Rugby Freaks
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@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.
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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. -
@catogrande said in Rugby Freaks:
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.
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@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
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@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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"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"
Of course he was, yes. My amusement is at the locally generated hyperbole that accompanied him whenever he played, and the failure to acknowledge his limited repertoire. Bono was the new "great white hope".
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@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:
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.
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
He was just an extraordinary player, no doubt about it. The Scots weren’t slouches then, pretty handy team that put 31 on the ABs that day but how he got past those last few in particular just boggles the mind.
Having him and Jonah play at the same time just wasn’t fair.
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@mn5 and Goldie...and Glen Osborne couldn't even make the side!
SA fans always make the comment about Jonah never scoring against them whenever anything pops up on social media, but thier focus on stopping him gave extra room to Cully and Goldie, in case they couldn't find any on thier own...
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@booboo said in Rugby Freaks:
A left field one, and a bit of a flash in the pan who disappeared into loigue, but Brett Papworth had an incredibly freakish ability to step through defenses.
A commendable choice there, booboo, honouring the President of the Mighty Woods!
He was a gun alright, we lost him to League in 1988 and he immediately copped too many injuries - played just a half dozen games and had to retire before turning 30. He went straight back to his local roots, playing cricket for Epping, and he has been an intelligent, energetic and popular Club President since some time last century.
Brett has been on Graeme Hughes weekday Talkin' Sport radio program for years, with Peter Tunks, he's involved in several businesses, including player management.
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@taniwharugby said in Rugby Freaks:
@mn5 and Goldie...and Glen Osborne couldn't even make the side!
SA fans always make the comment about Jonah never scoring against them whenever anything pops up on social media, but thier focus on stopping him gave extra room to Cully and Goldie, in case they couldn't find any on thier own...
Goldie had the best brain but not quite the physical talents those two had but in virtually any other era woulda been the best best back three player in the side
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@mn5 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:
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.
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
He was just an extraordinary player, no doubt about it. The Scots weren’t slouches then, pretty handy team that put 31 on the ABs that day but how he got past those last few in particular just boggles the mind.
Having him and Jonah play at the same time just wasn’t fair.
You know what wasn't fair? The Hurricanes had a back 3 of Lomu, Cullen and Umaga, along with AB MF Alama Ieremia, all awesome, and we couldn't put together a decent forward pack to allow them to try to win titles
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@mick-gold-coast-qld said in Rugby Freaks:
"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"
Of course he was, yes. My amusement is at the locally generated hyperbole that accompanied him whenever he played, and the failure to acknowledge his limited repertoire. Bono was the new "great white hope".
I guess all good rugby players are held up in Australia, because they have to make the most of it in a highly competitive environment where rugby is the third best oval ball code in Oz
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@canefan said in Rugby Freaks:
@mn5 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:
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.
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
He was just an extraordinary player, no doubt about it. The Scots weren’t slouches then, pretty handy team that put 31 on the ABs that day but how he got past those last few in particular just boggles the mind.
Having him and Jonah play at the same time just wasn’t fair.
You know what wasn't fair? The Hurricanes had a back 3 of Lomu, Cullen and Umaga, along with AB MF Alama Ieremia, all awesome, and we couldn't put together a decent forward pack to allow them to try to win titles
Or find a 10.
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@booboo said in Rugby Freaks:
@canefan said in Rugby Freaks:
@mn5 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:
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.
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
He was just an extraordinary player, no doubt about it. The Scots weren’t slouches then, pretty handy team that put 31 on the ABs that day but how he got past those last few in particular just boggles the mind.
Having him and Jonah play at the same time just wasn’t fair.
You know what wasn't fair? The Hurricanes had a back 3 of Lomu, Cullen and Umaga, along with AB MF Alama Ieremia, all awesome, and we couldn't put together a decent forward pack to allow them to try to win titles
Or find a 10.
I think we could have won with Holwell. I know he wasn't an AB. But he was steady enough and passed it on to let the outsides do the biz. Our packs, particularly the tight 5, were abject
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@canefan said in Rugby Freaks:
@booboo said in Rugby Freaks:
@canefan said in Rugby Freaks:
@mn5 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:
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.
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
He was just an extraordinary player, no doubt about it. The Scots weren’t slouches then, pretty handy team that put 31 on the ABs that day but how he got past those last few in particular just boggles the mind.
Having him and Jonah play at the same time just wasn’t fair.
You know what wasn't fair? The Hurricanes had a back 3 of Lomu, Cullen and Umaga, along with AB MF Alama Ieremia, all awesome, and we couldn't put together a decent forward pack to allow them to try to win titles
Or find a 10.
I think we could have won with Holwell. I know he wasn't an AB. But he was steady enough and passed it on to let the outsides do the biz. Our packs, particularly the tight 5, were abject
Tito, Waller and Afeaki were all good players. Was Hewitt still there or had he retired by then ?
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@mn5 said in Rugby Freaks:
@canefan said in Rugby Freaks:
@booboo said in Rugby Freaks:
@canefan said in Rugby Freaks:
@mn5 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:
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.
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
He was just an extraordinary player, no doubt about it. The Scots weren’t slouches then, pretty handy team that put 31 on the ABs that day but how he got past those last few in particular just boggles the mind.
Having him and Jonah play at the same time just wasn’t fair.
You know what wasn't fair? The Hurricanes had a back 3 of Lomu, Cullen and Umaga, along with AB MF Alama Ieremia, all awesome, and we couldn't put together a decent forward pack to allow them to try to win titles
Or find a 10.
I think we could have won with Holwell. I know he wasn't an AB. But he was steady enough and passed it on to let the outsides do the biz. Our packs, particularly the tight 5, were abject
Tito, Waller and Afeaki were all good players. Was Hewitt still there or had he retired by then ?
We couldn't achieve parity up front consistently enough
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