Best Tigers XV of All Time

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SuperEagle
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Best Tigers XV of All Time

Post by SuperEagle »

I've blatantly stolen this idea from TRF.
What would your All Time greatest Tigers XV look like?

Here's mine (biased towards the professional era because of my age)

15. Geordan Murphy
14. Rory Underwood
13. Manusamoa Tuilagi
12. Will Greenwood
11. Alesana Tuilagi
10. Austin Healy
9. Ben Youngs
1. Graham Rowntree
2. Richard Cockerill
3. Martin Castrogiovani
4. Martin Johnson
5. Ben Kay
6. Tom Croft
7. Neil Back
8. Dean Richards

16. Marcos Ayerza
17. Tom Youngs
18. Darren Garforth
19. Martin Corry
20. Harry Ellis
21. Toby Flood
22. Daryl Gibson
23. Tony Underwood

Notable mentions to Lewis Moody, Dan Cole, Seru Rabeni and Steve Mafi
kpj tiger
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Re: Best Tigers XV of All Time

Post by kpj tiger »

Has been done before but ill take my picks again

15. Stimpson
14. Underwood
13. Tuilagi
12. Howard
11. Tuilagi
10. Flood or Stransky
9. Youngs
8. Richards
7. Back
6. Croft
5. Kay
4. Johnson
3. Castro
2. Cockerill
1. Rowntree

16. Ayerza
17. Kayser or Youngs
18. Cole
19. Cullen
20. Jennings or Crane
21. Ellis
22. Healy
23. Murphy
physiodan
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Re: Best Tigers XV of All Time

Post by physiodan »

15. Geordan Murphy
14. Austin Healy
13. Manu Tuilagi
12. Aaron Mauger
11. Alessana Tuilagi
10. Joel Stransky
9. Ben Youngs
8. Henry Tuilagi
7. Neil Back
6. Tom Croft
5. Geoff Parling
4. Martin Johnson
3. Dan Cole
2. Mefin Davies
1. Marcos Ayerza

16. Benjamin Kaiser
17. Frank Tournaire
18. Martin Castrogiovanni
19. Leo Cullen
20. Martin Corry
21. Harry Ellis
22. Pat Howard
23. Seru Rambeni
tigerburnie
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Re: Best Tigers XV of All Time

Post by tigerburnie »

I'd have Lote Tuquirri and Josh Kronfeld in my side somewhere.
"If you want entertainment, go to the theatre," says Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill. "Rugby players play the game to win.15/1/21.
MrPartridge
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Re: Best Tigers XV of All Time

Post by MrPartridge »

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!
Old Hob
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Re: Best Tigers XV of All Time

Post by Old Hob »

Let's go back a bit...
Harry Ellis, ... Peter Wheeler ... Chalky White....
Omnia dicta fortiora si dicta Latina
kpj tiger
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Re: Best Tigers XV of All Time

Post by kpj tiger »

MrPartridge wrote: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!
In my case i go by what i know, im only 18 so i have picked a lot of players that i grew up watching, although ive picked some players from before my time like Underwood, Richards and Stransky in my team
TigerLad
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Re: Best Tigers XV of All Time

Post by TigerLad »

kpj tiger wrote:
MrPartridge wrote: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!
In my case i go by what i know, im only 18 so i have picked a lot of players that i grew up watching, although ive picked some players from before my time like Underwood, Richards and Stransky in my team
Same with me, because of my relative young age I will be naturally inclined to select players I have seen play such as Manu over someone who I haven't seen play.
WhitecapTiger
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Re: Best Tigers XV of All Time

Post by WhitecapTiger »

TigerLad wrote:
kpj tiger wrote:
MrPartridge wrote: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!
In my case i go by what i know, im only 18 so i have picked a lot of players that i grew up watching, although ive picked some players from before my time like Underwood, Richards and Stransky in my team
Same with me, because of my relative young age I will be naturally inclined to select players I have seen play such as Manu over someone who I haven't seen play.
Which is what keeps these types of thread interesting - variety and opinion :smt003 :smt023
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Mat
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Re: Best Tigers XV of All Time

Post by Mat »

O Dusty Hare (k)
N Austin Healy
M Clive Woodward
L Pat Howard
K. Rory Underwood
J. Joel Stransky
I. Ben Youngs
H. Neil Back
G. Dean Richards
F. Lewis Moody
E. Fritz Vanherdan
D. Martin Johnson
C. Darren Garforth
B. Peter Wheeler
A. Graham Rowntree

P. Marcus Ayerza
Q. Dorian West
R. Martin Castrogiovani
S. Ben Kay
T. Martin Corry
U. Nick Youngs
V. Will Greenwood
W. Geordan Murphy


Players since 1980
tigerburnie
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Re: Best Tigers XV of All Time

Post by tigerburnie »

It's a bit like the old "who was the best boxer",times and skill sets have changed.
I'd go for two teams,one amateur and one proffesional as the games are so vastly different.In the old days most props did just that, fat lads who propped,hookers hooked and some times threw into the lineout.Second rows were donkeys and none of the were trusted to pass,definately never kick the ball,unless on the ground in an old fashioned foot rush. Back rows were marginally more versatile and some could actually run,pass a ball and catch one too. Look at todays forwards,their mobility and skill set is totally different.Backs can and do ruck and maul these days, you never saw Guscott doing any rucking.
I played the old game and have those rose tinted glasses,yes some of the old players were skillfull and some were real thugs,but the pro era players are vastly superior in every element,the speed,skill and conditioning is far better.You watch any games even as late as the 1980's and you can see very few would be good enough for todays game. Everyone is so much bigger too, at 6 foot 4 I was a big lad in those days,now there's wingers.props and scrum halves that sort of size.
"If you want entertainment, go to the theatre," says Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill. "Rugby players play the game to win.15/1/21.
Mat
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Re: Best Tigers XV of All Time

Post by Mat »

The game has changed dramatically and continues to do. Given the same training, food science etc they would be still great players. Some would make it but many would.
walcote tiger
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Re: Best Tigers XV of All Time

Post by walcote tiger »

15 Stimson
14 Murphy
13 Woodward
12 Howard
11 Underwood
10 Stransky
9 Healey
8 Corry
7 Back
6 Moody/Croft Cant decide
5 Kay
4 Johnson
3 Garforth/Cole in 5 years
2 Wheeler
1 Rowntree
Tiger_in_Birmingham
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Re: Best Tigers XV of All Time

Post by Tiger_in_Birmingham »

15 Stimmo
14 R Underwood
13 Greenwood
12 Howard
11 Dave Lougheed
10 Stranksy
9 Healey
1 Rowntree
2 Cockersd
3 Garf
4 Johno
5 Kay
6 Kronfeld
7 Backy
8 Deano


16 Ayerza (1)
17 West (2)
18 Castro (3)
19 Corry (4/5/6/8)
20 B Youngs (9) allows Austin to move to 10 if needed
21 a 10/12 player? maybe a different big backrow players like John Wells?
22 Rambo (11/13/14)
23 Murphy (11/14/15)
TigerLad
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Re: Best Tigers XV of All Time

Post by TigerLad »

tigerburnie wrote:It's a bit like the old "who was the best boxer",times and skill sets have changed.
I'd go for two teams,one amateur and one proffesional as the games are so vastly different.In the old days most props did just that, fat lads who propped,hookers hooked and some times threw into the lineout.Second rows were donkeys and none of the were trusted to pass,definately never kick the ball,unless on the ground in an old fashioned foot rush. Back rows were marginally more versatile and some could actually run,pass a ball and catch one too. Look at todays forwards,their mobility and skill set is totally different.Backs can and do ruck and maul these days, you never saw Guscott doing any rucking.
I played the old game and have those rose tinted glasses,yes some of the old players were skillfull and some were real thugs,but the pro era players are vastly superior in every element,the speed,skill and conditioning is far better.You watch any games even as late as the 1980's and you can see very few would be good enough for todays game. Everyone is so much bigger too, at 6 foot 4 I was a big lad in those days,now there's wingers.props and scrum halves that sort of size.
That is an interesting point. Would players like Clive Woodward or Barry John (who were world class players) be able to survive with players like Manu running at him? I doubt it but did these players have skills Manu doesn't posses? Absolutely. But as you say the game has changed so much in the last 40 odd years, gone are the skinny 10 stone white childlike figures. In are the 20 stone Polynesians. To improve the game I think we could do do with sometimes prioritizing skill and guile over power. I think we have a good blend of this with Manu and Tait in the same team.
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