Rugby World Cup 2011 finished just over a week ago, so since then a few different sectors of the media have been stringing together their respective Teams of the Tournament. Here’s a few to mull over, as well as a surprisingly balanced one from Reunion in New Zealand.
Today we take a look at who impressed the most at the tournament, and how selections vary across the board for a RWC 2011 dream team. We also welcome your selections, as it’s always a hotly debated topic among fans.
The main video here is from the Reunion show in New Zealand. They have a nicely balanced team that quite refreshingly features players from a number of different countries. It would have been tempting for them to shove in a whole load of All Blacks, but as you’ll see, they only have five.
Below are another three teams from three different sources. There’s a few common trends, namely with Lionel Nallet, Jerome Kaino, and Israel Dagg all being picked. There’s also a few positional switches, and allowance for injured players in some cases.
The Guardian
1. Tony Woodcock (New Zealand), 2. Marius Tincu (Romania), 3. Adam Jones (Wales), 4. Brad Thorn (New Zealand), 5. Lionel Nallet (France), 6. Jerome Kaino (New Zealand), 7. David Pocock (Australia), 8. Imanol Harinordoquy (France), 9. Mike Phillips (Wales), 10. Dan Carter (New Zealand), 11. George North (Wales), 12. Jamie Roberts (Wales), 13. Conrad Smith (New Zealand), 14. Vincent Clerc (France), 15. Israel Dagg (New Zealand)
New Zealand Herald
1. Cian Healey (Ireland) 2. Stephen Moore (Australia) 3.Owen Franks (New Zealand) 4. Lionel Nallet (France) 5. Victor Matfield (South Africa) 6. Jerome Kaino (New Zealand) 7. Sean O’Brien (Ireland) 8. Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe (Argentina) 9. Dimitri Yachvilli (France) 10. Rhys Priestland (Wales) 11 George North (Wales) 12 Ma’a Nonu (New Zealand) 13. Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland) 14. James O’Connor (Australia) 15. Israel Dagg (New Zealand)
ITV
1. Jean-Baptiste Poux (France) 2. Keven Mealamu (New Zealand) 3. Adam Jones (Wales) 4. Brad Thorn (New Zealand) 5. Lionel Nallet (France) 6. Jerome Kaino (New Zealand) 7. Sam Warburton (Wales) 8. Imanol Harinorduquy (France) 9. Mike Phillips (Wales) 10. Rhys Priestland (Wales) 11. James O’Connor (Australia) 12. Ma’a Nonu (New Zealand) 13. Jamie Roberts (Wales) 14. Vincent Clerc (France) 15. Israel Dagg (New Zealand)
Have a look through these, as well as the Reunion selection, and let us know what you think.
Note: Credit to Reunion for the video
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