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British and Irish Lions duo among early big name casualties in vote for world's best fullback
British and Irish Lions duo and former Saracens teammates Elliot Daly and Liam Williams are among four high-profile players who have failed to make it past the first round of the Straight 8 Fan Vote to decide the best fullback on the planet.
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Punters worldwide have hit the polls on RugbyPass’ Facebook and Instagram accounts as part of the initiative to decide the world’s best players in each position, as voted by the fans.
The first three instalments of the campaign have already passed, with England’s Maro Itoje and South African pair Pieter-Steph du Toit and Cheslin Kolbe claiming the honours in the votes for lock, flanker and wing.
This week has brought with it the next edition of the series, with eight of the best fullbacks around the world pitted against each other in a knockout bracket.
However, neither Daly nor Williams have made it past the first round of voting, with players from the southern hemisphere dominating proceedings.
It wasn’t an All Black, Wallaby or Springboks that Williams fell short against, though.
Instead, it was Scotland captain and Lions teammate Stuart Hogg who won 63 percent of the vote against the Welsh international.
That victory puts Hogg up against former All Black and current Bristol Bears flyer Charles Piutau, who knocked Daly out of the running with 57 percent of the public’s backing.
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On the other side of the draw, New Zealand’s excitement machine Damian McKenzie has bounced back from the knee injury that ruled him out of last year’s World Cup to thump Japan’s breakout star Kotaro Matsushima.
The South African-born Suntory Sungoliath speedster’s exploits at the World Cup caught the eyes of many worldwide, and even earned him a contract with powerhouse French club Clermont next season.
However, that wasn’t enough to sway voters, 79 percent of whom threw their support behind McKenzie.
The Chiefs playmaker’s opponent in the semi-final will be World Cup-winning Springbok Willie le Roux, who ousted Irishman Jordan Larmour with 63 percent of the vote.
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The second round of voting is now open, with both Hogg and McKenzie hold substantial leads over their opponents.
However, with 16 hours remaining at the time of writing, there is still plenty of time to decide who will join Itoje, du Toit and Kolbe as the best in their position.
To have your say, click the stories on either the RugbyPass Facebook page (here) or the RugbyPass Instagram page (here).
