By Paul Morgan, editor of Rugby World Magazine
The new edition of Rugby World goes on sale today with our Player and Team of the Decade announced.
But what do you think? Would you have selected a different player or different members of the team.
Does a side with 4 Kiwis, 3 Englishmen, 2 Welshmen and 2 South Africans reflect the Noughties?
HE STARTED the decade with a hat-trick in his first Six Nations Championship and finished it as one of the key reasons why Ireland went the whole of 2009 without suffering a defeat. So in the eyes of Rugby World there’s only one man who should be named Player of the Decade: Brian O’Driscoll.
The man from Blackrock College will earn his 100th Ireland cap in the coming Six Nations and more than any other has written his name large and bold across the decade that will be known as the Noughties.
Whether as captain of Ireland, Leinster or the Lions, O’Driscoll has shown exemplary form over a sustained period – form that wins him our accolade above and beyond a host of players who have left an indelible mark on our great game.
O’Driscoll may be our Player of the Decade, but he doesn’t captain our Team of the Decade. That honour falls to the captain without peer, England’s Martin Johnson.
The decade produced two World Cup winners, in England and South Africa, so naturally those teams had a number of players on our shortlist. But it isn’t all about World Cups as New Zealand managed to earn four representatives in our starting XV without even making a final.
Similarly, the rise of Argentina in this decade and Wales’ two Grand Slams had the judges scratching their heads
and working out how we could keep our team down to 15 players. A number of big names missed out, such as Lawrence Dallaglio and Neil Back, as we looked for balance in our side and the recognition of players like Sergio Parisse, who may never win a Six Nations or World Cup but should nevertheless always figure when we’re looking for legends of our game.
Full team
Mils Muliaina – New Zealand
Jason Robinson – England
Brian O’Driscoll – Ireland
Matt Giteau – Australia
Shane Williams – Wales
Dan Carter – New Zealand
Agustin Pichot – Argentina
Gethin Jenkins – Wales
John Smit – South Africa
Carl Hayman – New Zealand
Martin Johnson (c) – England
Victor Matfield – South Africa
Richard Hill – England
Richie McCaw – New Zealand
Sergio Parisse – Italy
Subs: Rodrigo Roncero, Mario Ledesma, Sylvian Marconnet, Juan-Martín Fernández Lobbe, Fourie Du Preez, Jonny Wilkinson, Yannick Jauzion, Juan Martín Hernández.
By what do you think? Name your Team and Player of the Decade and tell us why you have made your choices.
Also if you’d like to get 32% off a subscription to Rugby World Magazine go to our website at www.rugbyworld.com, where we have a new offer available!
I do not understand how 5 Aregentines are in the Team Of The Decade. John Hayes Is a Worthier choice than Roncero. He has won a Six Nations, 2 Heineken Cups, a Magners League, One or two Celtic Cups and countless Triply Crowns. Not to mention the fact that he only missed one Six Nations Game in the last Decade! I also think Rocky Elsom is a much better choice than Fernandez Lobbe and Hernandez should be replaced by Chris Paterson who can has scored 35 out of his last 35 kicks in the Six Nations. Ronan O’Gara is also a good candidate.
Oviously Rodrigo Roncero, Juan Hernandez or Agustìn Pichot could never win a six nations. But Argentina is the National team that more clearly moved forward in the last ten years. The only real new that the last world cup delivered is the definitive takeover of Argentina in the international scene. This generation of players feced difficulties that european players can’t even imagine and notwithstanding so reached great goals.
I think that it widely justifies the inclusion of 5 Pumas in the team of the decade.
this is obviously a Northern Hemisphere publication, hence your 2 *players of the decade* BOD/Martin Johnson,whilst at the same time having an *underlining dig* at NZ for not making a WC final during the 03/07 tournaments (obviously ENG made both of those finals during which they played the most boring style of rugby there is in the world which is why spectators worldwide turn away from the game). For starters, Shane Williams…1 of the best wingers of the decade…please…seems like all the majority of these players are NH or NH club based. let me remind you that NZ throughout the last decade has been ranked #1 for the majority of the decade..and South Africa are the world champions…along with Australia, these 3 SANZAR partners were ranked #1 for 9 of the last 10 years. however..if i had to go batting for 1 NH player it would be Keith Wood
Pull your face straight! Ask anyone and you are guarenteed to be given a different team of the decade. Peoples views and opinions do actually differ. Fair enough you don’t agree with this choice! Don’t put it down to this being a NH publication
X
Also…when we talk players, it seems all the 6N players are the 1st names to figure in your thoughts. SA/NZ/AU have been ranked 1/2/3 for the majority of the decade and their talent pools are ample. So my point?…when thinking of talent…start at the worlds best teams…the worlds best players…then work your way down to the crap
Shane Williams – geez thats a joke. Fourie du Preez is the best scrum half this decade and a match winner on his own.
Kaz, Shane Williams is a winger, not a scrum half.
The Southern Hemisphere teams have such large talent pools, that they don’t have lots of players who last for long enough to be in Teams of the Decade.
The point that was made about the All Blacks not getting to a final was to point out that, despite them screwing up when it really counts, as they have since 1987, they still have 4 representatives in the team. For a NH magazine, they only gave England 3 players, and all of them retired just after or shortly after the 2003 World Cup.
Martin Johnson was not mentioned as Player Of The Decade, just as the captain of the team.
Chris Patterson is a great goal kicker, but has no business being near a team of the decade at any position – he’s a very good player, but not an elite one outside of kicking, which isn’t enough to warrant a place in the team. If it was a real team that was going to play real matches, then you might want him there, but with Dan Carter, you’re probably ok…
I do agree that if Johnson, Hill and Robinson can get in the team, then Woody deserves a place – John Smit is a good hooker, but he’s not on the same level as Woody was.
For sure even kiwis would agree with this comment Kaz
I would actually make Pichot the captain instead of Johnson purely because of what he did for Argentina not just on the pitch but off it, he managed to raise the game of Argentina to another level and got them the recognition they deserved as a world force, that surely cannot be questioned.
Compare that to England, would they still have won the World Cup if Dallaglio or Greenwood were captain considering they were already at the top of their game, the strength of the squad at the time, and the management of Woodward?
Typical british view of “their” worlds top players. Just highlights their arrogance(Or ignorance)in choosing players such as Shane Williams and Sergio Parisse? etc. South Africa,N.Z and Australia ranked 1,2and 3 for a good part of last 10 years. Wales have not beaten the All Blacks since 1953 while Scotland and Ireland NEVER HAVE! On a very rare ocassion when England do beat the All Blacks, they act as if they have won the lottery and treasure the rare occasion. Only one Aussie and three Argentinians,Please!. British teams will always be behind SH teams as long as they keep believing their own sorry dribble. You should print instead the british team of the decade and the SH team of the decade. Be honest…Who do you think would win. Jonah Lomu v Shane Williams for example! what a joke!
Quite clearly a NH publication! Aus/NZ/SA being the best 3 teams consistently for vast majority of the decade and in particular Aus winning a Lions series and making a WC final but only 1 Player! Give me strength!