Guinness Pro12 Dream Team 2014/2015

Just announced.

Apparently it was voted for "by a Media Panel of 11 journalists from all four countries and was chaired by Rory Sheridan, Head of Sponsorship - Western Europe, Diageo".

*****

15 - Liam Williams - Scarlets
11 starts, 6 tries, 800 mins played

14 - Tommy Seymour - Glasgow Warriors
11 starts, 1 rep, 4 tries, 888 mins

13 - Robbie Henshaw - Connacht
11 starts, 1 try, 874 mins

12 - Peter Horne - Glasgow Warriors
19 starts, 6 tries, 15 conv, 13 pens, 99 pts, 1274 mins

11 - Craig Gilroy - Ulster
15 starts, 2 reps, 11 tries, 1258 mins

10 - Dan Biggar - Ospreys
13 starts, 1 rep, 3 tries, 29 conv, 27 pens, 154 pts, 945 mins

09 - Rhys Webb - Ospreys
11 starts, 2 reps, 10 tries, 804 mins

*****

01- Denis Buckley - Connacht
20 starts, 1 rep, 1 try, 1443 mins

02- Rory Best - Ulster
11 starts,1 rep, 2 tries, 822 mins

03 - WP Nel - Edinburgh
13 starts, 8 rep, 1 try, 1159 mins

04- Alun Wyn Jones - Ospreys
11 starts, 2 reps, 902 mins

05- Franco van der Merwe - Ulster
19 starts, 1 rep, 2 tries, 1459 mins

06- CJ Stander - Munster
17 starts, 1 rep, 8 tries, 1350 mins

07- Tommy O'Donnell - Munster
11 starts, 2 reps, 1 try, 770 mins

08- Josh Strauss - Glasgow Warriors
16 starts, 4 reps, 3 tries, 1297 mins

Quite a few omissions from that list.
Amazing to see no Leinster players in there - times have changed.

Ironically for a Glasgow fan, I don't think that Peter Horne deserves to be there, although his colleague Alex Dunbar potentially does.

Some players unlucky not to be included are Rynard Landman, Simon Zebo, John Barclay, Iain Henderson, Bundee Aki and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne.

My main thought was that Strauss and Horne are both lucky (Horne isn't and hasn't been the best 12 at Glasgow).

Strauss is a great player, but I wouldn't see that he'd had a stellar season by his standards.

George Carlin wrote:Quite a few omissions from that list.
Amazing to see no Leinster players in there - times have changed.

Ironically for a Glasgow fan, I don't think that Peter Horne deserves to be there, although his colleague Alex Dunbar potentially does.

Some players unlucky not to be included are Rynard Landman, Simon Zebo, John Barclay, Iain Henderson, Bundee Aki and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne.

If there was an award for "newcomer of the season", he'd be right up there, but Rhys Webb when he's played has been superb this season. Cocky little shyte but one hell of a player, and ten times more useful to Wales than Mike Phillips.

funnyExiledScot wrote:

George Carlin wrote:Quite a few omissions from that list.
Amazing to see no Leinster players in there - times have changed.

Ironically for a Glasgow fan, I don't think that Peter Horne deserves to be there, although his colleague Alex Dunbar potentially does.

Some players unlucky not to be included are Rynard Landman, Simon Zebo, John Barclay, Iain Henderson, Bundee Aki and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne.

If there was an award for "newcomer of the season", he'd be right up there, but Rhys Webb when he's played has been superb this season. Cocky little shyte but one hell of a player, and ten times more useful to Wales than Mike Phillips.

How was it that Webb only played 800 minutes this season, though? Was he injured? Or was he subject to that which is the most alien of concepts to any Edinburgh coach, Squad Rotation?

Incidentally, you know that Strauss and Buckley have been flogged when they've played more minutes than Willem Nel, the poor bastard.

I'd say Ben Toolis deserves a mention, and Hidalgo-Clyne should certainly be up there in the running.

Barclay and the other Scarlets openside have been very good too.

Agree on Josh Strauss - he's not been nearly as good this year.

There have been a few notable "newcomers" this season for Edinburgh: Sutherland, Toolis, Watson and Hidalgo-Clyne have all been excellent, and once Burleigh is moved back to 12 I expect big things from him as well.

Let's hope we don't get too much second season syndrome from these guys in 2015/16.

I totally agree with the front row although the other South African tightheads Brok Harris and Wiehan Herbst had an equally strong season as Nel. Honorable mention to Zebre's Chistolini (who mullered Buckley at the weekend btw) and Ospreys' Smith.

I would have possibly picked Aly Muldowney in the second row, he has been immense for Connacht.

Not sure about the back row, i think i would have put Henderson to 6 and move Stander to 8. I don't think TOD stood out but both Edinburgh's Watson and Scarlets' Davies have been amazing for their respective teams. Strauss indeed didn't have that good a season.

As for 12 i would have picked Edinburgh's Strauss as he never miss a tackle  
Seriously no one really stood out at 12 but Treviso's Christie and Ulster's McCloskey have been decent whenever i have seen them.

Happy with the rest of the team.

How did i forgot Landman, i reckon if it wasn't for the red card, he would have been in the team.

George Carlin wrote:Quite a few omissions from that list.
Amazing to see no Leinster players in there - times have changed.

Ironically for a Glasgow fan, I don't think that Peter Horne deserves to be there, although his colleague Alex Dunbar potentially does.

Some players unlucky not to be included are Rynard Landman, Simon Zebo, John Barclay, Iain Henderson, Bundee Aki and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne.

There's no way Henderson has played 10 games in the league this season. Not even close.

Thought Herbst would make it and van der Merwe wouldn't, but hard to argue with the big mans contribution. One of the best line outs and scrums in the league, 19 starts and more minutes than anyone else on the team- not an eye-catching player but one any team would be glad to have in their corner. Muldowney is unlucky, but I wouldn't be up for a swap. Best and Gilroy are uncontroversial choices in their positions.

I guess Dragons won't get anybody, but Landman probably would've done bar his blip. Stats wise, Nic Cudd has to be up there (yet wasn't even mentioned as a contender) and I've been very impressed with Brok (who has put some minutes in since his arrival).

I'd have gone for Herbst but think that's a fair enough team.

Stander or Gilroy would be my player of the season.

VinceWLB wrote:I totally agree with the front row although the other South African tightheads Brok Harris and Wiehan Herbst had an equally strong season as Nel. Honorable mention to Zebre's Chistolini (who mullered Buckley at the weekend btw) and Ospreys' Smith.

WP Nel probably shades it as a more complete player. I think Herbst is a rock in defence- hard and almost completely immobile.

So Chunky's warnings were true?  The Ladyboys are packing their suitcases with the Treviso lads and the Zebra fellas.  Kicked out of The CreamyHead League.  

Bless em, all three of them.  They've tried but it just hasn't worked out for them.  They'd be best try to start a domestic League in Italy and start at a semi-professional level.

Notch wrote:

VinceWLB wrote:I totally agree with the front row although the other South African tightheads Brok Harris and Wiehan Herbst had an equally strong season as Nel. Honorable mention to Zebre's Chistolini (who mullered Buckley at the weekend btw) and Ospreys' Smith.

WP Nel probably shades it as a more complete player. I think Herbst is a rock in defence- hard and almost completely immobile.

I had never heard of him before but Herbst has been an amazingly shrewd signing, probably better than Afoa too with lower wages. That said Edinburgh dominated the scrum slightly at Murrayfield and Dennis Buckley had him in all sorts of troubles at the Sportsground so i think Nel makes sense at the end of the day.

Really love the look of the front row that has been picked, Buckley really unlucky there is so much competition in Ireland for the loosehead spot but at this stage he is possibly a better option than the Munster looseheads.

Notch wrote:

George Carlin wrote:Quite a few omissions from that list.
Amazing to see no Leinster players in there - times have changed.

Ironically for a Glasgow fan, I don't think that Peter Horne deserves to be there, although his colleague Alex Dunbar potentially does.

Some players unlucky not to be included are Rynard Landman, Simon Zebo, John Barclay, Iain Henderson, Bundee Aki and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne.

There's no way Henderson has played 10 games in the league this season. Not even close.

Rhys Webb made it into the team on only 10 games!

George Carlin wrote:

Notch wrote:

George Carlin wrote:Quite a few omissions from that list.
Amazing to see no Leinster players in there - times have changed.

Ironically for a Glasgow fan, I don't think that Peter Horne deserves to be there, although his colleague Alex Dunbar potentially does.

Some players unlucky not to be included are Rynard Landman, Simon Zebo, John Barclay, Iain Henderson, Bundee Aki and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne.

There's no way Henderson has played 10 games in the league this season. Not even close.

Rhys Webb made it into the team on only 10 games!

10 games was the minimum number of appearances you had to have made in the criteria for selection though, I'm pretty sure Henderson has had less.

Webb started against in chron. order, Treviso, Dragons, Edinburgh, Munster, Blues, Ulster, Scarlets, Dragons, Treviso, Blues, Glasgow that is 11 he was a sub against Zebre in both our GL matches, the only match he missed when available to us was the Scarlets at PYS when he was injured, for ALL other GL matches he was with TW.
Can I just say the selected team was voted on by 4 Irish, 3 Welsh, 2 Scottish and 2 Italian newspaper representatives.
Finally as I don't watch many other games other than my teams games, I can't judge on the merits of these selections, other than to say, I think it is Peter Horne picked at 12, he must have had a remarkable season to be more influential than Josh Matavesi, who has played 19 games so far, the only ones he missed was against Ulster and Leinster in the Autumn International period when he was away with Fiji, he was on the field for 1432 minutes at the minimum for us, and finally there are 3 awards given out at the end of seasons awards dinner to players, the supporters, coaches and players player of the season, the players vote the best performer after EVERY game and Josh won this award.

Matavesi, although an improved player, still looks a bit erratic. You can never tell if he's going to put someone in a position to score a try or knock the ball on. Surprised Ospreys didn't make a case for trying to get Roberts. Another 12 option might have been Scott Williams, but injury might have prevented him from playing 10 games?

Just checked, Scott Williams had had 14 appearances for the Scarlets, he would easily be in my team.

Indeed lost count how many balls Matavesi lost trying the impossible offload when keeping the ball would have been more beneficial to the team.

Nice one Vince. Yeah Scott never has a bad game. He's mostly very good and is often captain of the team, so a good choice for 12 IMO.

Well I would have picked Leone Nakarawa before Franco van der Merwe, and I would Scott Williams in the center over Robbie Henshaw , also I think Josh Navidi can feel a little unlucky to be left out.

Dan Evans probably deserves the fullback slot instead of Williams.

Statistically Franco VdM is the best lineout operator so probably has to be in there. Navidi has maybe suffered by being shifted around the backrow but he should have been picked.
Surprised that James Davies isn't getting more mentions.
Leinster probably don't have many players who qualify given the injury riven season they've had!