Planet Rugby Forum

You may have thought we'd beaten the random XV horse dead, but maybe we've kept the best for last (or, alternatively, we haven't).

This is an XV made up of players that have put in the best performance ever in a given position. The exact game the performance took place, and a little description as to why you think that player deserves the spot will help. I'll start:

15. Rob Kearney - Lions v SA in 2009: Took pretty much every bomb, at altitude, in a virtuoso performance of ball catching
14.
13.
12.
11. Jonah Lomu - England v NZ in 1995: One man wrecking ball that smashed England almost single-handedly
10. Dan Carter - Lions v NZ's in 2005: Might just be the best performance ever by any player
9.

8.
7.
6. Thierry Dusautoir - France v NZ in 2007: Probably the only other performance to rival Carters with 38 tackles in the game
5.
4.
3.
2.
1. Mako Vunipola - England v Ireland in 2019: Put in a ridiculous shift including 27 tackles, 11 carries, and all round dominant display

11 Jonah v England RWC 95

11.Lomu v England 1995 RWC semi final.

Good shouts.

7 - Richie McCaw vs Aus in Brisbane 06

(A slightly out of position) 12. Christopher Lamaison France v new Zealand 1999

And these don't count as they're not test level, but

Jeff Wilson - Otago vs Wgtn in about 97
Bill Cavubati - Wgtn vs NSW around 94.

Goldie scored about 3 tries, set up a couple of others and snuffed out a few from Wgtn. Was just impossible to stop.

And Big Bill rampaged through the NSW pack all day and managed to convince them he wasn't really an immobile unfit lard arse. He moved over to Sydney a few months later to play club rugby and only lasted a few months till they realised the performance was an aberration.

4 Johnson v new Zealand 2003
5 Eales v new Zealand 2000 or oconnell v south Africa 2009 (he learned Afrikaans for God's sake)

Richie McCaw vs Wallabies 2010

Not necessarily the greatest performances ever in the position, but particular stand outs for me:

10. Thomas Castaignede against Wales in 1998 when France thrashed them 51 - 0 at Wembley. He could do no wrong that day, and ran the Welsh ragged.

4. Simon Shaw for the Lions in the 2nd test against SA in 2009. One of the all time great performances in one of the greatest tests ever (and a rare recipient of a mark of 10 from the Walrus)

Sean Fitzpatrick vs Springboks 1996

Carl Hayman vs France 2004

Tony Woodcock vs France 2004

rialtoblue wrote:(A slightly out of position) 12. Christopher Lamaison France v new Zealand 1999

Lamaison was at 10 that day, although he was more often picked as a 12. He was superb and scored a full house as well (try, conversion, penalty and drop goal) on the way to guiding France to victory.

Ali Williams vs Lions 1st Test, 2005.

Sonny Blount wrote:Carl Hayman vs France 2004

Tony Woodcock vs France 2004

Dan Carter vs France 2004

Weren't there a few tests in 2009 where Heinrich Brussow was unstoppable?

9. Conor Murray v All Blacks Nov 2018

What was that Haskell match v Aus where he was a machine and pretty much single handedly ruin their game ? 2017 first test ? Was on the Eng tour to Aus

9 Fourie du Preez vs England pool RWC 2007

Jannie de Beer vs England, RWC 1999

Hugo Porta vs All Blacks, 1985

Sadly it was only for 40 minutes, but Finn Russell against England last year at Twickenham was astonishing, possibly the best 40 minutes i've seen from a 10.

However, would have to agree that Carter against the Lions was the most complete match by a 10, by a distance.

8. Buck Shelford

2nd Test Nantes 1986. Referee S Strydom (South Africa)

FRANCE’S national rugby union team was a vast consumer of amphetamines in the 1980s including in a famous win over the All Blacks

Rupeni Caucau against Scotland at the 2003 RWC? Maybe Caucau can play 14 and Jonah Lomu circa 1995 can play 11?

danny_fitz wrote:9. Conor Murray v All Blacks Nov 2018

2016, or you making a funny?

handyman wrote:Weren't there a few tests in 2009 where Heinrich Brussow was unstoppable?

I agree, Simon Shaw in that 2nd Lions test that year as well. Still raved about today.

backrow wrote:What was that Haskell match v Aus where he was a machine and pretty much single handedly ruin their game ? 2017 first test ? Was on the Eng tour to Aus

2016 2nd test I think.

Great topic Jeff the Bear.

Ali's Choice wrote:Rupeni Caucau against Scotland at the 2003 RWC? Maybe Caucau can play 14 and Jonah Lomu circa 1995 can play 11?

40min effort. Starved of ball in the 2nd half. Possibly the most disappointing half of rugby I've seen from a test team. Fijians Fiji'd themselves out of the world cup.

Dan Lydiate in one of our Grand Slam matches against France. Put in a Dusatoir shift. Ridiculous performance.

Scott Gibbs in the 2nd Lions test in 1997. Put in the moment of the tour and a defensive shift for the ages.

I think he may have been wearing 6, but could I shoehorn Betson in at 7 for his performance in 2002 against England. He utterly dominated Wilkinson (in the end I think Wilkinson was taken off) and I think Woodward said it was the best performance by an individual he had ever seen.

This was the defining performance of that years 6N leading to a France grand slam (and don't forget this is probably the peak of that England team when they were undoubtedly the best team in the world.)

eldanielfire wrote:

handyman wrote:Weren't there a few tests in 2009 where Heinrich Brussow was unstoppable?

I agree, Simon Shaw in that 2nd Lions test that year as well. Still raved about today.

5. Sam Whitelock in RWC2015 semi-final. He put in a massive shift and the icing on the cake came when he took a Bok throw-in from Matfield with a few minutes to go and only 25m or so from our tryline.

Tehui wrote:Great topic Jeff the Bear.

yeah, except that it has been done a dozen times already
but nevermind, always entertaining again

1. Mtawarira SA v Lions 1st test 2009

Jeff the Bear wrote:
15. Rob Kearney - Lions v SA in 2009: Took pretty much every bomb, at altitude, in a virtuoso performance of ball catching

That is your criteria for the greatest ever performance by a fullback?

7: SOB against NZ in 2013.

O'Driscoll vs France in Paris 2000. Watched the whole game again there last week. Huge performance for a young man. Not just the hat-trick, every action was on the money. Dominant hits, turnovers; made a break, a half break or put someone into space practically every time he got the ball. France were comfortably the better team on the day but that one individual performance changed the result.

alliswell wrote:1. Mtawarira SA v Lions 1st test 2009

Ended Vickery's test career.

Sefton wrote:

RuggaBugga wrote:

Jeff the Bear wrote:
15. Rob Kearney - Lions v SA in 2009: Took pretty much every bomb, at altitude, in a virtuoso performance of ball catching

That is your criteria for the greatest ever performance by a fullback?

He's setting it up to have a go at ROG.

I'm surprised Australian fans have brought up Matt Burke's performances against the ABs yet.

Andrew Sheridan against the Wallabies springs to mind as well.