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PRO 14BenettonCardiff RugbyCheetahsConnachtGwent DragonsEdinburghLeinsterMunsterOspreysScarletsUlsterZebre

Eleven clubs earn selection in Guinness PRO14 Dream Team

(Photo by Getty Images)

The Guinness PRO14 Dream Team for the 2018/19 season diplomatically features players from 11 of the 14 participating clubs.

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The outcome will be a disappointment to Benetton. In the list of the 45 players nominated for inclusion by a panel of more than 75 media who have covered the tournament, the Italians had scooped seven nominations, two more than this weekend’s finalists Glasgow and four more than Leinster.

Four forwards – Epalahame Faiva, Marco Riccioni, Federico Ruzza and Braam Steyn – and three backs – Dewaldt Duvenage, Monty Ioane and Ratuva Tavuyara – were nominated. In the end, though, only winger Ioane magaed to earn selection.

It left Edinburgh, Munster, Connacht and Ulster instead coming out jointly as the top clubs as they each had two players included. Saturday’s finalists Glasgow and Leinster bagged just a single spot each. Competition in the voting was claimed to be incredibly close, with only a handful of positions selected with a clear majority.

The Dream Team includes the Guinness Players’ Player of the Season – Bill Mata of Edinburgh. Rabz Maxwane of the Toyota Cheetahs is another award winner included. The winger scored a record-equalling 14 tries in the season – nine of them scored away from home – and was voted in as the left wing.

Only three players from last season’s Guinness PRO14 Dream Team were selected for the second season in succession, the second row pairing of Tadhg Beirne (Munster) and Scott Vardy (Leinster) getting the repeat nod while John Cooney’s impressive performances at Ulster kept him in the No9 shirt.

The team was revealed on a TV special aired by Premier Sports and eir sport on Thursday night.

GUINNESS PRO14 DREAM TEAM 2018/19

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Forwards
1. Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh)
2. Ken Owens (Scarlets)
3. Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors)
4. Tadhg Beirne (Munster)
5. Scott Fardy (Leinster)
6. Peter O’Mahony (Munster)
7. Colby Fainga’a (Connacht)
8. Bill Mata (Edinburgh)

Backs
9. John Cooney (Ulster)
10. Jack Carty (Connacht)
11. Rabz Maxwane (Toyota Cheetahs)
12. Stuart McCloskey (Ulster)
13. Rey Lee-Lo (Cardiff Blues),
14. Monty Ioane (Benetton Rugby)
15. Dan Evans (Ospreys)

WATCH: The behind the scene documentary by RugbyPass on the 2018 PRO14 final 

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Comments on RugbyPass

O
OJohn 41 minutes ago
Why England's defence of the realm has crumbled without Felix Jones

No he's just limited in what he can do. Like Scott Robertson. And Eddie Jones.


Sometimes it doesn't work out so you have to go looking for another national coach who supports his country and believes in what he is doing. Like NZ replacing Ian Foster. And South Africa bringing Erasmus back in to over see Neinbar.


This is the real world. Not the fantasy oh you don't need passion for your country for international rugby. Ask a kiwi, or a south african or a frenchman.

18 Go to comments
T
TazT 42 minutes ago
'Lightweight' Premiership not preparing England players for Test rugby

Dont complain too much or start jumping to conclusions.


Here in NZ commentators have been blabbing that our bottom pathway competition the NPC (provincial teams only like Taranaki, Wellington etc)is not fit for purpose ie supplying players to Super rugby level then they started blabbing that our Super Rugby comp (combined provincial unions making up, Crusaders, Hurricanes, etc) wasn't good enough without the South African teams and for the style SA and the northern powers play at test level.

Here is what I reckon, Our comps are good enough for how WE want to play rugby not how Ireland, SA, England etc play. Our comps are high tempo, more rucks, mauls, running plays, kicks in play, returns, in a game than most YES alot of repetition but that builds attacking skillsets and mindsets. I don't want to see world teams all play the same they all have their own identity and style as do England (we were scared with all this kind of talk when they came here) World powerhouse for a reason, losses this year have been by the tiniest of margins and could have gone either way in alot of games. Built around forward power and blitz defence they have got a great attack Wingers are chosen for their Xfactor now not can they chase up and unders all day. Stick to your guns its not far off

13 Go to comments
O
OJohn 43 minutes ago
Jake White: Ireland, Australia and Wales all have the same problem

The common denominator is foreign coaches, obviously.

NZ and South Africa and France wouldn't stand for it.

3 Go to comments
T
TD 44 minutes ago
Despite defeat in Paris, the real reason the All Blacks are feeling upbeat

Are we really writing of the positively tiny (diminutive, even) Ardie Savea 1 year after he won World Player of the Year?

10 Go to comments
L
LiamBerlin 49 minutes ago
'Steve Borthwick hung his troops out to dry - he should take some blame'

I agree with DrinkAway... that the ref video was disappointing, or worse, but otherwise I think he's fantastic in terms of results, evolving the style of the Boks and bringing in new people and ideas to keep the magic alive. I've been watching international rugby for over 50 years and for me he's among the very best. I don't know if he would want to, but it's interesting to think about how he might improve the performance of other nations if he had the opportunity.

10 Go to comments
J
JK 1 hour ago
Jake White: Ireland, Australia and Wales all have the same problem

Not enough South Africans?

3 Go to comments
N
NH 1 hour ago
How leviathan Will Skelton and the Wallabies reversed the World Cup fiasco

Which game did Nasser outplay Faessler for the wallabies? Is Nasser a better scrummager than BPA? Both Kiss and Schmidt seem to have him behind Faessler at the moment, there must be something they aren't seeing...

183 Go to comments
d
dw 1 hour ago
Why England's defence of the realm has crumbled without Felix Jones

Thanks Nick. Surely they will thump Japan this week and the pressure will be off. Do you want to make a prediction that the defence coach will go before the Six Nations? England seem to want Borthwick there for a long time so surely they will back Bortho and look for a new defence coach?

18 Go to comments
d
dw 1 hour ago
Why England's defence of the realm has crumbled without Felix Jones

Isn't he a kiwi working from the inside? Oh wait no that's someone else

18 Go to comments
M
Mzilikazi 1 hour ago
How leviathan Will Skelton and the Wallabies reversed the World Cup fiasco

Yes, Carlos, I sensed before hand this would be a very close game, even could see an Arg. win....well, they have beaten all their three SH compatriots this year, then added Italy. And as nick says below, they were winners of the breakdown for a lot of the game, and both sides of the ball too.


Felipe very highly regarded in Ireland, esp. Leinster.


Good luck this weekend !

183 Go to comments
A
Ardy 1 hour ago
Jake White: Ireland, Australia and Wales all have the same problem

Jake, I think England has a 10 in Smith, it is the game plan that ain't working for them. They are back to plodding along hoping for a penalty or drop goal to win the game.

3 Go to comments
J
JJB 1 hour ago
Five changes for the All Blacks, including the return of Sam Cane

I think Razor needs to grow some cahunas

12 Go to comments
A
Ardy 1 hour ago
How leviathan Will Skelton and the Wallabies reversed the World Cup fiasco

OK Nick, John F wrote an article on props and kindly posted a list:

Loosehead props: Bell, Slipper, Kailea, Hoopert, Hodgman, Schoupp, Lambert, Gibbon, Fa'agase, Pearce, Kaihea

Tighthead props: Tupou, Alaalatoa, Nonggorr, Tauakipulu, Van Nek, de Lutiis,

183 Go to comments
A
Ace 1 hour ago
Ex-All Black accuses Ireland's Jack Crowley of 'disgusting' act in Argentina win

Oh look, it's the answer to a question no-one asked!

42 Go to comments
M
Ml 1 hour ago
Did Rassie Erasmus miss a trick with his latest South Africa squad?

That's really stupidly pedantic. Let's say the gods had smiled on us, and we were playing Ireland in Belfast on this trip. Then you'd be happy to accept it as a tour of the UK. But they're not going to Australia, or Peru, or the Philippines, they're going to the UK. If they had a match in Paris it would be fair to call it the "end-of-year European tour". I think your issue has less to do with the definition of the United Kingdom, and is more about what is meant by the word "tour". By your definition of the word, a road trip starting in Marseilles, tootling through the Massif Central and cruising down to pop in at La Rochelle, then heading north to Cherbourg, moving along the coast to imagine what it was like on the beach at Dunkirk, cutting east to Strasbourg and ending in Lyon cannot be called a "tour of France" because there's no visit to St. Tropez, or the Louvre, or Martinique in the Caribbean.

51 Go to comments
W
Willie 1 hour ago
The Wallabies have a serious problem

Just thought for a moment you might have gathered some commonsense from a southerner or a NZer and shut up. But no, idiots aren't smart enough to realise they are idiots.

12 Go to comments
f
frandinand 3 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

In your opinion because he's a Crusader. We talk about parochialism in our game but people like you and Jacko take it to a whole new level in your consistent antagonism to Crusader players.

296 Go to comments
R
RobinHood 3 hours ago
Did Rassie Erasmus miss a trick with his latest South Africa squad?

Probably blooded more new players than any other country but still gets stick. If any other coach did same , they would get ripped to shreds. When you are at the top , people will always try to knock you down.

51 Go to comments
f
frandinand 3 hours ago
Why England's defence of the realm has crumbled without Felix Jones

Must be because he's an English coach coaching an English team.

18 Go to comments
R
RedWarrior 3 hours ago
Did Rassie Erasmus miss a trick with his latest South Africa squad?

By that logic the Boks could play Wales and Scotland and call it a tour of the UK.

51 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ 'Steve Borthwick hung his troops out to dry - he should take some blame' 'Steve Borthwick hung his troops out to dry - he should take some blame'
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