rugby365's Team of the Year
Six Nations Grand Slam winners Ireland and Tri-Nations champions South Africa headline the prestigious rugby365.com Team of the Year selections.
With Ireland also having provided a substantial number of the B&I Lions tour squad - a team which the Springboks managed to edge in a gruelling three-match series - it is to be expected that the Boks would provide the majority of our team in a year in which they dominated the landscape.
As Tri-Nations winners, with an All Black whitewash to boot, the B&I Lions series victory and the IRB Team of the Year award, the Boks provide six members of our team.
They are followed by Ireland, with four selections, New Zealand with two - while Wales, Italy and France (one each) make up the numbers.
The rugby365.com Team of the Year:
15 - Rob Kearney (Ireland):
If it is consistency you want, Kearney is your man - from the Six Nations, through the B&I Lions tour to South African and the year-end internationals, he was a standout performer. His coolness under a high ball, counter attacking pace and siege gun boot saw him pick up a Six Nations Grand Slam and Heineken Cup winners medal, as well as two Test wins against the Springboks this year.
14 - Tommy Bowe (Ireland):
His class, and versatility, was best depicted on the B&I Lions tour to South Africa when he played wing in the first two Tests and then switched to outside centre with great success in the win over the Boks in the third. A sturdy outside back with bags of pace, it was his spectacular try for Ireland against Wales in the Millennium Stadium that not only helped Ireland seal their Grand Slam victory, but also earned him a spot on the Lions tour.
13 - Brian O'Driscoll:
Bok powerhouse Jaque Fourie, is indeed unlucky after he started the international season on the bench and then systematically forced his way into the Bok starting XV with a number of world class performances. But Ireland's go-to-man was very unlucky to lose out on the IRB's player of the year award after a sublime year in which he starred for the British and Irish Lions and also leading the Leinster to Heineken Cup glory.
12 - Jamie Roberts (Wales):
Another of the B&I Lions stars who produced a string of consistently high quality performances, especially during the tour to South Africa. His partnership with Jaque Fourie for the BaaBaas was also something to behold. He was also named as the player of the B&I Lions tour, after several outstanding performances as O'Driscoll's partner in midfield.
11 - Bryan Habana (South Africa):
Without doubt one of the most clinical finishers in the game, but his workrate and defensive efforts also set him apart from the rest. The 2007 IRB Player of the Year overcame a slump in form in 2008, to confirm himself as one of the most lethal wings in the game.
10 - Dan Carter (New Zealand):
Following a rather slow start, as was to be expected after six months out with injury, Carter regained the form that set him apart as the benchmark of flyhalves in world rugby. While Morné Steyn's match-winning and series-clinching exploits earned him a few votes, Carter remains the premier No.10 on the globe. Carter has become a true superstar of the rugby world. His modest demeanour off the field is in contrast to his presence on the pitch, where his is an excellent tactician with the strength of most midfield backs.
9 - Fourie du Preez (South Africa):
Described by some pundits as 'pure genius', Du Preez has been at the heart of all South Africa's major triumphs - including the 2007 World Cup. But if ever anybody needed confirmation of his class, it was provided in the manner in which he helped the Boks overcome the B&I Lions, whitewash the All Blacks and win the Tri-Nations in 2009. Few will argue that Du Preez is the greatest player in his position on the planet.
8 - Jamie Heaslip (Ireland):
His head-to-head showdowns with Bok star Pierre Spies in the B&I Lions series will linger for many years to come. It was all too evident in the third and final Test, even though Spies didn't play, just how good Heaslip really is. His eye catching pace off the back of the scrum and in open play has seen him turn in some powerful performances for Ireland during their glorious Six Nations Grand Slam victory, earning him a well deserved place in the Lions squad.
7 - Richie McCaw (New Zealand):
There were many who questioned his award as IRB Player of the Year, and strong cases can indeed be made for Fourie du Preez and Brian O'Driscoll. But in our book he was, at the very least, the standout openside flank. Not just is he a key figure for the All Blacks, but McCaw has the size and strength to be a punishing defender. Added to that is his cool head and quick hands, which help him master the breakdown area, the speed and handling skills to play a traditional tearaway's linking role to superb effect.
6 - Heinrich Brüssow (South Africa):
There is nothing wrong with two specialist openside flanks, or fetchers as some call them. We have gone this route because it is so tough to separate Brüssow and McCaw. Without doubt the find of the year in South Africa, Brüssow forced his way into the Bok starting XV with match-turning moments as a replacement during the B&I Lions series and continued to have a major influence on the Boks' success in a starting role in the Tri-Nations.
5 - Victor Matfield (South Africa):
Without peer as a line-out exponent. Forget the year-end tour, an aberration in an otherwise sublime season of world class performances. Besides almost always winning his own line-out ball, Matfield is known for his exceptional skill at disrupting opposition line-outs and his speed around the field - which caused former Australian coach Eddie Jones to comment that he should be an Olympic sprinter instead.
4 - Bakkies Botha (South Africa):
While a strong case can be made for B&I Lions captain Paul O'Connell, as indeed some of our panel members did during our lengthy debate, Botha won by a narrow margin based in part on his partnership with Matfield. Botha's true value was only realised when was he was missing from the Bok team in the year-end Test against Ireland and O'Connell was the dominant physical force. Botha is colossus and boasts a rugby CV that includes a World Cup winners' medal, Tri-Nations victory, Super 14 and Currie Cup success.
3 - Martín Castrogiovanni (Italy):
His renowned scrumming power caused many teams distress this year - the Springboks, twice, the All Blacks, and Italy's Six Nations rivals. This delightful character played basketball when he was younger, but quit after punching the ref in a match. "I knew I wouldn't be playing much more basketball; I didn't even turn up for the disciplinary hearing to find out the length of my ban," he said later. He hasn't punched any rugby referees, but it tells you all about his commitment to the cause.
2 - Bismarck du Plessis (South Africa):
He was finally given a regular starting spot in the national team when Bok captain John Smit was moved to tighthead and Du Plessis rewarded coach Peter de Villiers with a number of barnstorming performances. As hooker Du Plessis brings an immensely athletic and powerful presence to the any team he plays for, not only at his primary role in the front row, but also getting through a huge workload.
1 - Fabian Barcella (France):
It may not have been unanimous, but the vote count was pretty overwhelming in favour of one of the true stars in a quality French team. He does all a prop should do - make scrummaging an unhappy experience for the opposition and a profitable one for France and is able to run and handle with aplomb.
Our individual selections!
Peter Murison XV: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Rocky Elsom, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Paul O'Connell, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 William Servat, 1 Fabian Barcella.
Paul Dobson XV: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Juan Martín Fernandez Lobbe, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Paul O'Connell, 3 Martín Castrogiovanni, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Benn Robinson.
Ebrahim Moerat XV: 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Sergio Parisse, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Fabian Barcella.
Howie Kahn XV: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Heinrich Brüssow, 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Martín Castrogiovanni, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Fabian Barcella.
Rob Peters XV: 15 Frans Steyn, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 12 Jamie Roberts , 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Benn Alexander, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Fabian Barcella
Jan de Koning XV: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Martín Castrogiovanni, 2 John Smit, 1 Benn Robinson.