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Zebo's bold claim about his Racing team-mate's current form heading into the Six Nations

By Josh Raisey
France's Virimi Vakatawa has been dubbed the best player in the world currently (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Racing 92 may have narrowly lost to Saracens on Sunday, but full-back Simon Zebo has made the claim that his team-mate Virimi Vakatawa is currently the best player in the world. 

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The former Ireland international missed his side’s contest at Allianz Park through injury, but he showered the France international with praise in response to his performance against the reigning champions. 

The outside centre bagged two tries in the first half in north London, running in from 40 metres for Racing’s first of the match and then gliding through from close range for their third. 

The Fijian-born powerhouse has been in sensational form all season for the Parisian club, and he brought that form to the English capital.

He looked unstoppable at times in the first half, running through players at will and proving to be almost impossible to put down. 

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It was only in the second half, where Saracens were able to take control of the match and starve Racing of possession and the chance to move the ball wide to the 27-year-old, that they won the match. 

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Such is the danger that Vakatawa poses that it is imperative to subdue him in order for any side to win. 

There are few players in the game that are more of a threat to defences every time they carry the ball than the former sevens star at the moment. He showed his pace on Sunday in his first try, while his power and offloading game has never been questioned. 

With the Six Nations a matter of days away, he is destined to start in the No13 shirt at the Stade de France against England on the opening weekend, an opportunity for him to be able to cement his growing status as one of the best players in the world. 

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Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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