The recently retired Josh Navidi has named his Ultimate XV
Former Wales back-rower Josh Navidi has named his Ultimate XV, an understandably Welsh-biased selection peppered with legends such as South Africa’s Bakkies Botha, Australia’s Matt Giteau and Ireland’s Brian O’Driscoll. It was April 20 when a statement from Cardiff confirmed that Navidi had retired with immediate effect, playing his final match in July 2022 and failing to recover from the neck injury sustained versus the Springboks in Cape Town.
Navidi has now reflected on his decorated career during an appearance on the latest RugbyPass Offload and the 2021 British and Irish Lions pick named England tighthead Kyle Sinckler as the best bloke on that difficult behind-closed-doors tour.
“When we were down in Cape Town, had a golf course at our hotel and then had just an unlimited supply of red wine and beer. There were only two things you could really do, but it was good craic. It was different from previous tours.
“It would have been nice (to have) the fans out there, seeing the sea of red and going to experience it. Even if you were not playing you could go out and have a beer. That is what it is all about, meeting boys from other countries and you all come to one. It was the same but obviously different. Met some awesome guys on tour, top blokes.”
Like who? “Kyle Sinckler, his positivity is unreal. Just the recovery. I used to be DJ and he’d be an MC and I have to constantly turn him down so everyone could listen to the music. But the stuff he would come out with, it was unreal,” he said before referencing the prop’s liking for saunas.
This week on the RugbyPass Offload podcast we are joined by Josh Navidi ?
This week we talk…
– Why he has retired
– Meeting Jonah Lomu ?
– What's going on with Welsh rugby???https://t.co/kwDlr5dURo pic.twitter.com/TDBhAj3fHU
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 4, 2023
“He loved the sauna. He full-on drove it, he loved his saunas. He was fuming – it broke one day so he couldn’t use it and he was, ‘When is it on, when is it on, when are they fixing it?’”
Navidi then went on to name his Ultimate XV featuring players he had played with and against throughout his long career. That innings began for the now 32-year-old in 2009 with a Cardiff first-team debut at Leinster.
“Front row, Gethin Jenkins, Matthew Rees, Tau Filise. I played with all of them at Cardiff. Then Alun Wyn Jones, he’s just an absolute warrior. Bakkies Botha, played against him in Toulon games. (Siya) Kolisi, (Michael) Hooper and, of course, Toby Faletau, just unreal players. That back row would be a nasty back row.
“Then Tomas Williams from Cardiff and Wales, best-skilled scrum-half I have ever seen. He is ridiculous, his background is basketball. Dan Biggar, the championships we have won with him and his professionalism, the player that he is and the competitor, I have gone with him 10. I did say Owen Farrell as well, when we were on the Lions tour and playing against him, played Sarries a couple of times.
“George North, being there for so long. Giteau, played against him at Toulon at home. We won but that was a hell of a game, it was unreal playing against people you idolised. My first cap, Brian O’Driscoll for Cardiff in Leinster. Not a bad way to start.
“We nearly won that game, I nearly scored. I was about that far from the whitewash and we nearly won. It’s a difficult place to go but it’s the closest I ever came to winning out there. Then Gareth Thomas, Alfie, and Leigh Halfpenny full-back. Sorry, it is a lot Welsh-based but I’m a little bit biased.”
Navidi then completed his lengthy interview with a few quick-fire Q&A:
RPO: Best player you played with?
JN: I would say Alun Wyn Jones. Him and Gethin Jenkins.
RPO: Best player you ever played against?
JN: Hamish Watson, coming up against him you know what you have. When they say tough players, it’s players who are always there, always on top of you. You don’t get a breath of fresh air… someone who is there every ruck.
RPO: Player who has rubbed you up the most?
JN: Bakkies Botha. He took me out late at a ruck and he just stayed on top of me a little bit. I knew it was a penalty our way and we actually got three points.
RPO: Three players in a car to the ultimate party?
JN: You want some lunatics in there. I’ll go with this, (Stuart) Hogg, (Luke) Cowan-Dickie and Sinckler. That would be a good crew, a solid crew.
Comments on RugbyPass
Pick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
15 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
15 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
15 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
15 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
15 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
15 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
15 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to comments