rugby365.com's Team of the Year
The moment of truth has arrived, with the announcement of the rugby365.com Team of the Year for 2010 - a selection which is always eagerly-anticipated, and debated, by us and our readers.
There was plenty debate from within the rugby365.com kangaroo-court as each selector passionately campaigned for his favourite choices (sometimes from left field) that led to some lengthy debate in an effort to identify the best XV from an action-packed 2010.
However, in the end we came to some consensus and have chosen a 22 which we believe best represents the form players from this past year - through a starting XV and seven replacements, all of whom would be able to add value in some way.
As was to be expected, the All Blacks had at least one candidate for every position after beating all and sundry during a year that would have left them in search of a good carpenter to build a larger trophy cabinet as the whole of New Zealand once again turns its attention to the small matter of a World Cup.
That said, all was certainly not lost for the struggling Springboks - in terms of our World XV - and there is also a tiny smattering of the northern hemisphere's finest to complete our selection.
Starting from the back, Mils Muliaina beat off the challenge from a host of youngsters to keep hold of his All Blacks No.15 jersey, and was so worried about being dethroned by the likes of Cory Jane or Israel Dagg that he raised his game to unprecedented heights this year. The dangerous counter-attacking abilities of England's Ben Foden and new Wallaby star Kurtley Beale make them the closest challengers to the veteran New Zealander.
Selecting the best two flyers out wide on the wings was no easy task. In fact, it was far less cut and dried to determine the wide men best suited to represent our fantasy XV to play for Planet Earth should Mars ever challenge us to a one-off Test match.
The blistering pace and dancing feet of the flying Irishman Tommy Bowe earns him the right wing berth after his scintillating form during the Six Nations and for Magners League champions, the Ospreys. On the left wing we have opted for the deadly finisher that is Hosea Gear, who came in from left field to show the world that he is the real deal and worthy of his All Black call-up. England's Chris Ashton, Wales' Shane Williams and Wallaby starlet James O'Connor must all be given honourable mentions for their collection of magical moments of individual try-scoring brilliance.
In the midfield Jaque Fourie reigns supreme as the best outside centre, holding off stiff competition from Kiwi ace Conrad Smith, Ireland's favourite son Brian O'Driscoll and Australia's Adam Ashley-Cooper. Fourie's consistency in all aspects of his game gives him the edge and his defensive alignment makes a massive difference to the Bok and Stormers backlines. The tattooed, eyeliner wearing Ma'a Nonu partners Fourie at inside centre, with his robust tackling and destructive running enough to pip France's Yannick Jauzion to partner Fourie. Wales star Jamie Roberts would have challenged for a place in the midfield were it not for a series of frustrating injuries that left him on the sidelines for most of the year, while Matt Giteau was a big flop this year and looked out of place in an otherwise exceptional Wallaby backline.
At pivot Dan Carter is THE MAN - making the No.10 position an unsurprisingly unanimous decision. We can reveal that by all accounts (and contrary to popular belief) he is in fact human, although our spies are investigating several top-secret facilities in New Zealand and we have recommended the Springboks carry Kryptonite with them against the All Blacks - in 2011 - just to be on the safe side. On a more serious note, however; Carter is in a class of his own and the rest of us mere mortals had the privilege to admire his sheer brilliance this year.
Scrumhalf was another tricky position to nail down and in the absence of Fourie du Preez it was an open race between a host of budding No.9s. The winner was England's new gem Ben Youngs, who has added some much-needed spark to an otherwise lacklustre, uncreative backline and breathed life into Martin Johnson's team (who had been in danger of becoming an embarrassment, being the inventors of the game and all). It comes as no surprise that England's historic victory against Australia on the mid-year tour (they carried on about it a bit didn't they?) that was the start of the turnaround was also Youngs's first start in an England jersey. Quick passing and excellent vision help him to pip Will Genia and Francois Hougaard, who is still a bit raw after spending the Super 14 out on the wing.
The loose trio is led by the ever-present Richie McCaw, and whether you love him or hate him, he is the heart and soul of the All Blacks and is a man amongst men. McCaw is the master of the breakdown and is the type of captain you can't not want to play for. However, there is a new star on the horizon and David Pocock can consider himself unlucky not to make our team, although we do have a space for him on the bench. (Imagine being harassed by both in the same team, at once?!) Juan Smith is preferred as our blindside flank and the impact he makes is undeniable as both a ball-carrier and tackling-machine. At the back, Kieran Read gets the nod at No.8 and richly deserves all the praise he has received this season. Read was recently named New Zealand's Player of the Year, which considering the year the All Blacks (and McCaw!) have had tells you as lot about the man. Mentions must all be made for Ireland's Jamie Heaslip, French captain Thierry Dusautoir and Wallaby skipper Rocky Elsom, who all came into contention as the world's leading back row forwards.
In the engine room of the second row we have Brad Thorn, who at 35 years old has proved - yet again - that age is but a number. The hard-working Crusaders lock is as hard and tough as they come and the glue that holds the Kiwi tight five together. Victor Matfield partners Thorn to form a nicely-balanced combination; the broadsword and the rapier so to speak. Matfield's milestone-filled year (reaching 100 Test caps and captaining the Bulls to another Super Rugby title) was perhaps not his individual best in his outstanding career, but he outplayed all his main rivals at one time or another this year, getting the better of both Nathan Sharpe and Alun-Wyn Jones in the lineouts - mainly when it mattered most.
At hooker we have Springbok star Bismarck du Plessis, who steals as much ball as a flank and is a powerful scrummager to boot, despite the two not going hand in hand with many modern hookers. Du Plessis overcame a serious neck injury to play a major role in the Sharks' Currie Cup victory and was at the centre of all the best things the Boks produced on their year-end tour. The only contender to Du Plessis was New Zealand's Keven Mealamu, but that head-butt on Lewis Moody counted against him in our final reckoning.
The two pillars propping up our scrum are none other than Italian superstar Martin Castrogiovanni and South Africa's Player of the Year Gurthrö Steenkamp. Castrogiovanni is a terrifying tighthead and has buckled more than his fair share of unsuspecting looseheads, who have been left to rue the day they dared to challenge the hairy Italian monster.
Steenkamp - one such player dismantled by Castrogiovanni, at the end of 2009 - sees off the challenge of his countryman Tendai Mtawarira for the No.1 jersey. The two will have a showdown in 2011 for the loosehead berth in the Bok team. New Zealand's Owen Franks is another front rower making big strides in his development and gets the nod for a place on the bench on account of his ability to play at either side of the front row.
rugby365.com's Team of the Year: 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (captain), 6 Juan Smith, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Owen Franks, 18 Nathan Sharpe, 19 David Pocock, 20 Francois Hougaard, 21 James O'Connor, 22 Adam Ashley-Cooper.
* Has anyone been harshly omitted from our team? Let us know what YOU think of our 2010 World XV!
By Timmy Hancox
Have a look back at rugby365.com's other Form XVs from 2010:
* Six Nations Team of the Tournament...
* Super 14 Team of the Tournament...
* Tri-Nations Team of the Tournament...
* Currie Cup Team of the Tournament...