Greatest: Round 2: Choose your 13

Rules and context here:
https://www.606v2.com/t38622-the-greatest-introduction-the-rules

Previous threads here:
https://www.606v2.com/t38819-greatest-round-2-choose-your-15#1753473
https://www.606v2.com/t38887-greatest-round-2-choose-your-11-14

Brief:
• Vote for one player only in the outside centre position.
• Votes are cancellable so in the event that it seems the votes for the 12 candidate are going in a certain direction, feel free to change your choice if you feel another player would complement the inside centre better.
• It can be assumed that players in the amateur era would have been just as dominant vis a vis their historical peers if they had followed professional conditioning programmes.

Your shortlist (in no particular order):

1. Philippe Sella
France – 111 caps

When Philippe Sella retired from international rugby in 1995, his 111 appearances made him the world's most capped player (only recently over taken by Jason Leonard). During a career that spanned 13 years, Sella had developed a complete footballer's skillset with no weaknesses and was feared the world over.

His debut for France came as a winger against Romania in 1982, but, possessing all of the attributes to become a world-class centre, it was his switch inside that would open up his talents for the world to see. He was famously described by the former France coach Jacques Fouroux as having "the strength of a bull but the touch of a piano player".

Possessing an incisive turn of pace, a sublime set of handling skills and a gift for finding running lines nobody else could see, Sella was a beautiful player to watch. His speed off the line and his superb technique also made him one of the fiercest defenders in the world game, famously knocking the giant Australian lock Peter Fitzsimons unconscious in 1990.

Sella's international career was characterised by some of the game's greatest centre partnerships, firstly with Didier Codorniou, then Denis Charvet, Marc Andrieu, Franck Mesnel, and Thierry Lacroix. During the 1986 Five Nations, Sella became only the fourth man to score a try in all four Tests. Only Scotland's worst ever attack coach Gregor 'Toonie' Townsend has repeated the feat since.

During Sella's career France won or shared six Five Nations titles, but Sella was unable to add further silverware despite playing in three successive World Cups between 1987 and 1995. In 1987 Sella's side were beaten finalists, before England ended their run in the 1991 semi-final. Sella bowed out following his 111th cap in the third place play-off for the 1995 tournament, a game in which he and France were able to exact some small measure of revenge over their old rivals England. Sella scored 30 international tries but created countless more.

Sella played the majority of his club career for French club Agen, helping them to the French national championship in 1982 and 1988. After the switch to professionalism, Sella made his way to Saracens. He played for the London side between 1996 and 1998, retiring following their victory in the 1998 Tetley's Bitter Cup.

He helped Agen win two national titles during his time there, and had a fairytale finish to his career when he scored the winning try for Saracens to win the Tetley's Cup in 1998. Along with another of our French legend inductees Serge Blanco, they formed the backbone of the truly flair French teams that we came to know and love, delighting fans the world over for the way he played the game.

He was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 1999 and the IRB equivalent in 2008.

Sample footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x5zJBwl_ck

2. Brian O'Driscoll
British & Irish Lions – 6 caps, Barbarians – 3 caps, Ireland - 120 caps

Hmm. Perhaps it's easiest just to start with some statistics:

- Most capped Irishman in history, second most capped player in rugby union history;

- Greatest number of international caps as captain (83);

- Captain of British and Irish Lions (2005), 3 times a Lions tourist;

- Nominated for the IRB World Player of the Year in 2001, 2002 and 2009;

- Player of the Tournament in the 2006, 2007 and 2009 RBS Six Nations Championships;

- Voted World Rugby player of the decade (2000–2009) by the magazine Rugby World;

- One Six Nations Championship Grand Slam (2009);

- Four Irish Triple Crowns (2004, 2006, 2007, 2009);

- Twice winner of Celtic/Magners/Rabo League with Leinster (2001/2002, 2007/2008);

- Three time Heineken Cup winner with Leinster (2008/2009, 2010/2011, 2011/2012);

- Winner of IRB Under 19 Rugby World Championship (1998);

- Five/Six Nations All time top try scorer - 25 Tries;

- Five/Six Nations Top try scorer – 2009;

- Heineken Cup Top try scorer – 2009; and

- invited to the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton but only his wife attended, because of Leinster's preparation for their Heineken Cup semi-final against Toulouse the day after the wedding,

and let's just leave it at that.

Sample footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMagbt6VJs0

3. Conrad Smith
New Zealand – 66 caps

Very few All Blacks can be regarded as indispensible but with his 23 tries and the ability to create a truckload of midfield scores out of thin air, Smith must be said to be one of them. A player's player, Smith is one of the smartest and most intuitive performers in the game and has mastered the midfield skillset - combining great accuracy with freakish vision and uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time. His 'win' rate with the All Blacks stands at more than 90%.

Conrad graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Law with Honours at Victoria University, Wellington, but has put any legal career on hold to concentrate on his rugby. His uncle Alan Smith played three Tests for the All Blacks between 1967–1970 but the nephew has done even better. Smith entered the Test arena in 2004 as a slightly built centre with the determination to have a big impact in the midfield, scoring with his first touch of the ball against Italy and being intimately involved in the horrendous horsing of France the following week. Eschewing the modern hit-it-up style, Smith demonstrated an old fashioned ability to exploit a gap, use pace over 10 metres to punch holes and then utilise a perfectly weighted passing game.

Smith's partnership with former Wellington teammate Ma'a Nonu sees the two hold the current record for most appearances together in the All Blacks midfield – no mean feat given the constant attentions of Sonny Bill Williams for Smith's 13 shirt.

Along with the rest of Henry's All Black side of recent years, Smith has enjoyed constant success - the Grand Slam winning tour to Europe in 2010 and their Tri-Nations triumph later in the year, coupled with playing a significant role the following year in securing the All Blacks' first World Cup since 1987.

Arguably the most complete centre in the world, Smith is at the peak of his powers now. Wayne Smith noted in November he was gobsmacked that Smith posted a time of 4.26 in a recent 1500m time trial, which for a 98kg man demonstrates an astonishing engine. Not bad for a player already having suffered a broken leg, a ruptured Achilles, a detached retina and a nose so badly smashed there was a fear the bone could pierce the brain.

Sample footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IdlG1jtkH0

BOD. The other two are amazing, but BOD tops them

Jason Little. The only center to win two world cups?

.........because winning world cups is all there is in rugby hahahahaha how blinkered.

ThePantomimeVillain wrote:Jason Little. The only center to win two world cups?

He's not on the list.

Sella by a mile.

ThePantomimeVillain wrote:Jason Little. The only center to win two world cups?

Shortlist was chosen by your peers, PV.
For what it's worth, I agree that he should be shortlisted (as Horan is).

BOD is the best I have seen since Bleddyn Williams who was the greatest.ost on here are far too young to know who he was. Very surprised some could remember Sella...?

rainbow-warrior wrote:.........because winning world cups is all there is in rugby hahahahaha how blinkered.

Spoken without a hint of resentment or jealousy...

BOD for me. Sella was brilliant and I'm a huge Conrad Smith fan but BOD has been brilliant for a long time now.

ThePantomimeVillain wrote:

rainbow-warrior wrote:.........because winning world cups is all there is in rugby hahahahaha how blinkered.

Spoken without a hint of resentment or jealousy...

Quite correct for once gray ghost.

I am old school, every test match is important not just a padded out competition where the majority of matches are meaningless. A competition where some teams have to make excuse after excuse for not winning it (well one team anyway).

rainbow-warrior wrote:

ThePantomimeVillain wrote:

rainbow-warrior wrote:.........because winning world cups is all there is in rugby hahahahaha how blinkered.

Spoken without a hint of resentment or jealousy...

Quite correct for once gray ghost.

I am old school, every test match is important not just a padded out competition where the majority of matches are meaningless. A competition where some teams have to make excuse after excuse for not winning it (well one team anyway).

I'm wracking my brains. You're right, There is a team who've never won it who make a lot of excuses...

But this excellent thread is about 13s so don't derail it with silly squabbling.

I don't think anyone would complain about BOD at 13, but I'd prefer little or maybe joe Stanley.

ThePantomimeVillain wrote:

rainbow-warrior wrote:

ThePantomimeVillain wrote:

rainbow-warrior wrote:.........because winning world cups is all there is in rugby hahahahaha how blinkered.

Spoken without a hint of resentment or jealousy...

Quite correct for once gray ghost.

I am old school, every test match is important not just a padded out competition where the majority of matches are meaningless. A competition where some teams have to make excuse after excuse for not winning it (well one team anyway).

I'm wracking my brains. You're right, There is a team who've never won it who make a lot of excuses...

But this excellent thread is about 13s so don't derail it with silly squabbling.

I don't think anyone would complain about BOD at 13, but I'd prefer little or maybe joe Stanley.

Quite correct grey ghost stop now...leave

I gave my vote to BOD. He was(is?) electric with ball in hand, tenacious in defence and seemed to be a really inspirational leader for the Irish (along with POC of course)

Of the 3 shortlisted I''ve gone for Sella.

Yes I went for the sepia tinted Sella too, seems as if you ain't Welsh it is OK.

Went for ODriscoll with this one. Hugely impressed with Sella in his day but BOD has taken he postion further and one of the few to really take on the ABs with guts and skill. Packed a lot for his size.