Next up - hookers. And I'm going to tweak my shortlist rules to include the 5 most-capped, just to include the bloke I want to vote for.
Re: Greatest All Blacks XV (pro era) - hooker
Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2016 11:30 am
by Digby
Best hooker Fitzy, best in the pro era Mealamu.
Re: Greatest All Blacks XV (pro era) - hooker
Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2016 11:36 am
by Lizard
Fitzy earned 19 caps (18 starts) in the pro era, including the series win over SA. He made the players around him better.
Mealamu was very good, and incredibly consistent over a long period, but it's Fitzy for me.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Re: Greatest All Blacks XV (pro era) - hooker
Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2016 12:08 pm
by Mr Mwenda
Ya see, to me, Mealamu always seemed the sort of player who only looked good because of the teams he was in. I'm not sure he was on many other top nations' wishlists.
Re: Greatest All Blacks XV (pro era) - hooker
Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2016 12:22 pm
by Lizard
You can tell that Fitzy was bloody good because South African fans just hated him.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Re: Greatest All Blacks XV (pro era) - hooker
Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2016 8:06 pm
by zer0
Yeah, this one is a bit of a one horse race. Openside and first-five will be the same.
Re: Greatest All Blacks XV (pro era) - hooker
Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2016 8:28 pm
by J Dory
Hore, purely for his Welsh swatting ability.
Re: Greatest All Blacks XV (pro era) - hooker
Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2016 9:09 pm
by cashead
West with Mealamu because of what he contributed to the All Blacks at the tail-end of his career. He helped develop Dane Coles into a test-standard hooker, was a big part of a comparatively positive All Blacks culture, and finished up after ensuring that the next generation coming along was good and ready. In short, he left the hooking stocks in better shape than what it was for much of his career. On that count, you could argue that Fitzpatrick indirectly contributed to one of the darkest periods in New Zealand rugby - although that charge, I think, can also be laid at the doorstep of Mains and Hart as well.
Re: Greatest All Blacks XV (pro era) - hooker
Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2016 6:37 am
by Spy
Easy choice here. Fitzpatrick was a great player and a great leader. A bit of a dick perhaps, especially from the perspective of other teams, but a good man to have on your team. Good scrummager, good lineout thrower, strong around the field.
Re: Greatest All Blacks XV (pro era) - hooker
Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2016 6:02 pm
by Len
So hard not to vote for Coles here. Maybe in a couple of years time. Unrivalled skills as a front rower. A bit of a hot head though. Seen him pissed off a couple of times on the pitch and then proceed to try and get himself sent off. Fitzy because hes a grub.
Re: Greatest All Blacks XV (pro era) - hooker
Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2016 7:48 am
by canta_brian
You have to watch toll the end for the discussion on best ever but...