A bit of fun - pro 12 select V aviva select

Ok enough wrangling over structures and who said what - lets argue about rugby :-)

Its only a bit of fun but who would not want to see a pro 12 select v and aviva select. Who would win?

I don't know the aviva players well enough but can have a stab at a pro 12 select. (excuse a bit of Glasgow bias but they are top of the league) Hopefully the english fans can help me out. Only select players who are playing and on form right now. Extra kudos if your choices have comedy hair or beards)
1 Cronin?????
2 Rees
3 Adam Jones
4 Alun Wyn Jones
5 Bortolami
6 Rob Harley ( every side needs a ginger tackle monster)
7 Warburton
8 Strauss ( gets the place for the beard)
9 Matowalo ( just back from injury but he is special or so his mum told me)
10 Patchell ( Biggar???)
11 Maitland
12 Dunbar
13 BOD ( still got it)
14 Cuthbert ( on fire right now)
15 Ha'penny ( the best back)

come on chaps - argue with my selections / give me a aviva select  :  

1. Healy (Leinster)
2. Hibbard (Scarlets)
3. Afoa (Ulster)
4. O'Connell (Munster)
5. AWJ (Ospreys)
6. O'Brien (Leinster)
7. Tipuric (Ospreys)
8. Williams (Ulster)
9. Pienaar (Ulster)
10. Madigan(Leinster)
11. Halfpenny(Blues)
12. Davies (Scarlets)
13. Payne (Ulster)
14. Bowe (Ulster)
15. Kirchener (Leinster)

Bench: Adam Jones, Best, Court, Muller, Warburton, Matowalo, Biggar, O'Driscoll.

Ohhhhh - I forgot Pienaar - could he play 10 as well?  10 is a weakness I think. Matowalo at 9 for the unpredictability, Pienaar at 10 for the cool head?

 Afoa is a good call

Bowe ahead of Maitland / Cuthbert?  Both are on fire

Where is your ginger tackle monster? ( O'Connell used to be ginger before he lost his hair)
No Glasgow players?

Yeah true not many Glasgow players, I don't watch them enough maybe.... Pienaar at 10 would accommodate Matawalo...good shout.

1) Corbisiero
2) Brits
3) Wilson
4) Borthwick
5) Slater
6) Robshaw
7) Burger
8) Crane
9) Fotuali'i
10) Farrell
11) North
12) Twelvetrees
13) Goneva
14) Yarde
15) Brown

Could easily be a lot of different names in that

Probably go for this AP side.

1.Corbisiero
2.Hartley
3.Cole
4.Borthwick
5.Attwood
6.Brown
7.Burger
8.Vunipola
9.Youngs
10.Farrell
11.Yarde
12.36
13.Goneva
14.Ashton
15.Foden


16.Vunipola
17.Wilson
18.Youngs
19.Parling
20.Wood
21.Care
22.Burns
23.North

AP side to go something like:

1. Corbisiero
2. T Youngs
3. Dan Cole
4. Launchbury
5. Parling
6. Brown
7. Burger
8. Vunipola
9. B Youngs
10. Flood
11. Wade
12. Eastmond
13. Manu
14. Yarde
15. Brown

Subs - James, Hartley, Aulika, Attwood, Salvi, Care, Ford, Dailey.

Slightly controversial calls in the second row, wing, 12 and fullback but hey ho.

1 Corbisiero
2 Brits
3 Cole
4 Mumm
5 Parling
6 Wood
7 Salvi
8 Vunipola
9 Care
10 Farrell
11 Yarde
12 Twelvetrees
13 Tuilagi
14 North
15 Brown

It's harder if we say minimum 1 player from each club

My Rabbo:-

1. Healy
2. Hibbard
3. Jones
4. Wyn Jones
5. O Connell
6. Ferris
7. Warburton
8. Faletau
9. Brendan Leonard
10. Pienarr
11. Zebo
12. JD 2
13. O driscoll
14. Cuthbert
15. Halfpenny

ChequeredJersey wrote:It's harder if we say minimum 1 player from each club

But that wouldn't really be a Rabo/AP 'select', would it? Got to have the best players for the idea to make any sense.

GavinDragon wrote:My Rabbo:-

1. Healy
2. Hibbard
3. Jones
4. Wyn Jones
5. O Connell
6. Ferris
7. Warburton
8. Faletau
9. Brendan Leonard
10. Pienarr
11. Zebo
12. JD 2
13. O driscoll
14. Cuthbert
15. Halfpenny

You might want to take a look at which team is top of the league before having another go at that. Also, Ferris hasn't played rugby for a long, long time.

Na - best players from each league. Must be playing now and on current form

From the pro 12.......

Why no Glasgow players chaps?  they are top of the league.  Maitland is on fire and I just love watching Matowalo play.   9 and 10 are difficult choices tho.  Loads of good back rows and wingers.

In which case I say

1) Corbisiero
2) Brits
3) Wilson
4) Macleod
5) Mumm
6) A Johnson
7) Braid
8) Crane
9) Fotuali'i
10) Farrell
11) Lemi
12) Twelve-trees
13) Goneva
14) Yarde
15) Brown

Chequered jersey I will try 1 player per club.

1. Corbisiero (Saints)
2. Hartley (Saints)
3.Cole (Leicester)
4. Borthwick (Saracens)
5.Attwood (Bath)
6.Johnson (Exeter)
7.Braid (Sale)
8. Vunipola (Sarries)
9. Care (Quins)
10.Farrell (Sarries)
11. Lemi (Worcester)
12. 36 (Gloucester)
13.Daly (Wasps)
14.Yarde (LI)
15.Tait (Newcastle)

Rabo

1- Wilkinson
2- Ghiraldini
3- Lee
4- Henderson
5- Swinson
6- Zanni
7- Tipuric
8- Copeland

9- Matawalu
10- Priestland

11- DTH van Der Merwe
12- Dunbar
13- Earls
14- Cuthbert
15- Payne

PS: current form lineup!

I guess the reason few Glasgow players are being selected is they are maybe seen as more than the sum of their parts, ie less about individual performances and more about team ones. Those of us who watch them more closely of course know how good individuals such as DTH, Matawalu, Strauss etc are. But if they aren't regarded as big names with big reputations it just means they're less likely to be poached by the French!

My Rabo team (without having thought too much about it, and with a significant bias towards the Scottish teams probably) would be something like

1 Grant
2 Hibbard
3 Afoa
4 A-W Jones
5 Swinson
6 Strauss
7 Tipuric
8 Williams

9 Matawalu
10 Madigan
11 van der Merwe
12 Scott
13 Davies
14 Cuthbert
15 Payne

CJ...is that Scott MacLeod from us? Dom Barrow has been sensational...playing out of position in the back row...id put him in the second row over MacLeod.

Also notible mention to Montanella, Brookes and Tomaschyk our props who have been outstanding...and Mark Wilson who should be starting every Falcons game.

Surely Ha'penny has to be full back? he is the only player thats a write in I would have thought. Hogg is not at his best so far this season.

Much more interesting if every team has to be represented in the XV

Pat_Mustard wrote:I guess the reason few Glasgow players are being selected is they are maybe seen as more than the sum of their parts, ie less about individual performances and more about team ones.

I suppose so - so far their scrum has been shoving folk around but no real stars in it.

On current form, i'm not sure an Edinburgh player would be able to feature!

VinceWLB wrote:On current form, i'm not sure an Edinburgh player would be able to feature!

I guess you are right - I didn't pick one and the MFLs are my team  

rodders wrote:2. Hibbard (Scarlets)

He would never stand a change at getting into the Scarlets side  

Lions, I mean Rabo side.

Halfpenny
Maitland
BOD
Foxy
Bowe
Biggar
Murray

Healy
Hibbard
Jones
POC
AW Jones
SOB
Warbs
Faletau

LondonTiger wrote:Much more interesting if every team has to be represented in the XV

As such and without thinking too much about it the LT AP Select XV (every team represented and no team more than twice)

Corbisiero (Saints)
Brits (Sarries)
Thomas (Sale)
Barrow (Falcons)
Parling (Tigers)
wood (Saints)
Robshaw (Quins)
Vunipola (Sarries)
Thomas (Exeter)
Burns (glaws)
Yarde (LI)
Eastmond (Bath)
Tuilagi (Tigers)
Wade (Wasps)
Pennell (Wuss)

On current form, i'm not sure an Edinburgh player would be able to feature!

But assuming we're allowed to pick currently injured players, Scott and Rennie would have to be in with a shout, just hope the team's form doesn't rub off on them when they return!

So one from each Rabo side:

1 Cian Healy (Leinster)
2 Leonardo Ghiraldini (Treviso)
3 John Afoa (Ulster)
4 Craig Clarke (Connacht)
5 Paul O'Connell (Munster)
6 Josh Strauss (Glasgow)
7 Justin Tipuric (Ospreys)
8 Toby Faletau (Dragons)

9 Nikola Matawalu (Glasgow)
10 Ian Madigan (Leinster)
11 Giovannbatista Venditti (Zebre)
12 Matt Scott (Edinburgh)
13 Jonathan Davies (Scarlets)
14 Alex Cuthbert (Blues)
15 Jared Payne (Ulster)

Na - no injured players and on current form only. also extra points for comedy beards / hair and ginger tackle monsters

TJ wrote:Na - no injured players and on current form only.  also extra points for comedy beards / hair and ginger tackle monsters

Sadly Erik Lund is ineligble for either team otherwise a shedload of extra points

LondonTiger wrote:

TJ wrote:Na - no injured players and on current form only.  also extra points for comedy beards / hair and ginger tackle monsters

Sadly Erik Lund is ineligble for either team otherwise a shedload of extra points

So the Rabo needs to fit Jake Ball in there somewhere too http://www.scarlets.co.uk/eng/rugby/people.php?player=106749&includeref=dynamic

TJ wrote:extra points for comedy beards / hair and ginger tackle monsters

OK, that rule is blatantly designed to benefit Glasgow! There's Harley, Strauss, Matawalu's current hair/beard combo makes it impossible to tell which way up his head is, and Ruaridh Jackson seems to be considering an alternative career as an Art Garfunkel tribute act.

As for forcing me to select a currently playing Edinburgh player, that's just cruel. I'm going for Ben Atiga at 12 just to spite you.

This is actually quite tricky.

Rabo:

1.Healy 2.Hibbard 3.A Jones 4.AWJ 5.POC 6.Strauss 7.SOB 8.Faletau 9.Pienaar 10.Madigan 11.Zebo 12.JD2 13.DTH 14.Bowe 15.Halfpenny

16.Grant 17.Best 18.Afoa 19.Evans 20.Warburton 21.Matawalu 22.Biggar 23.Maitland

Aviva

1.Corbisiero 2.Brits 3.Cole 4.Attwood 5.Launchbury 6.Croft 7.Burger 8.B Vunipola 9.B Youngs 10.Evans 11.Wade 12.Twelvetrees 13.Tuilagi 14.Ashton 15.Foden

16.M Vunipola 17.T Youngs 18.J Johnstone 19.Lawes 20.Brown 21.Care 22.Farrell 23.Joseph

FES - Bowe instead of Maitland / Cuthbert?

Croft's now injured for a long term, FES

funnyExiledScot wrote:This is actually quite tricky.

Rabo:

1.Healy 2.Hibbard 3.A Jones 4.AWJ 5.POC 6.Strauss 7.SOB 8.Faletau 9.Pienaar 10.Madigan 11.Zebo 12.JD2 13.DTH 14.Bowe 15.Halfpenny

16.Grant 17.Best 18.Afoa 19.Evans 20.Warburton 21.Matawalu 22.Biggar 23.Maitland

Aviva

1.Corbisiero 2.Brits 3.Cole 4.Attwood 5.Launchbury 6.Croft 7.Burger 8.B Vunipola 9.B Youngs 10.Evans 11.Wade 12.Twelvetrees 13.Tuilagi 14.Ashton 15.Foden

16.M Vunipola 17.T Youngs 18.J Johnstone 19.Lawes 20.Brown 21.Care 22.Farrell 23.Joseph

 
Pretty good, FES. If they're both playing well, I would swap Nick Williams for Faletau and maybe (if Madigan is kicking the goals) swap Niko for Pienaar. The Rabo bench is amazing - 5 Lions, a 30 cap All Black, a 6N grandslam winning captain and a JWC winner/Super Rugby record try scorer.
 
Presumably given Croft's injury, you'd swap Robshaw or Brown for him.
 
Might be biased, but I'd take the Rabo team to win that.

Are we picking who we think best or on current form?

Current form.

You could pick 3 or 4 very strong rabo teams. You have the internationals and some top class foreign players.

Well in theory there are 3 full International teams available as most Irish, Welsh and Scottish players play there

I'd still back us to win though

ChequeredJersey wrote:Well in theory there are 3 full International teams available as most Irish, Welsh and Scottish players play there

Italy are an international side too CJ


after all we are talking about 4 unions not one league

Lots of their players play in France or eith us though. I suppose quite a few Welsh players do too

Captain_Sensible wrote:

GavinDragon wrote:My Rabbo:-

1. Healy
2. Hibbard
3. Jones
4. Wyn Jones
5. O Connell
6. Ferris
7. Warburton
8. Faletau
9. Brendan Leonard
10. Pienarr
11. Zebo
12. JD 2
13. O driscoll
14. Cuthbert
15. Halfpenny

You might want to take a look at which team is top of the league before having another go at that. Also, Ferris hasn't played rugby for a long, long time.

fair point I was just selecting who I think are the best players, form aside.

Blimey, I really had not realised glasgow were top with 4/4. Looking at Points for/against they must be experts of the tight win?

George Carlin wrote:

funnyExiledScot wrote:This is actually quite tricky.

Rabo:

1.Healy 2.Hibbard 3.A Jones 4.AWJ 5.POC 6.Strauss 7.SOB 8.Faletau 9.Pienaar 10.Madigan 11.Zebo 12.JD2 13.DTH 14.Bowe 15.Halfpenny

16.Grant 17.Best 18.Afoa 19.Evans 20.Warburton 21.Matawalu 22.Biggar 23.Maitland

Aviva

1.Corbisiero 2.Brits 3.Cole 4.Attwood 5.Launchbury 6.Croft 7.Burger 8.B Vunipola 9.B Youngs 10.Evans 11.Wade 12.Twelvetrees 13.Tuilagi 14.Ashton 15.Foden

16.M Vunipola 17.T Youngs 18.J Johnstone 19.Lawes 20.Brown 21.Care 22.Farrell 23.Joseph

 
Pretty good, FES. If they're both playing well, I would swap Nick Williams for Faletau and maybe (if Madigan is kicking the goals) swap Niko for Pienaar. The Rabo bench is amazing - 5 Lions, a 30 cap All Black, a 6N grandslam winning captain and a JWC winner/Super Rugby record try scorer.
 
Presumably given Croft's injury, you'd swap Robshaw or Brown for him.
 
Might be biased, but I'd take the Rabo team to win that.

I'd probably go with Halfpenny kicking the goals. I've read somewhere that he's quite useful....

1. Healy
2. Hibbard
3. Jones
4. O'Connell
5. Talei
6. SOB
7. Tipuric
8. Faletau
9. Pienarr
10. Biggar
11. Visser
12. JD2
13. O'Driscoll
14. Cuthbert
15. Halfpenny

IronMike - I'm an Edinburgh fan and even I wouldn't pick Visser ahead of DTH, Maitland, Bowe or Trimble. Great try scorer, but his allround game isn't at the same level as the others I've mentioned.

Talei at 5 is slightly odd (unless you are thinking of a different Talei to the Dragons and former Edinburgh number 8).

Visser is top on the last few years form ( top rabo player 3 yers running, 50 tries in 3 years in a poorly performing side) - but not right now altho he did get a sharply taken try last week did he not? On overall class then Visser gets a place but not on current form

He's actually scored two tries and two appearances this season. There's no doubting his try scoring credentials, I just question whether he's good enough to edge out the other very good wingers in the Rabo. If we're going on form, then Eli Walker is probably in with a shout.