RWC 2015- Players who will need to be replaced before the event

as the event isnt for another 3 years each team currently has first pick and squad players who will almost certainly not play - as they will either be retired or too old or no longer any good !

Ill start with scotland (who from current first team squad wont probably feature)

probables

Murray
Cusiter
Blair
Lamont

possibles

Brown
Hamilton

what about other teams ?

England - um, none actually. Everyone is young enough. Obviously form may change.

Sod replacing them before the RWC I hope we replace Phillips and Priestland ( or at least find genuine alternatives) before the 6 Nations 2013

Ireland

Probables

Ross
O'Connell
O'Callaghan
D'arcy
O'Driscoll
O'Gara

Possibles

Ferris
Court
Reddan

That is the real strength of Englands position going forward. They have no talismans or long term place blockers who will need to replaced.


New Zealand ..Dan Carter will be 33. Mccaw 35 .. can he last that out given the batterings he takes? Nonu 33, Conrad Smith 35...blah blah. All the young ones have already been poached by England and Aus so we can pretty much write them off as a force right?

I agree Peter, England are at a good stage in their evolution two years out from the RWC.

Wales too actually. Three years is a long way out though...things will start to take shape after the Lions I think.

England are definitely in a decent position, in that most of the dead wood has been cut from the team - still a few around the squad (Palmer, Dowson, Waldrom, Johnson) who probably won't be at the top of their game in 3 years, but we are starting to look to have reasonable strength and depth in several positions.

Even Parling will only be 32, which for a second row isn't too old (and if so, we can always call Simon Shaw back into the squad ).

as usual France will struggle at tighthead (Mas might be retired) : PSA has 2 years to find a decent one.
Otherwise Dusautoir, Clerc and Michalak will be 34-35 years old come 2015 but I still think they will be there or thereabouts (if anything we will bring Clerc just to play against Ireland).
not worried about the other positions. the young players are already better than the old ones.

In the welsh squad Rees, Adam Charteris and Ryan jones will be in their early mid thirties. Phillips early thirties. We have been trialling plenty of replacements.

Not had much choice.

Mealamu and McCaw i dont think will make it.
McCaw's body will give out before the man does. Or they'll invent a new strain of Kryptonite

Woodcock will be creaking at 34, Hore presumably gone at 37, Liam Nesson is no spring chicken at 31 by then, Corey Jane will be 32, Weepu 32, Crocket 32, Rettalick 34, Mealamu 36, carter 33 , Mccaw 35, Nonu 33, Smith 35, Gear 31, Ali Williams 34, Ellison 32, Thomson 33,

Thats half the current squad who will be retired or held together with sticky tape come the world cup. Whilst there is guys like Cruden coming through in reserve there has to be a question mark as to whether the all blacks will send another team of greats if they dont start building it now. maybe a few of them shipping off early to chase pension schemes in france and Japan wouldnt be a disaster even if it makes next season 4Ns tricky.
Or hire Martin Johnson

Toby Flood potentially. He's a very good player who I've always liked and who has no obvious weaknesses, but I think England fans will be disappointed if neither Burns nor Ford have pushed themselves ahead of him by then.

It would also be nice to find a competitive back up for Cole. There's nothing particularly wrong with Wilson, but it's the one position on the pitch where there hasn't been any debate over who should start for about two years. James Johnston might be leaving Quins next season, so maybe one of Collier or Sinckler can make a name for themselves in his absence, and Henry Thomas at Sale was talked about positively last season.

All sorted chaps
NZ in 2015
1 Toomaga-Allen(Hurricanes)
2 Coles (Hurricanes)
3 Franks (Crusaders)
4 Whitelock (Crusaders)
5 Romano (Crusdaers)
6 Kaino (Blues)
7 Savea (Hurricanes)
8 Read (c) (Crusaders)
9 Perenara (Hurricanes)
10 Barrett (Hurricanes)
11 Savea (Hurricanes)
12 SBW (Chiefs)
13 Kahui (Chiefs)
14 Piutau (Blues)
15 Dagg (Crusaders)

So lets say 9 changes to the starting team from our last game(which will not be mentioned)
I don't think anyone will be over 30 by 2015.

Probably a bunch of Blues and a couple of Highlanders on the bench

Thomh

I wouldn't say that Flood necessarily needs to be replaced - he's a decent to good international 10 who will only be 30 come the next RWC. If one of the younger players has supplanted him in the squad then good for them - suggests that they might turn out to be as good as 606v2 hype has suggested for the last 18 months. The problem is that the v2 hive mind is only right about half of the time.

I suppose you are looking at backs who will be older than 31 by then and forwards older than 33?

Potential player's ages by 2015.

Coenie Oosthuizen - 26
Tendai Mtwarira - 30
Bismarck du Plessis - 31
Jannie du Plessis - 32
Eben Etzebeth - 24
Juandre Kruger - 30
Andries Bekker - 31
Flip v d Merwe - 30
Marcelle Coetzee - 24
Frans Louw - 30
Willem Alberts - 31
Schalk Burger - 32
Pierre Spies - 30
Heinrich Brussow - 29
Duane Vermeulen - 29
Francois Hougaard - 27
Ruan Pienaar - 31
Johan Goosen - 23
Pat Lambie - 25
Elton Jantjies - 25
Frans Steyn - 28
JP Pietersen - 29
Habana - 32
Zane Kirchner - 31

Those are the current players in the picture, I am sure a host of youngsters will be added to the mix, such as Raymond Rhule, Jaco Taute, Andries Bresler, Siya Kolisi, etc.

So far the one I think that won't make it is Jean de Viliers.

nganboy wrote:All sorted chaps
NZ in 2015

7 Savea (Hurricanes)

11 Savea (Hurricanes)

Excuse my ignorance, but hopefully there are two Saveas at the Canes?

dummy_half wrote:Thomh

I wouldn't say that Flood necessarily needs to be replaced - he's a decent to good international 10 who will only be 30 come the next RWC. If one of the younger players has supplanted him in the squad then good for them - suggests that they might turn out to be as good as 606v2 hype has suggested for the last 18 months. The problem is that the v2 hive mind is only right about half of the time.

I agree - I didn't mean he actively needs replacing, just that the potential of those two youngsters is such that it would be a shame if they didn't reach that level, and I think we need at least one world class 10 to win the world cup, something that we don't currently have.

sorry whats this about flood.

farrel has the place and will cement it!

Thankfully there are for us London Tiger. He plays 8 and is super quick as well as super young so one to look out for.

for England, none from the match day squad against NZ really, they're all more than young enough to make the WC.

From the EPS squad, the likes of Botha, Palmer, Dowson, Johnson will probably no longer be in the frame, either because of age or because we've found players who are better (Launchbury being the prime example).

LondonTiger wrote:

nganboy wrote:All sorted chaps
NZ in 2015

7 Savea (Hurricanes)

11 Savea (Hurricanes)

Excuse my ignorance, but hopefully there are two Saveas at the Canes?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardie_Savea

BOD has stated hes unlikley to play in the world cup, expect his test retirement post Lions.

alive555 wrote:as the event isnt for another 3 years each team currently has first pick and squad players who will almost certainly not play - as they will either be retired or too old or no longer any good !

Ill start with scotland (who from current first team squad wont probably feature)

probables

Murray
Cusiter
Blair
Lamont

possibles

Brown
Hamilton

what about other teams ?

Scott Lawson will be 34 and Dougie Hall 35. I'd expect Pat McArthur to replace one of them but someone like Finlay Gillies or Alun Walker will need to step up.

Jim Hamilton will still only be 32 and Kellock 34, I could see them both still being in with a shout as we've seen some long-lived locks but there are also plenty of yougsters coming through there so who knows.

Strokosch will be 32, probably playing understudy to Harley by then if he's still involved at all. But I don't know who else is coming through in the blindside position (I prefer Denton/McInally at no.8).

Apart from scrum half, most of our backs are still quite young so that's good.

rodders wrote:Ireland

Probables

Ross
O'Connell
O'Callaghan
D'arcy
O'Driscoll
O'Gara

Possibles

Ferris
Court
Reddan

How come Rodders?? You think he'll have to hang up his boots due to injury?

bluestonevedder wrote:

rodders wrote:Ireland

Probables

Ross
O'Connell
O'Callaghan
D'arcy
O'Driscoll
O'Gara

Possibles

Ferris
Court
Reddan

How come Rodders?? You think he'll have to hang up his boots due to injury?

He has pretty much no cartilidge left in his knee blue.... I believe its a season by season thing with him now...can't really look too far ahead with him unfortunately, even though he is only 26.

Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler wrote:BOD has stated hes unlikley to play in the world cup, expect his test retirement post Lions.

He's indicated that he would play until the end of the 2013/14 season.... if he makes it through this season in one piece then I wouldn't be surprised to see him carry on. I have a suspicion that privately he may not have given up hope of playing in 2015 but is taking it a season at a time at thisstage of his career.... if thats the case I'd love to see him there but suspect it's a pipe dream, much like Ricky Hattons comeback a couple of weeks ago....

rodders wrote:

bluestonevedder wrote:

rodders wrote:Ireland

Probables

Ross
O'Connell
O'Callaghan
D'arcy
O'Driscoll
O'Gara

Possibles

Ferris
Court
Reddan

How come Rodders?? You think he'll have to hang up his boots due to injury?

He has pretty much no cartilidge left in his knee blue.... I believe its a season by season thing with him now...can't really look too far ahead with him unfortunately, even though he is only 26.

God, I have no idea that his knee was that bad. It's impossible to keep up with his injuries. I always check Ulster starting lineups, and occassionally he's there, but the next week he won't be? What's the prognosis at the moment? Such a shame, because he's such a quality, prototypical 6.

Think he's due back next week Blue.... its his ankle this time thankfully.... but like a lot of Ulster fans I took a deep breath when he limped off last time out fearing it was his knee again.....

Hopefully he can get a good injury free run, like last year, when he returns.....