George tells it like it is. What a guy.

First topic message reminder :

 

lots of people here seem to think GN is a great player but not the best in the world. better get ready for some personal insults from you know who.

Considering his age, he has massive potential to become one of the best in the world

In SA I think Habana would have retired at RWC11 had North been a bokke.

Remember Visser outscored North in the Rabo both per season and per game ( and beat him the only time they came up against each other when both fully fit). And no one would claim Visser is the best in the world. We have yet to see the best of North I believe - and he may become the best in the world but I want to see a bit more from him in his all round game.

Any team in the world? For Scotland I'd rather have Maitland with his all round skills on one wing and Visser for his poaching on the other. He can fight for a bench place with tommy Seymour!  




Just joking guys - don't bite me

munkian wrote:Considering his age, he has massive potential to become one of the best in the world

Yup - we still have to see the best of him I think

TJ wrote:

munkian wrote:Considering his age, he has massive potential to become one of the best in the world

Yup - we still have to see the best of him I think

At OS centre

TJ wrote:Remember Visser outscored North in the Rabo both per season and per game ( and beat him the only time they came up against each other when both fully fit).  And no one would claim Visser is the best in the world.  We have yet to see the best of North I believe - and he may become the best in the world but I want to see a bit more from him in his all round game.

Any team in the world?  For Scotland I'd rather have Maitland with his all round skills on one wing and Visser for his poaching on the other.  He can fight for a bench place with tommy Seymour!  




Just joking guys - don't bite me

Visser has been top Rabo scorer every year he's played in it, doesn't make him categorically better than every winger he comes up against. Bowe, North, Cuthbert and, this year, even Trimble have all made greater impacts at a more competitive and more intense level. Given his current cv, Visser ain't more than a very good club player I'm afraid.

Knowsit - you obviously only read TJ's post up until the end of the bold part...

The next sentence makes your need to give a critique of visser a bit redundant really!   

No I read it to the end. I just seized on the opportunity to reiterate a point about Visser that's constantly on my mind whenever his name crops up in discussion, especially when it's in comparison with other wingers.

I just find these 'best player in the world' debates incredibly tedious. Other than subjective opinion the only way to sort out the best winger in the world would be for the candidates to play in the same position, for the same team, against the same opposition, in the same conditions week in week out, which is obviously impossible.

To try to compare a Welshman playing in the AP against a Kiwi playing in the Super 15 say is just not comparable.

Put it this way - if Johnny Wilkinson was Scottish I'd doubt he'd have been lauded as one of the best 10s of the modern era. He'd probably have been the best 10 Scotland has seen in a long time, but the abilities of the rest of the team wouldn't have been able to give him the opportunity for glory that he had with England.

I also dont understand how this North debate has gone on so long - few would doubt that he's a wonderful talent with an incredible future ahead of him. He is a freak of nature really.

Is he the best winger in the world?

Can only evercome down to someone's opinion.

On North, his exploits for his age are something prolific. At 22 he's become accustomed to regularly playing at the highest level and been impressive, albeit to varying degrees, for everyone he's played for so far. He's been a figurehead for Wales and the Lions, has 20 int'l tries to his name and this season has helped Saints reach the AP and Amlin finals. He's shown some phenomenal individual attacking skills (inconsistently I admit) and is also a very good provider or creator of opportunities in attack.

Is he the 'finished article'? Probably not but he's on the right track and if this is North unfinished then he could be something truly special when he hits his peak.

Is he the best winger on the planet? It's difficult to sort out a specific order that everyone can agree on, especially given the tinted glasses that inevitably enter the debate from every angle. This is why I tend to avoid overambitious debates of this nature, except in rare cases where I'm fairly sure someone could reasonably be described as the best in their position. In North's case I'm just happy to say he's up there, probably somewhere in the top 3-5 contemporary wingers.

[quote="fa0019"][quote="TJ"][quote="Sgt_Pooly"]Which position is Halfpenny the best in the world in?

In terms of goal kicking Halfpenny is not the best. That belongs to Morne Steyn and previously belonged to JW and previously Neil Jenkins.

rainbow-warrior wrote:

Norfolklass wrote:I went to the same school as George North, (okay so I left before he started) and have been shopping in Kings Lynn twice, so we're virtually related and all he is stating is his ambition to gain 100 caps for Wales. The "what a guy" epithet is misplaced. George is a model professional.

So you went to school in Anglesey?  or are you trying to be funny or using weak sarcasm?  At least I know George and his family and yes he is "What a guy" no one has ever questioned his professionalism so get off the moral high ground and do one  

Tell me would you tell a woman to her face to "do one" let alone a man? Is that how a self titled "warrior" speaks to women? Are those the words of a man's man, a brave man, a rugby man, a gentleman or a pansy?
George North went to Llandovery College as a sixth former as did I. I am a big fan. I was in fact defending him. I assumed sarcasm because I know of no British adult that would use the term "what a guy" without irony.