The RugbyPass Readers' XV of 2018
Our readers have had their say and picked their dream XV for the 2018 season.
Polls went out last week to see who fans thought had the best year, with plenty of talent recognised and plenty more missing the cut.
A whopping ten Irishmen were selected, showing just how good World Rugby’s Team of the Year have been this year – and how passionate their fans are.
Loosehead Prop: Cian Healy – Ireland
RPI Score: 85
The veteran prop made 11 appearances for Ireland this year, and was a key man during their Grand Slam Six Nations campaign starting four of five matches.
A sure tackler, Healy missed just one of his 55 tackle attempts wearing green in 2018.
Healy won 32% of the vote, just edging England’s Mako Vunipola, who comes in with an RPI score of 90 and is rated as the best loosehead prop in the world.
Hooker: Malcolm Marx – South Africa
RPI Score: 92
The Springbok retained his title as the world’s best hooker with a massive Super Rugby season and an impressive international campaign.
Marx is a devastating force with ball in hand and an immovable object at the breakdown. He is perhaps at his best operating at the back of a maul and crossed for a whopping 12 tries for the Lions this year.
The 24-year-old won 53% of the vote, edging Ireland’s Rory Best and New Zealand’s Codie Taylor for his place in the team.
Tighthead Prop: Tadhg Furlong – Ireland
RPI Score: 91
Tadhg Furlong has a case to make for the title of the world’s best player. His impact was felt all over the park in 2018, with the prop proving effective both with and without the ball. Dominant at scrum time, as a ball carrier and in defence, the imposing tighthead made 57 of his 58 tackle attempts.
Perhaps his biggest effort of the year came in Ireland’s Grand Slam-sealing victory over England. He made 18 tackles without a miss in a busy 64-minute shift and won a pair of scrum penalties.
Furlong won an overwhelming 82% of the vote, the largest margin of any position in our polls.
Lock: James Ryan – Ireland
RPI Score: 92
The 22-year-old had a breakout year in 2018 and currently rates as the best lock in the world with an RPI score of 92.
A mobile second rower, Ryan shone throughout the year with Ireland, playing 96% of the available minutes and making 117 of his 121 tackle attempts.
His most impressive test came against New Zealand, where he went toe to toe with Brodie Retallick, outshining the Kiwi as Ireland recorded their first home victory over the All Blacks. Ryan finished the match with 20 made tackles to lead the Irish defence.
Lock: Brodie Retallick – New Zealand
RPI Score: 90
While Brodie Retallick’s time on the field in 2018 was limited, his impact was still felt whenever he was on the park.
In seven tests Retallick got through plenty of work, tackling at 90% and threatening with ball in hand. The towering lock also scored one of the more memorable tries of the season, selling Wallabies flyhalf Bernard Foley with a big dummy before taking off towards the line. The score was awarded Try of the Year by the IRPA.
Congratulations to Brodie Retallick – WINNER of International Rugby Players TRY OF THE YEAR! #worldrugbyawards @AllBlacks pic.twitter.com/trjhFTcvPY
— InternationalRugbyPlayers (@IntRugbyPlayers) November 25, 2018
Retallick and Ryan had plenty of competition in the locking department, including the likes of Alun Wyn Jones, Sam Whitelock, Maro Itoje, Devin Toner and Eben Etzebeth to claim the two spots. Ryan and Retallick finished with 40% and 34% of the votes respectively.
Blindside Flanker: Peter O’Mahony – Ireland
RPI Score: 92
Few were more influential on the pitch this year than Irish blindside Peter O’Mahony.
Someone who seems to always be at the right place at the right time to make a big play, the Munster man comes in with an RPI Score of 92 which puts him at the top of the blindside ranks.
In ten matches O’Mahony missed just six tackles and had a hugely successful year, with
Openside Flanker: Siya Kolisi – South Africa
RPI Score: 84
Inspirational Springboks captain Siya Kolisi took out one of the most heavily contested positions, beating out Ardie Savea, Sam Underhill and Justin Tipuric for the starting berth.
A defensive workhorse with tidy ball-carrying ability, Kolisi is a great well-rounded loose forward. He racked up 131 tackles and made 11 turnovers for the Springboks this year and was a key part of their attack, making nine clean breaks and seven offloads in his 13 matches.
With 36% of the vote, Kolisi was a standout for Rassie Erasmus’ side as they sparked a resurgence highlighted by a stunning away victory against the All Blacks.
Number Eight: CJ Stander – Ireland
RPI Score: 90
Another key part of Ireland’s successful 2018 campaign, Number Eight CJ Stander finished the year rated a 90 by the RPI and the world’s third best at his position.
The 28-year-old Munster man played in ten matches for Ireland this year, where he dominated with ball in hand and racked up tackles and turnovers on the defensive end.
Another tightly contested position, Stander edged David Pocock, Kieran Read and Duane Vermeulen to take the honour with 37% of the vote.
Scrumhalf: Faf de Klerk – South Africa
RPI Score: 80
The diminutive South African played an integral role in the Springboks’ resurgence under Rassie Erasmus.
De Klerk is a sparkplug that led the Springboks on both sides of the ball, with a memorable driving takedown on Nathan Hughes in June stealing headlines.
One of five nominated for the World Rugby Player of the Year Award, De Klerk separated himself from the likes of Conor Murray and Aaron Smith as the best halfback in rugby.
To earn his place in the Readers’ XV the 27-year-old garnered an impressive 59% of the vote.
First-Five Eighth: Johnny Sexton – Ireland
RPI Score: 92
The World Player of the Year rightfully earned his place in the RugbyPass Readers’ XV after a massive year with Ireland. Sexton started the year on a high, with late-game heroics stealing a victory against France to open the year and a home win against New Zealand to finish.
Stealing away back-to-back winner Beauden Barrett’s crown, Sexton collected a whopping 66% of the vote, with Barrett and England’s Owen Farrell finishing with 16% and 15% respectively.
Sexton’s naming in our Readers’ XV backline starts a trend that won’t be interrupted until the fullback spot.
Left Wing: Jacob Stockdale – Ireland
RPI Score: 85
Another young Irish star that enjoyed a breakout season, Jacob Stockdale had plenty of memorable moments in 2018.
His try to secure victory over the All Blacks in November capped an impressive campaign that saw the 22-year-old set the record for most tries scored in a Six Nations with seven. He was then rightly named the Six Nations Player of the Championship.
The 6’4″ winger beat out counterparts Rieko Ioane and World Breakthrough Player of the Year Aphiwe Dyantyi to take home 56% of the vote.
Inside Centre: Bundee Aki – Ireland
RPI Score: 82
After making his international debut in 2017, Bundee Aki has become a linchpin in the Irish midfield. The Connacht centre had another fine year, playing a key role in Ireland’s success in 2018.
The 28-year-old made good on 88% of his tackle attempts, beat 31 defenders and logged three tries and three try assists in his ten tests.
He beat out Ryan Crotty for the honour, collecting 44% of the vote to Crotty’s 36%.
Outside Centre: Garry Ringrose – Ireland
RPI Score: 88
Garry Ringrose looks set to feature in the Irish midfield for years to come. Just 23 years old, the Blackrock College product built on his stellar 2017 campaign with a solid 2018, and currently rates as the third best outside centre in the world, and the best in the Pro14 and Heineken Cup with an RPI score of 88.
In six tests Ringrose played every available minute where he made over 300 metres, beat 19 defenders and made eight clean breaks en route to scoring two tries. He also recorded three try assists and tackled at 89%.
Ringrose was voted in ahead of Scotland’s Huw Jones, Fijian star Semi Radradra and All Black Jack Goodhue.
Right Wing: Keith Earls – Ireland
RPI Score: 89
A vintage year from 31-year-old wing Keith Earls sees the winger earn a spot in the RugbyPass Readers’ XV.
Contending with a stacked field including Cheslin Kolbe, Ben Smith and Teddy Thomas, Earls has had great success at both the domestic and international level in 2018, proving that age is just a number – rarely the case for international outside backs.
While Earls scored just the one try for Ireland in 2018, he still proved a constant threat to break the line or beat a defender, with offloading ability adding another facet to his game.
Fullback: Willie le Roux – South Africa
RPI Score: 69
While Willie le Roux’s Wasps have struggled in the Premiership, the fullback has shone on the international stage.
His presence on the Springboks has been immense in 2018, proving irreplaceable at the back. While the RPI does not favour le Roux ahead of the likes of Israel Folau, Damian McKenzie and Stuart Hogg, he won the fans’ hearts with 41% of the vote.
A sure defender at fullback with an impressive boot and silky running ability, le Roux finished 2018 with two tries and just under 300 metres to his name in 12 tests. The statistic perhaps most telling of the 29-year-old’s influence is his seven try assists as he emerged as one of the Springboks’ best playmakers.
McKenzie finished close behind on 31% after a solid year with the All Blacks.
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Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments