A combined Springboks-All Blacks' 23 based on the Rugby World Cup
The debate following the controversial Rugby World Cup final between the Springboks and the All Blacks has continued unabated since the full-time whistle.
Who would make a combined XV of both countries? Some big guns have missed the cut in this squad.
15. Will Jordan (All Blacks) – The leading try scorer at the World Cup didn’t play a single game at fullback but many pundits suggest that Jordan is wasted on the wing. There is less time, space, and chance to involve World Rugby’s most gifted attacking player. Neither Beauden Barrett or Damian Willemse set the world on fire.
There is a criticism that Jordan’s kicking game is insufficient but watching Barrett kick ad nauseum, and with less effectiveness than Ben Smith and Israel Dagg in the past, Jordan at fullback is an exciting alternative and of course, would be allowed to grow a kicking game if given a chance. There are other kicking options in this team too.
14. Kurt-Lee Arendse (Springboks) – With 13 tries in 16 Tests, Lee-Arendse is the Springboks most lethal finisher. Adept under the high ball, solid on defense and an occasional kicker he’s made an epic start to what looks like a long career.
13. Jessie Kriel (Springboks) – Had Lukhanyo Am been available Kriel might not have featured as regularly. All Blacks opposite Reiko Ioane might be flashier, but Kriel in tandem with. Damian de Allende is a pair not prone to error and very hard to breach. Kriel is rock solid on defense, carries powerfully and employs a grubber kick to good effect.
12. Damian de Allende (Springboks) – With 78 Tests under his belt de Allende has become a real mainstay of the Springboks midfield. Played a brilliant quarter final scoring a vital try. In the final nothing was getting past de Allende. His hard and direct running is ideal in a game of congested defense. In 33 runs at the World Cup, he beat 17 defenders and made 144 meters.
11. Mark Telea (All Blacks) – The World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year was perhaps the only player who consistently looked like breaching the Springboks defense in the final. Busy, bustling, and a scorer of tries, Telea possibly overachieved in 2023. The charge down of a French conversion by Cheslin Kolbe was perhaps the most important moment of the World Cup, but his yellow card in the final could have been the most untimely too.
10. Richie Mo’unga (All Blacks) – Two missed kicks were costly for the All Blacks in the final but otherwise Mo’unga enjoyed a fine tournament. Set up a classic try for Will Jordan which went a long way towards winning the Irish quarter final. His break and pass to put Aaron Smith over for a try in the final might have created a very different narrative in the aftermath, but incompetent officiating ruled that out.
9. Faf de Klerk (Springboks) – The master of controlling the pace of a game with his varied, probing, and demanding kicks. Can swing swiftly onto the attack and hurt the opposition with swift distribution and calculated snipes. A crucial ankle tap on Dalton Papalii late in the final prevented potential strife for the Springboks.
8. Ardie Savea (All Blacks) – The World Rugby Player of the Year is an obvious selection. Ranked in the top 20 at the Rugby World Cup for carries, tackles, and turnovers. At his best Savea is a force of nature.
7. Pieter-Steph du Toit (Springboks) – When you google search Pieter-Steph du Toit one of the first questions that now emerges is how many tackles he made in the Rugby World Cup final. His performance was legendary with 14 in each half and nine alone on the All Blacks main midfield threat Jordie Barrett. Steph du Toit was immense in the narrow quarter-final victory against France and like Savea is simply a force of nature.
6. Siya Kolisi (Springboks) – Undoubtedly the most charismatic skipper in international rugby Kolisi is an inspirational and intimidating presence at the same time. Was lucky to avoid a red card in the final but it seemed preordained that Kolisi would join Riche McCaw as the only other captain to win the World Cup twice. Which Hollywood actor would be best suited to capture his box office story on the big screen?
5. Sam Whitelock (All Blacks) – Wasn’t a regular starter in the World Cup but it’s hard to look past a record 153 Tests and 125 wins. Whitelock won the turnover which secured the All Blacks victory against Ireland and his contributions were typically strong in the final. His memorable steal in the 2015 Rugby World Cup final against the Springboks is part of All Blacks folklore.
4. Eben Etzebeth (Springboks) – The prospect of Sam Whitelock partnering with Etzebeth is enough to make one salivate. The 119-Test veteran was a beast at the World Cup. His sheer muscle won the quarter-final against France, his solo try a display of raw grit. In the final, he levelled Richie Mo’unga early and that set the tone for a typically disruptive performance. The industrious and brutal Franco Mostert is unlucky to miss selection.
3. Tyrell Lomax (All Blacks) – Injury threatened to ruin his tournament but he recovered strongly and wasn’t bettered by any opponent at the tournament. Has experienced enormous growth since the arrival of Jason Ryan as All Blacks forward coach.
2. Dane Coles (All Blacks) – The fire remains as strong as ever with Coles renouncing his retirement shortly after the World Cup for a stint in Japan. Preformed with accuracy, aggression and consistency in 2023 and his experience and ability to get under the opposition’s skin would have been very useful in the World Cup final.
1. Steven Kitshoff Springboks) – Won an early penalty in the World Cup final and went about his work all tournament with brutal efficiency. When it comes to the ‘dark arts’ Kitshoff is a legend. Ethan De Groot did battle for 66 minutes in the decider, an honourable effort after a red card earlier in the tournament threatened to derail his campaign.
Reserves
16. Codie Taylor (All Blacks) – Waywardness with his lineout throwing was costly early in the final. Generally, 2023 was very good for Taylor. His set-piece was largely accurate and his work around the field is always top-notch.
17. Ox Nché (Springboks) – Destroyed England in the semi-final lifting South Africa to an improbable victory. If ever there was an individual that was a metaphor for the ‘Bomb Squad’ it’s beast Nché who famously quipped, “Salads don’t win scrums.”
18. Tamiati Williams (All Blacks) – The heaviest All Black of all time covers both sides of the scrum and it was perhaps surprising he didn’t see more time in the World Cup. Had the Springboks much-vaunted scrum wilting towards full-time in the final.
19. Scott Barrett (All Blacks) – His red card against the Springboks before the World Cup was hardly endearing but his whole body of work in 2023 has been outstanding, so much so that he broke up the old firm of Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retalick.
20. RG Snyman (Springboks) – Simply a monster at 2.06m and 131kg. His try against England won the semi-final and his bullying presence is ideal late in a match.
21. Kwagga Smith (Springboks) – The best impact player in world rugby. Covers all three positions in the back row and has the speed and skill to
22. Jordie Barrett (All Blacks) – Tried his darndest to puncture the Springboks defense in the final but couldn’t make a telling break. For the time being, however, Barrett has firmly secured the All Blacks 12 jersey and his versatility and goal-kicking are an undeniable asset.
23. Aaron Smith (All Blacks) – Perhaps the most extraordinary feat in Smith’s career is that he started 114 of his 125 Tests, achieving 100 wins. He was rarely challenged for his starting spot and at this World Cup flourished behind an All Blacks pack that after a sluggish start found its groove.
Comments on RugbyPass
It’ll be very interesting to see how Razor’s AB’s handle the new England rush D. It’s basically the Bok recipe they copied, so if England goes well then we know most likely the Boks will go well too. If England cops a hiding then we’ll have to study and adapt.
5 Go to commentsTypical trait of an australian is to moan. Goes well with there lack of humbleness as evident by the Reds bench on the weekend.
2 Go to commentsSBW’s bro’town commentary and lazy default to hyperbole should be ignored, a technical analyst he is not. Sotutu is a good player when games get goosey loosey, high skill set that fans of Zinzan recall with starry eyes. But you need power and mongrel at no8 in the Test arena and Sotutu gets found wanting there, much like Akira Ioane. No8’s like Zinzan and Ardie have bucketloads of mongrel and power and tenacity which allow the skill sets to flourish.
11 Go to commentsAn inside pass to attacker on the angle can make a drift defence look lead footed. Relies on fleet footed forward/s to get across from the breakdown. An argument for the smaller faster 7 perhaps?
5 Go to commentsSensational tackle. The reds one was late and rightly penalised. The other two were simultaneous with the pass. If nitpicking TMOs can’t find fault there clearly isn’t any.
2 Go to commentsBrumbies fully deserved their win on the back of their physicality and desire to control the ball. Xavier Numia, Asafo Aumua and Tyrel Lomax should be the ABs starting front row when we start our test schedule. They have “come of age” and have bested all they have faced as well as been dominant with ball in hand in making the gainline. With De Groot, Tamaiti Williams and Fletcher Newell backed up by Taukei'aho and Cody Taylor there's not an international front row that can trouble us. Can't wait to face the Boks over there, won't be no one point game this time.
5 Go to commentsKinda strange that he wasn’t with a premiership team or a higher level of rugby? Start playing late or something? With that kind of size and athleticism you’d think someone would have picked him up?
2 Go to commentsShows how much attitude matters. Last week the Brumbies got done, this week they dominated the tournament leaders, who were likely thinking they could cruise to victory.
5 Go to commentsA Turtle has more pace and leg drive than Owen Franks, so it’s a good thing he only had to run 90 metres for that try.
2 Go to commentsOh Tamati Tua was in the vastly over-rated Leon MacDonalds Blues system? Well, no wonder he was wasted, much like Emoni Narawa and Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens under MacDonald. now look at them. Good thing Tua isn’t eligible, the Aussies latch on to any player who isn’t tied down.
5 Go to commentsMark Telea is a lot of things, but a defensive juggernaut has never been one of them. There will be far bigger tests in that regard for the youngster.
11 Go to commentsLove and respect to Fiji but not a chance outside of 7s
4 Go to commentsGood summation Ned. Agree the Canes were out-muscled for once (except at the scrum!) by a focused Brumbies outfit. Tua deserves consideration for higher honors after the way he humbled Jordie and the Canes defense. Thankfully, his lack of eligibility for Oz keeps him from Joe’s plans. While I also agree the injuries affected the Canes performance, some players seemed to lack focus and intensity for this match. Perhaps after the Blues demolished the Brumbies, they thought it was going to be easy? A good reminder that any slip up in preparation can have a big affect on the result. Brumbies deserved that win.
5 Go to commentsKarl Dixon should never have been appointed this fixture, absolute disgrace, He’s not much of a referee anyway, didn't have the balls to send his mate care off
5 Go to commentsBrilliant article! Harry of 8/9
5 Go to comments‘UK athletes' have been in the NFL from the start.
2 Go to commentsIt’s going to be Scott Barrett. He’s the coaches mate and captain of a previously elite team. Ardie a great option but scooter has worked with the coach and Ardie still as big a leader as needed.
23 Go to commentsI commend Colin Scotts bio All Balls. He was the first Aussie to make it to NFL. But he was poached and did a full apprenticeship at the University of Hawaii. He was 130kgs surfed played 1st grade cricket etc. big guy by normal but not NFL standards and a top athlete. Even then the nfl were picking up Tongans and Samoans for their natural size and explosive power. They want explosive power not cardio from the big boys so a guy like Taniela Tupou would have been good if picked up young enough. He has fast twitch and they’d bulk the little lad up and give him something to do. soccer teams set up academies and look for Over Sara’s talent eg Messi was at Barcelona since a teenager and harry kewell went to Leeds as a teenager like 16 or something.
11 Go to commentsThe article alludes to the fact that this isn’t about picking a captain. But picking a great captain. So who would make for a great All Black captain - not just an obvious or safe shoo-in? I’m not sure Ardie’s the guy and Barret doesn’t stand out either.
23 Go to commentsI guess we may all agree on the fact, that the ABs and Boks are the two in contest for No 1 in rugby history (the triple-A sort of) …. the Wallabies, England and France are the next tier, with Ireland being the new kid in town (AA) …. in my view it makes little sense creating imaginary competitions (unless you have too much time to waste)
45 Go to comments