IRB Top 5 players of the World Cup 2011

Top five players of RWC 2011
(Rugby News Service) Monday 24 October 2011


AUCKLAND, 24 Oct. - Rugby World Cup 2011 produced countless outstanding individual performances from its opening on 9 September, when New Zealand beat Tonga comfortably at Eden Park, to its finale on 23 October, when the hosts beat France anything but comfortably at the same ground.

So who were the top players of the tournament? With apologies to the dozens whose inspired performances made RWC 2011 such a huge success, we chose the following five as the best of the best.

Israel Dagg (NZL)

Perennial All Blacks full back Mils Muliaina was not going to relinquish his jersey without a fight, but after the opening 80 minutes of the tournament the battle for selection was essentially over.

Israel Dagg, with a combination of youthful exuberance, blistering pace and footwork to match, had unquestionably proved his time had come.

Putting aside an injury-plagued 2011 Super Rugby season, the 23-year-old quickly set the tone for New Zealand’s triumphant campaign when he sliced through in the 11th minute against Tonga to score RWC 2011's first try. And he did it again just 17 minutes later. Those five-pointers were the first of five tries he would score in the tournament.

Competent under the high ball and with a booming clearing kick, Dagg’s finest moments came in attack. His clever lead-up work and one-handed offload to send centre Ma’a Nonu in for the only try of the All Blacks' semi-final win over Australia solidified his status as one of the brightest stars of Rugby World Cup 2011.

Jerome Kaino (NZL)

The menacing enforcer of the All Blacks’ pack, Kaino played practically every minute of New Zealand’s victorious campaign. His only time spent on the sideline came in the final seconds of their semi-final win over Australia.

The success of the All Blacks was built on front-foot ball and Kaino consistently delivered for his team. The flanker could be relied upon to make metres and scatter would-be tacklers with every inspired charge at the line. He also had a knack for finding himself in the right place at the right time and reaped the rewards with four tries.

And for all his attacking prowess, the nominee for IRB Player of the Year never shirked his defensive responsibilities. In a semi-final moment that typified his tournament, Kaino stepped in to deny the powerful Digby Ioane a much-needed Australian try. With numerous All Blacks clutching at the rampaging Wallaby wing in vain, a single strike from Kaino’s shoulder felled Ioane short of the line.

Jamie Roberts (WAL)

Jamie Roberts has proved himself a no-nonsense centre who knows the shortest route to the try-line is straight, hard and, if need be, through the defender in front of you.

The burly Welshman consistently got his team on the front foot by carrying tacklers over the advantage line with his robust running. And he showed enough stamina to hit the line just as powerfully in the final minute of a match as in the first.

In a moment that set his side on the path to their quarter-final victory over Ireland, Roberts athletically claimed a midfield bomb before charging his way downfield in a move that ended with wing Shane Williams’ opening try.

Sean O’Brien (IRE)

Ireland’s finest moment in the tournament came when they beat Australia in their Pool C encounter, and flanker Sean O'Brien was at the heart of the suffocating defensive effort that restricted the Wallabies to six points.

The 24-year-old was forced into the openside flanker role from his regular blindside position when David Wallace was ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury, and he stepped up to the task with an expertise beyond his years.

O’Brien led his team in both tackles and runs against the Wallabies and was rewarded for the consistency of his powerful ball-carrying with a try against Russia.

To cap off a memorable tournament for the former European Player of the Year, O’Brien was named man of the match in Ireland’s win over Italy that sent them into the quarter-finals.

Jacques Burger (NAM)

Consistently the shining light in his side, Namibia captain Jacques Burger demonstrated enough skill and fortitude to suggest he would legitimately earn a place in many of the higher-ranked teams at the tournament.

Burger was a skipper who led by example. Even as opposition scores mounted, the 28-year-old continued to tirelessly throw himself into the tackle and threaten turnover ball in the rucks.

When it comes to judging Burger’s contribution, the statistics tell the tale. The wholehearted flanker, who plays for Saracens in the Aviva Premiership, notched an impressive 64 tackles in Namibia’s four matches.

http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/home/news/newsid=2060306.html#top+five+players+rwc+2011

Not sure I agree with a few of those choices.

Nowhere on Sean O'Brien's summary does it say 'totally outplayed by Sam Warburton against Wales'.

Got to agree with the above the Welsh back row completely out played the Irish back row

irnbrew wrote: Got to agree with the above the Welsh back row completely out played the Irish back row

They tackled like demons all day - Jamie Roberts was the one who was getting the ball moving forward and he is recognised in the 5.

I guess they are looking at overall performance in the tournament - and SOB had a great game against the Aussies, who are ranked higher than both Ireland & Wales and he had a MOTM performance against Italy which probably took it out of them a bit as they had a 6 day turnaround to play Wales.

Anyway, the IRB can't just ignore Warburton getting sent off and then commending him as one of the 5 best players.

In any case, Ferris' ball carrying, tackling, and general workrate were far superior to O'Brien's. Not that O'Brien didn't play well, Ferris was just a monster. God I hope he stays fit for the next Lions tour!!

The next Lions tour will be epic

My top 5 in no particular order would be

Kaino
Dusautoir
Warburton
Pocock
McCaw

Pocock was the top cheat, not sure if he should be in the top 5 though. I think the IRB list is pretty spot on.

My thoughts as soon as I saw SOB's name in that were a little of disbelief. O'Brien did get found out against Warburton as a 7 and was very lucky he wasn't against Pocock for the Australian game or it would have happened sooner. From what I saw of him in the Italian game, it was just the Italians letting him get a head of steam up that made him look unstoppable.

I'd have Faletau over SOB, probably Harinordoquy (spelling?) over both SOB and Faletau and I'd have Dusautoir in there. I agree with Dagg, Roberts and probably Kaino.

Dusautoir named IRB Player of the Year, yet fails to feature among the top names of the same year's RWC. What are they playing at? That makes two joke winners of the award in three years! I utterly fail to see their reasoning.

Stumped to see Burger up there. As the worst side of the tournament, I think Namibia have recieved a good few sympathy votes from the officials, that which shouldn't feature as part of this type of accolade. Whether Burger was even his own side's best back rower is debatable, Tinus Du Plessis got MOTM against Wales not that that wasn't awarded out of sympathy for an exiting Namibian side as it is...

I'd say SOB would have to be Ireland's Find of the Year but among the best of the tournament? While I wouldn't begrudge him the honour, I'd say that McCaw, Warburton and Pocock are all up there alongside him, if not ahead of him.

Is that a comedy list?

For me:

O Connor
Thorn
Dagg
Ferris
Charteris