‘BOD deserves Player of Year’
Shane Williams believes Brian O’Driscoll should get the IRB Player of the Year award ahead of Fourie du Preez.
The nominees were annnounced on Monday, and yet again there were some surprises. Williams himself was a shock winner in 2008 and couldn’t even start for the Lions in South Africa in the first two Tests this year, but predictably backed his northern hemisphere compatriot to claim the accolade.
‘I’ve seen the shortlist, there are some great names on it,’ said Williams. ‘I’m sure with everything he has achieved this year, it may go to Brian. It would be nice. He’s a good friend of mine, and he certainly deserves it.
‘With winning the Grand Slam [Ireland] and the Heineken Cup [Leinster] and having a great Lions tour, and scoring on the weekend against Australia, he’s back to his best really,’ said Williams, forgetting Du Preez won the Lions series with the Boks, the Tri-Nations, and was instrumental for the Bulls in their Super 14 and Currie Cup triumphs.
‘He has worked hard to get there and he would deserve the accolade,’ added Williams.
The other nominees are Tom Croft, Jamie Heaslip, Matt Giteau, Rich McCaw and Frans Steyn. The nomination of players such as Steyn, Croft (who has been dropped by lowly England) and Heaslip – who was quiet in the Lions series until the third Test against a weakened Bok side – shows how flawed the process is and by the end of the November internationals it wouldn’t be surprising if O’Driscoll edges Du Preez.
The announcement will be made next weekend.
November 21st, 2009 at 12:53 pm
#49 kaksioek: Chilliboy needs to retire, please!
November 21st, 2009 at 12:55 pm
“He is a good friend of mine”
Well duh, right about there objectivity and credibility is thrown out the window.
November 21st, 2009 at 12:57 pm
#51 goyougoodthing2: And yet some here think he should be Bok captain! The mind boggles. Of course others suggest Puke Watson. It’s a sad, sad world.
November 21st, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Actually I agree with SkopSkyf but for other reasons.
None on the list deserve IRB POY. Now ways.
November 21st, 2009 at 1:03 pm
#53 kaksioek: I’d like to bring Tony Watson out of retirement and make him Captain. He is very good at moving balls around, I hear his ability to move a ball on a golf course without his club even touching it are legendary
Cheers!
November 21st, 2009 at 1:05 pm
only 2 players that turned bok’s from a losing team to a winning one this year were Brussow and M. Steyn. Not for those two forget any ideas of world supremacy against Lion’s or in tri nations. Those two made the difference certainly not Fdp. Bod on the other hand is still a genius at center no matter what his character deficiencies are.
And to sum up about Shakes assessment of Fdp he’s 100% correct Fdp only looks good behind a dominant pack never a retreating one. If you have to compare the efficiency and momentum that H. Adams gives his back line compared to Fdp’s stifling one man show, there is no comparison. Fdp is a fly half playing out of position he would have made a decent 10. As scrum halves go he’s a one man band show pony who kicks perhaps 70% ball either to no mans land or over the dead ball line. Between him and M. Steyn at pivot the rest of the back line may as well take 40 winks between scrum time and take in a dinner and movie the rest of the game.
November 21st, 2009 at 1:06 pm
#56 skopskiet: I think Vermaak, Adams and if he dropped his bullsh!t Kockott are great scrummies and deserve a chance.
November 21st, 2009 at 1:14 pm
BOD had a good Lions tour? What a load of bollocks. He did okay against weakened provincial sides but as soon as he came up against a decent side (Boks in second test) he just ran around picking fights off the ball and really should have been red carded for repeated offences. As soon as the going got tough he was shown up as nothing special.
November 21st, 2009 at 1:16 pm
There isn’t a scrumhalf in the world at the moment to hold a candle to FdP. He has it all and is at the height of his powers. He is the quickest thinking no 9 around and he thrives in the pressure cauldron. He created tries out of nothing against both the Wallabies and ABs this year. His kicking is pinpoint and his vision outstanding. He is probably the best rugby player of any position at the moment.
November 21st, 2009 at 1:27 pm
#59 stormer in a teacup: I agree with your accessment. But not POY 2009.
November 21st, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Bod is a show pony, there is only one choice and that is my man mr du pree, there is no one playing scrumi at the moment that cAn touch him, there are plenty of centers that outclasses bod
November 21st, 2009 at 1:33 pm
IRB Player of the year:
-Give it to a battler.
-Someone who has served his country with distinction.
-Someone who mops up the mistakes of others.
-The unheralded workaholic, so fcked after a Test Match, he can’t give an Interview.
-Hard but not filthy.
-Maybe not eloquent. One who lets his actions speak.
-A toiler……..not a glamour boy.
Is there such a man?
November 21st, 2009 at 1:36 pm
#62 cane: Sjeez a few.
Even Bakkies fits your mould!!!!!!
November 21st, 2009 at 1:40 pm
#63 Kronung:
“-Hard but not filthy”.
Bakkies is eliminated.
November 21st, 2009 at 1:42 pm
keep blowing all this hype up Fdp’s *** he might even start believing it then the trouble seriously starts to infiltrate his head. He performed like an out of sorts rookie along with his stable mate M. Steyn last week vs France. Between him and Butch James is exactly where we coughed up the tri nations last year. January far and away more adaptive scrum half under trying conditions than Fdp who took an entire year to come to grips with elv rugby. This year he’s stepped up and January fell off the wagon but last year January heaps ahead and should have been played throughout the tournament we might have even won it instead of reverting to Fdp’s kicking game.
Fdp is an opportunist type player who sometimes gets it right and other times not, as a consistent and efficient feeder of the ball to his back line he’s actually one of the absolute worst in the game and unless somebody realizes that its between him and M. Steyn that is the actual cause of our back lines regression into a dismal non evolving stagnant non entity where stuff all happens in 80 min of kick fest gaining grounds then we never going to come out this spiral of staid deficient lack of creativity. They going to keep blowing hifaluting smoke up this guys *** and our non existent back line play will have died the death of a Beethoven requiem played in reverse. A one man show to kick n chase all day long the end of bok back line efficiency as its been touted all along. Get a proper efficient scrum half to feed the ball or watch bok back line play disintegrate into nothing as its almost become already.
November 21st, 2009 at 1:44 pm
#64 cane: Now you sounding like his some of his opponents. Good tactic though.
November 21st, 2009 at 1:46 pm
#65 skopskiet: SHUT UP ****!!!!!
November 21st, 2009 at 1:46 pm
#66 Kronung:
Juan could be a Nominee.
November 21st, 2009 at 1:49 pm
And for someone playing in Team, that will not actually pass the ball to him……………….Brian had an Outstanding Year.
Nominee #2……B.Habbabanna.
November 21st, 2009 at 1:52 pm
truth getting bit too much for your hifalutin smoke blowing stomach Mbaxie boy. Suck it up fella the truth hasn’t even started to unfold yet. Keep dreaming daydreams till they turn to hifalutin smoke up the *** night mares.
November 21st, 2009 at 1:56 pm
#62 cane:
Great post. The Soul Man number one.
November 21st, 2009 at 2:00 pm
yeah I agree with canes assessment too, give it to a grafter, a toiler, a man behind the scenes, one who is the unsung hero of the masterpiece, not one of these prima donna show pony self made glory boys like Fdp or Bod or the other high profile ramp models.
November 21st, 2009 at 2:02 pm
#69 cane: Habanero one of the Saffas that could have made the list in my opinion, but also not POY.
But to be honest this year has been the year of the scrum. It has has a major impact in all the big games, line-out less so this year. I would be have thought of a certain front row player from up North.
November 21st, 2009 at 2:03 pm
#70 skopskiet:
How you keeping?Building trade is picking up big time hey?
Next year is gonna be insane.
May well do my own dev next year.
Been a tough year.
#69 cane:
Kia ora bro.
#71 The Jinxta:
Bought the Karen Zoid compilation.
From the song “As we go”.
“I will hold you in the darknest night,I will lead you to the brightest light.”What a great oxymoronic verse.
November 21st, 2009 at 2:03 pm
in fact Brussow almost fits the bill perfectly, the unsung hero of Bok’s success in 2009. Without Brussow no thing would have been left on the plate to write home about, nothing at all whatsoever. Niento.
November 21st, 2009 at 2:10 pm
#62 cane: Caster.
November 21st, 2009 at 2:17 pm
#73 Kronung:
” line-out less so this year”.
Not if you are Kiwi, Mr Kronie.
- Nominee number 3………. Victor.
The only reason Bokkie won 3/zip against NZ this year. The SA line-out and the Steyn Boys. Young Fronken and Mornay Sauce.
Of course Victors work ethic else where, lets him down a little. But no mistake, Victor is giant of the Game, in more ways than one.
November 21st, 2009 at 2:23 pm
#76 stormer in a teacup:
LOL.
Caster is unique. Through no fault of her own she has been humiliated. She didn’t cheat. She didn’t do drugs. She only did what she was good at……….running.
But the SA Athletics people really let her down. Shame on them.
November 21st, 2009 at 2:23 pm
#72 skopskiet: but honestly now skop how is fdp a show pony ???how many times have you seen a fdp interview on any rugby site in the world???do you actually ever hear a statement from FDp after a rugby game unless he’s MOTM ?have you actually ever seen him being stingy with the ball and going for glory or is he usually creating tries for other people (had a hand in 75% of all the bulls tries this year)
so yess he may a kick a lot of possesion away i agree with you on that front even though his kicks are pin point accurate and are almost always followed by two chasers and usually his kicks result in territory for the boks . But one thing is certain he’s the best scrummie in the world wihtout a shout of a doubt
November 21st, 2009 at 2:24 pm
#77 cane: Yep no denying. Hence the “less so”.
Scrum was however pivotal in many many of the games televised, all over the world. Could be we were just more sensitive to it?
November 21st, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Some serious denial here…..
Before banging on about super 14 and curry cup people should actually check the rules…..IT’S ONLY INTERNATIONALS THAT COUNT!!!!!!!!
Ireland are unbeaten this year…..What else can we do?
I’m undecided as to who deserves it but to say it has to be FDP is ludicrous….
PS: It must be a very slow day if Keo is resorting to an article this insignificant……
November 21st, 2009 at 2:25 pm
#75 skopskiet:
Newcomer of the Year without doubt. The next Reuben Kruger.
November 21st, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Frans Steyn did hold the fort immensely in the tri nations no getting away from it. I’d give it to Frans or Morne before I’d give it to Fourie Dup.
But somebody’s astute awareness up above somewhere as to who makes these nominations shouldn’t go amiss. Why these nominations, why no French nomination or Parisse or Dusetoir, why none of them on the list, smacks of home grown old farts bias if you ask me.
November 21st, 2009 at 2:30 pm
#78 cane: Very true. Shame on me for that cheap comment. SA athletics a disgrace to the entire nation. It is not just the fact that these bozos lied and lied again. It is the bald faced cheek that they think that they should be above reproach. Unfortunately this type of thinking is a disease in SA.
November 21st, 2009 at 2:31 pm
#81 Just Another Paddy:
And Good Luck for the rest of the Year Paddy.
On the “Hand Ball” saga………………..that’s life. Don’t judge Henry too harshly, the incident was all done and dusted inside 1.5 seconds.
And welcome to Keo.
November 21st, 2009 at 2:45 pm
BoD for POY?
I thought that this year started in January
November 21st, 2009 at 2:48 pm
I’m sure you guys are going to crucify me for this but FDP doesn’t deserve it. He can be a genius yes, but go back and watch the Lions games. He kicked everything away and costed us lots of posession. He’s actually very lucky that Brussow was in the side to win us our posession back. I think Morne or Brussow should get it. Without them, we wouldn’t have won the Lions series and maybe not the tri-nations.
November 21st, 2009 at 2:53 pm
here we go again with the derogation of our own, I wonder why we don’t all just get on the next ferry to grass is Greener land somewhere over yonder, then we never have to hang our lily superior heads in shame because our inept derogatised dark skinned officials and administrators are the very bane of our illumined highly evolved first world attitudes.
Wtf we doing down here at the tip of Africa, we should all just simply f.off to where its so much more comfortable where we don’t have to rub shoulders with the deranged and the inept disease ridden indigenous locals ruining our lives into such abject deficient misery. Maybe we should all make like these hard done by rugby players and go sign up in the first world havens of our European heritage like Sarries or Uncle Harry’s, then no more need to feel ashamed about anything African, we can just bask in the ever soothing sun of our illustrious first world Valhalla’s where everything is perfectly normal and above reproach in the European hallowed homes of absolute repute where other mens slavery was never an issue and was first abolished.
November 21st, 2009 at 2:54 pm
#87 rugbywriter:
You are probably in trouble for mentioning the words Lions and Lucky in the same sentence
November 21st, 2009 at 2:55 pm
#87 rugbywriter: Not going to crucify you, but that was the gameplan. Boks have been using the tactical and territorial kick and chase to put pressure on the opposition and turn over possession close to the opposition line.
November 21st, 2009 at 2:56 pm
#88 skopskiet:
How long have I been away and missed Skop being Skop
November 21st, 2009 at 2:56 pm
FdP is the best scrummie in the world but lets be frank, apart from rookie Will Genia, there’s no number 9’s worth talking about. Pretty pedestrian stuff. FdP may be pretty effective behind a winning pack, but I get more enjoyment from watching Genia.
And I probably have got more enjoyment watching BOD’s skills too so, if rugby is actually about entertainment, then my vote is with O’Driscoll.
November 21st, 2009 at 2:58 pm
#88 skopskiet: I was going to ask what this little shitsplatter is all about and then I realised even you don’t know.
November 21st, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Ok Mbaxi you like Fdp its fine, he’s a pretty good all round rugby player, to my way of thinking definitely not superman himself or even best this or that. Everyone got their own ideas and opinions, mine go pretty much along the lines that rugby writer mentions above. Fdp kicks more possession away than he feeds to his back line and for that reason I find him sometimes more a liability than an asset. Much rather have a scrum half who’s main purpose on the field is to get the back line away as efficiently as possible and not seek kicking glory or opportunity for himself.
November 21st, 2009 at 3:07 pm
#93 Why can’t you guess, its about you making high handed excuses for your inept dark skinned African officials who you feel so abysmally ashamed about every day you open your lily European dainty self esteemed eyes.
So long, out.
November 21st, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Cheers Cane, appreciate it….
But please don’t mention “that” incident….
This is about the only site on the planet I can hide from it…..
November 21st, 2009 at 3:14 pm
#96 Just Another Paddy:
I wonder what player would win a Arsenal’s most cheating player award.
Probably the injury throw goal from Kanu. Disgraceful goal, dirty lier about it afterwards …. and the coach lived up to his name (first name that is) with the replay decision
November 21st, 2009 at 3:18 pm
It has nothing to do with the colour of their skin, you prizewinning ******. It is the fact that these lying, thieving ******** think they are entitled to lie and thieve with impunity. They are the true oppressors of the African spirit because thay believe that africans deserve no better than be represented by their lying, thieving selves.
Their philosphy is that he poor old african doesn’t deserve to have his interests served to the same level as the first world. He is just a stupid simpleton who can be convinced to keep financing these lying, thieving ********, because he is stupid enough to keep voting for these buffoons who promise the world while stuffing as much loot as quickly as they can into their pockets.
News is out that one of the chief ******** has a company which was awarded a R600 000 contract by ASA while our top athletes travel in cramped economy seats and the gravy train jockeys sit in first class.
Yes I am ashamed of these lying thieving ******** because my countrymen deserve better.
November 21st, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Stormer in a Thimble for president. That way we all get to ride in the first world carriage. All aboard the Storming Norman Liberty Ship to first world euphoria, hooray. God save the Queen.
November 21st, 2009 at 3:48 pm
If BOD wins I’ll give up rugby altogether and start a freedom fighting organisation to destroy the racist Gerrymander known as the Interminably Racist Brouhaha!!
BOD is a cheat in my view and Ireland won the 6N because he took a dive and got a penalty that won the game against England. In my mind England is the current 6N champion, even though BigHit is an OPST and France clearly has the best team, when it turns up.