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The Best Of The Rest: A Rugby Championship XV Minus The All Blacks

Nicolas Sanchez

If these guys were playing the Lions next year we might actually have a close game on our hands, writes Jamie Wall.

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New Zealand have been so dominant in the Rugby Championship this year – the 36-17 win over Argentina on the weekend was their closest result so far – that naming an actual tournament team would mean more or less copy-and-pasting the All Blacks starting line up.

So, instead, the Best of the Rest XV recognises the standout players from the three other teams of the 2016 Rugby Championship. In all honesty it would probably still be a stretch to see them challenging the All Blacks this season if they ever took the field.

Speaking of, there is another team made up of different nations coming down next year that won’t stand a chance on their tour of New Zealand either. Maybe the Lions could play these guys on the way so we can see a close game of rugby?

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Props: Tendai Mtawarira (RSA), Ramiro Herrera (ARG)
The Beast has been in career-best form, which is saying a lot considering said career spans 83 tests. Meanwhile Herrera has anchored the dependable Pumas scrum. Plus their names rhyme, which makes it easier for commentators.

Hooker: Agustin Creevy (ARG)
The only number 2 in the world who comes close to being as exciting as Dane Coles right now. Loves an offload or five every game.

Locks: Eben Etzebeth (RSA), Pieter-Steph du Toit (RSA)
The two Springbok big men have rekindled memories of when Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha used to rule both lineouts and breakdowns with an iron fist, Etzebeth sometimes hulking out of his jersey.

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The Incredible Etzebeth (Photo Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
The Incredible Hulkzebeth (Photo Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Loose Forwards: Warren Whitely (RSA), Michael Hooper (AUS), Facundo Isa (ARG)
Cheating a little bit here by including two Number 8’s, however it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine Whitely or Isa being just as effective at blindside. Meanwhile Hooper has been in typical pesky-good form.

Halves: Will Genia (AUS), Nicolas Sanchez (ARG)
The Queensland halfback turned back the clock in his performance against Los Pumas in Perth, looking like the player that was the cornerstone of the Reds’ Super Rugby triumph in 2011. Sanchez has seemingly shaken off the jitters he gets when playing the All Blacks and has been kicking goals from everywhere.

Midfield: Bernard Foley (AUS), Tevita Kuridrani (AUS)
OK, so Foley is in here more or less by default given that Los Pumas haven’t had the same midfield for two games in a row and the Boks combinations have been about as lethal as a wet sponge. Kuridrani’s good Super Rugby form has carried over to the test arena.

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Backline: Santiago Cordero (ARG), Bryan Habana (RSA), Joacquin Tuculet (ARG)
Another Bok veteran showing he’s still got it, the 122-test Habana sliced the All Black defence open just like old times when they met in Christchurch. Cordero and Tuculet showed that last year’s Rugby World Cup form was no fluke as well, looking constantly dangerous from the back.

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Tom 7 hours ago
Will Bristol's daredevil 'Bears-ball' deliver the trophy they crave?

Also a Bristol fan and echo your sentiments.


I love watching Bristol but their approach will only get them so far I think. Exeter played like this when they first got promoted to the prem and had intermittent success, it wasn't until they wised up and played a more balanced game that they became a consistently top side.


I really want Bristol to continue playing this brand of rugby and I don't mind them running it from under their posts but I don't think they need to do it every single time. They need to be just a little bit more selective about when and where on the pitch they play. Every game they put themselves under so much needless pressure by turning the ball over under their posts trying to do kamikaze moves when it's not required. By all means run it from your goal line if there is a chance for a counter attack, we all want to see Bristol running in 100m tries from under their posts but I think until they learn when to do it and when to be pragmatic, they are unlikely to win the premiership.


Defense has been a real positive from Bristol, they've shown a lot of improvement there... And I will say that I think this kamikaze strategy they employ is a very good one for a struggling side and could be employed by Newcastle. It's seems to have turned around Gloucester's fortunes. The big advantage is even if you don't have the biggest and best players, what you have is cohesion. This is why Scotland keep battering England. England have better individuals but they look muddled as a team, trying to play a mixed strategy under coaches who lack charisma, the team has no identity. Scotland come out and give it full throttle from 1-15 even if they struggle against the top sides, sides like England and Wales who lack that identity drown under the relentless will and synergy of the Scots. If Newcastle did the same they could really surprise some people, I know the weather is bad up there but it hasn't bothered the Scots. Bristol can learn from Scotland too, Pat is on to something when he says the following but Scotland don't play test matches like headless chickens. They still play with the same level of clarity and ambition Bristol do but they are much better at picking their moments. They needed to go back to this mad game to get their cohesion back after a couple of seasons struggling but I hope they get a bit wiser from matches like Leinster and La Rochelle.


“If there’s clarity on what you’re trying to do as a team you can win anything.”

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