Best Tigers XV of All Time

[physiodan]

Sorry but Manu in all three best-ever XVs and Tom Youngs on the bench in two other squads... I think we need to realise that Tigers have a bit more heritage and we are supposed to be picking best-ever players for a club established in 1880.. we have had 13 international captains...

Both have potential... but Tom Youngs has played 40 times for the club and has 8 England caps... not on my best-ever list just yet, I'm afraid!

Do you care to post your team then? There is no wrong answer here and we can all debate why our team is better but it is completely subjective.

[MrPartridge]

In terms of posting a team... fair play to everyone that has, but I don't think it is a level playing-field. As a few posters have noted... the game has changed so much. I watched a bit of the NZ v France WCF in 1987 the other day and the game was very different... set pieces like line-outs have evolved so much... I don't know how you can compare players in the 1980s with players of today... let alone before that. It is now a game of fit giants with very few finesse players involved...

In terms of posting a team, I think it would take me 10 hours to get all my research done and my ideal Tigers team posted. That said... I like Mat's team but even that doesn't include any players from the first 100 years at the club!

These best-evers are fun for debate and discussion though... if I can find the spare 10 hours over the next few weeks I'll give it a go

[Smurphswillgetya]

1. Rowntree
2 Wheeler
3. Garforth
4. Johnson
5. Poole
6. Wells
7. Back
8. Richards
9. Healey
10. Stransky
11 Underwood
12. Howard
13 Greenwood
14 G. Murphy
15 J. Liley

Lilo has to be there, an absolute legend

[strawclearer]

Bless him - my old Dad played for the Tigers just after the war. Like Manu, he wore 'M' on his shirt; like Manu he was 6' tall. Unlike Manu, he never got much above 11 stone. That's 6 stone less than Manu - or half a human being in old money. So - for 'M', my heart says Dad, my head says Manu!

[Tiger4Life]

O / 15. Tim Stimpson
N / 14. Geordan Murphy
M / 13. Manu Tuilagi
L / 12. Pat Howard
K / 11. Rory Underwood
J / 10. Joel Stransky
I / 9. Ben Youngs
G / 8. Dean Richards
H / 7. Neil Back
F / 6. Tom Croft
E / 5. Ben Kay
D / 4. Martin Johnson
C / 3. Martin Castrogiovanni
D / 2. Peter Wheeler
A / 1. Graham Rowntree

I am trying to be objective as possible (obviously this is actually impossible) and in part basing this in part on their performances in Tiger's shirt whilst at the same time considering how much they achieved in the game (national caps, Lions tours etc) as a whole.

Otherwise I think Will Greenwood would be in there (winning a World Cup ain't bad) but he was benched by Deano for a good season whilst at Tigers, instead of Pat Howard who sneaks it due to his influence in us winning the H Cup the first time. Similarly Kronfeld or Tuiqiri and more might have snuck in but were either at the club too short a time and/or didn't reach their peak performance on enough occasions.

Tigthhead is tight, Dan Cole could ultimately nick this if he does something on a Lions tour. Similarly Manu gets in because I expect he will do something on the Lions tour this year. Geoff Parling could do the same for me at 5.

Youngs again sneaks it past Austin, just for being a better passer and having more or less consolidated his England place. Lions tour credentials and more silverware await I hope.

The other compromise I make is by having Stimpo and Geordan. I justify this by stating that they started in these positions in our two successful H cup wins, so there!

[Banburytigers]

Looking on the backs posted on these lists they all seem very modern! When I was a nipper the best backs i have seen were the Tigers backs of the early eighites and i beleive they were the best backs unit ever to grace club rugby! Some of the tries Barry Evans scored especially against the Barbarians were unbelievable.

I Nick Youngs
J Les Cusworth
K Rory Underwwood
L Paul Dodge
M Sir Clive Woodward
N Barry Evans
O Dusty Hare

Personally I have never seen such a good unit yes tigers have had good backs since but not blessed with so much talent at the same time.

[WiggoTiger]

Looking on the backs posted on these lists they all seem very modern! When I was a nipper the best backs i have seen were the Tigers backs of the early eighites and i beleive they were the best backs unit ever to grace club rugby! Some of the tries Barry Evans scored especially against the Barbarians were unbelievable.

I Nick Youngs
J Les Cusworth
K Rory Underwwood
L Paul Dodge
M Sir Clive Woodward
N Barry Evans
O Dusty Hare

Personally I have never seen such a good unit yes tigers have had good backs since but not blessed with so much talent at the same time.

It was the pace of Barry Evans and Rory Underwood that made this team score tries alot of the time. I remember Evans scorching round defences from his own 22 to score under the posts more often than not! I have to say that defences in the 70's/80's were not as structured as they are today so more tries were scored.

[Eon B]

I'd like to see Sergeevich Obolensky as the other winger. Two tries against the All Blacks, his own room at Twickenham.

Plus I would enjoy the sight of him and Manu being chased by emigration officials, as they shared these visa problems.

Mostly though he and Rory in tandem, pace, power and entirely elusive, would surely be enough to scare the drift out of the most resolute defences. They were both airmen too, and I love to find literality in side cliché. Flying wings indeed.

[tim15]

O: John Liley
N: Geordan Murphy
M: Glenn Glenderbloom
L: Pat Howard
K: Dave Lougheed
J: Joel Stransky
I: Austin Healey
A: Graham Rowntree
B: Richard Cockerill
C: Darren Garforth
D: Martin Johnson
E: Fritz Van Heerdan
F: Neil Back
G: Martin Corry
H: John Wells

My choice based on their commitment in games that mattered, the England centinary game when the ABC club pushed the England stars off the ball at the scrum.

Johnno for either being on or coming onto the pitch and watching the whole team, raise their game.

Stranky's shimmies and his linking with Pat Howard.

Lougheed and Murphy never dropping a high ball as well as setting up some unbeliveable attacks.

Would have to have Tim Stimpson in the team/bench for his kicking encase Liley missed and for my wife who still has him up on the wall as Mr February in the calendar, Groundhog day for calendars!!

[Bowden Tiger]

Great to see Dave Lougheed in the mix. That guy was good and he could knock trees down in the tackle.
Does anyone remember the tackle he made against Richmond, I think it was, at Reading? Their winger took no further part in the game.
I would have thought that there would be a place for Aadel Kardooni, one of the most underated 9s to wear the striped shirt!

[Bowden Tiger]

Thinking about it, it would be interesting to produce a side from players who only played for us for a season or two.

I am thinking of people like Shane Jennings, Leo Cullen, John 'Lovejoy' Welbourne, Franck Tournaire, Brian Smith.

[Old Hob]

I'd like to see Sergeevich Obolensky as the other winger. Two tries against the All Blacks, his own room at Twickenham.

Plus I would enjoy the sight of him and Manu being chased by emigration officials, as they shared these visa problems.

Mostly though he and Rory in tandem, pace, power and entirely elusive, would surely be enough to scare the drift out of the most resolute defences. They were both airmen too, and I love to find literality in side cliché. Flying wings indeed.

RIGHT:

All those who, on seeing Sergei Obolensky's name immediately and only thought of a bl**dy meerkat report to Oval Park next Tuesday for a public flogging.

[Bowden Tiger]

Old Hob,

Don't tell Toulon, or they will sign him!