Planet Rugby Forum

Your own favourite player ever, doesn't even have to be a 'great' player, could be a lad from your club.
Mine is Serge Betsen, just loved the way he approachef the game, and actually met him a few years back and he was brilliant.

Olivier Magne

Stirling Mortlock

Frank Bunce. Had a Western Samoan jersey from 91 due to my love of Frank.

Abdel Benazzi

Christian Cullen

Jay Cee Gee wrote: ↑Sat Oct 17, 2020 11:05 pm Christian Cullen

I love Cully, actually have a pair of socks he played in for Munster, I give them a quick sniff about twice a year

Bruce Robertson. Such elegance and grace, combined with ball skills and searing pace. I had the good fortune to meeting him when I was his interpreter at a dinner with some senior muppets from the JRFU and he was great to talk to.

Graham Dawe, hard as nails

Kiwias wrote: ↑Sun Oct 18, 2020 2:17 pm Bruce Robertson. Such elegance and grace, combined with ball skills and searing pace. I had the good fortune to meeting him when I was his interpreter at a dinner with some senior muppets from the JRFU and he was great to talk to.

Surprised you didn't name someone from the Originals while writing for the NZ Herald in 1905...

Ron Cribb
Richie McGOAT
Patty Tuipulotu

Burger Odendaal

Shane followed by Henson and Warburton.

Stephen Larkham, can't believe the wit kant is coaching Munster

Tempted to switch to Caucau but I'll stick with Bernie.

Phil Bennett forever.

From my hometown. Played for my team Llanelli. Our best player. Wales' best player (arguably). Presented me with my fist rugby trophy when I was a kid, days before he went off as Lions captain to tour NZ. One of the greatest Lions. And an utter legend of the game. Absolutely solid humble guy too.

My new favorite player is Caleb Clarke.

The guy is a beast.

Ever - Tana Umaga.



Playing currently - Jason Potroz

badmannotinjapan wrote: ↑Sun Oct 18, 2020 4:34 pm

Kiwias wrote: ↑Sun Oct 18, 2020 2:17 pm Bruce Robertson. Such elegance and grace, combined with ball skills and searing pace. I had the good fortune to meeting him when I was his interpreter at a dinner with some senior muppets from the JRFU and he was great to talk to.

Surprised you didn't name someone from the Originals while writing for the NZ Herald in 1905...

I nearly named Dave Gallagher.

Kiwias wrote: ↑Sun Oct 18, 2020 2:17 pm Bruce Robertson. Such elegance and grace, combined with ball skills and searing pace. I had the good fortune to meeting him when I was his interpreter at a dinner with some senior muppets from the JRFU and he was great to talk to.

I will see your Bruce and raise you a Mike Gibson.

Carter, had it all.

mr bungle wrote: ↑Sat Oct 17, 2020 11:02 pm Frank Bunce. Had a Western Samoan jersey from 91 due to my love of Frank.

I had a few beers with him in Melbourne in 1992. The University games were on and the ABs were in town. They turned up, spastic drunk, at the pub we were at. He said he'd some down and play for us the next day.

He didn't.

Was such a good night. Ian Jones gave me a piggy back ride down Bourke Street. Felt like I was riding in an AT-ST from Star Wars.

I remember him being smaller that I thought he was. Same thing with Tim Horan.

Tim Horan was my favourite player when I was a lad but I switched to Chris Latham as I got older. He typified everything I love about the sport. Dude who wasn't overly great and was bounced from a team (Waratahs) before finding a home in QLD. Didn't look like a natural athlete. Socks always down. Ran like his legs were bolted on.

But he was fast. So, so fast for such a lump of a guy.

LandOTurk wrote: ↑Sun Oct 18, 2020 7:00 pm Phil Bennett forever.

From my hometown. Played for my team Llanelli. Our best player. Wales' best player (arguably). Presented me with my fist rugby trophy when I was a kid, days before he went off as Lions captain to tour NZ. One of the greatest Lions. And an utter legend of the game. Absolutely solid humble guy too.

Sadly he wasn’t up to much in that tour .

Hika Reid when I was a youngster.
Then MJ and Zinny (I also loved Buck too) in the late 80s and 90s.
Then Kaino in the 2000s.
Not sure who my favourite current player is, up and comer favourite is Devon Flanders.

Dougie Howlett

Michael Jones - his athleticism, speed and playing style were a joy to watch.
His strength in his beliefs when he must have been under huge pressure to put them aside was hugely admirable to me.
Genuinely good guy on the couple of occasions I got to meet him.

Adrianmole wrote: ↑Mon Oct 19, 2020 7:35 am

Kiwias wrote: ↑Sun Oct 18, 2020 2:17 pm Bruce Robertson. Such elegance and grace, combined with ball skills and searing pace. I had the good fortune to meeting him when I was his interpreter at a dinner with some senior muppets from the JRFU and he was great to talk to.

I will see your Bruce and raise you a Mike Gibson.

That would be my all-time favourite mid-field, Gibson at 12 and Bruce at 13. I loved watching Gibson play.

I had loads of faves - when i started getting into rugby, it was Dooley Teague Dewi Morris Deano of hard tackling types. Foreigners who i rates were John Jeffrey , Laurent cabannes, Phillipe sella, and zinzan

Later on my faves were either hard dudes (chabal, buster white, willem alberts), electric players (Magne, Cullen, roff, Jason R, JSD, Luger, Croft , kankowski) or skilful Ones who were slow like Greenwood, Wilkinson .
No welsh or Irish.

Honourable mention to frans steyn for the big boot, and Iain balshaw who I loved when he first played for England and then loathed for everything after his tenth cap

Thomas wrote: ↑Mon Oct 19, 2020 7:52 am Tim Horan was my favourite player when I was a lad but I switched to Chris Latham as I got older. He typified everything I love about the sport. Dude who wasn't overly great and was bounced from a team (Waratahs) before finding a home in QLD. Didn't look like a natural athlete. Socks always down. Ran like his legs were bolted on.

But he was fast. So, so fast for such a lump of a guy.

2 good players there, bastards always seemed to raise their game v England
Latham also quite strong and balanced and hard to knock over, didn’t he come to unfashionable Worcester and play a bit here in uk and basically held up the team on his own ?

In no partricular order, Mike Teague, Dean Richards and Richard Hill with a soft spot for Jonno as well!

Oh and Jonah of course , there can’t be a single rugby fan ever who didn’t want him in his own team when he burst onto the scene. Doubt we will ever see such a single impact player again, especially if your name is Catt
RIP

Jean-Pierre Rives.

Watching rugby as a kid in the late 70s and into the 80s, this is the guy that I wanted to be when I ran out on the pitch.

Colm Tucker. JP Rives. Olivier Magnes. David Wallace.

Forced to pick only 1: Michael Jones.

Kiwias wrote: ↑Mon Oct 19, 2020 7:35 am

badmannotinjapan wrote: ↑Sun Oct 18, 2020 4:34 pm

Kiwias wrote: ↑Sun Oct 18, 2020 2:17 pm Bruce Robertson. Such elegance and grace, combined with ball skills and searing pace. I had the good fortune to meeting him when I was his interpreter at a dinner with some senior muppets from the JRFU and he was great to talk to.

Surprised you didn't name someone from the Originals while writing for the NZ Herald in 1905...

I nearly named Dave Gallagher.

Thought you would.

trapper wrote: ↑Mon Oct 19, 2020 7:39 am Carter, had it all.

That poster on the side of the that hotel...

Doug Howlett

We did not get much rugby on tv in the US but I remember just loving Mark Andrews (i know, hated by a lot)...and played for the Sharks who were one of the few teams we could watch.

And since then, I was probably the biggest DOC fan (so easy to be a POC fan) and now I look most forward to watching Jamie George, not sure why, but just love his game....(of course, never want them to beat Ireland)..

David Wallace

Mr. Very Popular wrote: ↑Sat Oct 17, 2020 10:45 pm Your own favourite player ever, doesn't even have to be a 'great' player, could be a lad from your club.
Mine is Serge Betsen, just loved the way he approachef the game, and actually met him a few years back and he was brilliant.

I met him in Geneva a few years back and he was terrific value.

Thomas Castaignede for me, however - with Simon Geoghegan a close second.

Blanco
Sella
Horan
Lomu
Carter
Wood
BOD
Toner

Gun to my head I’d say Carter, most gifted player Ive ever seen