original post
