My World Cup XV - Halfback

In which the blogger picks the team he wants to represent the All Blacks when they choke compete in the Rugby World Cup in September-October.

 
9 - Jimmy Cowan

There was a time when I would not have dreamed of considering Jimmy Cowan an automatic selection for the All Blacks.

As a halfback, I thought his pass was only serviceable, his running game non-existent and his generalship questionable.

And as a person, while he was a likeable sort, his brushes with the law and drinking issues made me wonder if he was going to simply fade away, the Justin Marshall lookalike who was about a tenth as talented and committed.

But Jimmy changed, and my opinion did too.

On the field, he peeled off a series of inspiring performances for the Highlanders and Southland.

And off it, he sobered up - literally and metaphorically - proving to the patient All Black coaches that their faith was not misplaced.

He's still an interesting case, Jimmy. He doesn't have the class of Fourie du Preez, the sizzling running ability of Will Genia, or even the exciting package of skills of closest rival Piri Weepu.

But he's tough. He's experienced. His pass is OK. His kicking game is superb. And he is, without question, the greatest defensive halfback the game has ever seen.

My World Cup XV - First five

In which the blogger picks the team he wants to represent the All Blacks when they choke compete in the Rugby World Cup in September-October.

 
10 - Dan Carter

I've argued many times before that perhaps people have just gone a little bit over the top in their assessment of Carter as the greatest player of all time etc etc.

Look, the guy is one superb rugby player. He does everything well. There are no weaknesses.

But Grant Fox was a hell of a first five too. That Andrew Mehrtens bloke was pretty special.

And it's always been my feeling that Carter (a) peaked in 2005 and (b) needs to dominate a World Cup before he can be acclaimed our greatest 10.

But of course he's unchallenged as our starting first five this year, and of course our chances will take a massive hit if he is off-form or injured.

Do you want Aaron Cruden to be running our backline? NO.

Do you want Luke McAlister? NOOOOO.

Do you want Stephen Donald? HELL NOOOOO.

Colin Slade? Good player. But the All Blacks need Dan to help deliver them to glory.

My World Cup XV - Left wing

In which the blogger picks the team he wants to represent the All Blacks when they choke compete in the Rugby World Cup in September-October.

11 - Zac Guildford

A confession: I found the second wing one of the hardest positions to fill in my World Cup XV.

Hosea Gear was an automatic choice for one. I just think the guy has all the tools - and he will look bloody good in a Highlanders GREEN jersey next year.

But the other wing? Shee-it.

For a while I had Sitiveni Sivivatu pencilled in. Experienced, elusive etc. But Siti has hardly been on fire for the Chiefs. In fact, when did he last play a really good test for the All Blacks?

I was a big Cory Jane fan last year. But he doesn't have the form, either. Maybe another unhappy Hurricane?

Joe Rokocoko? Maybe. But just seems to be lacking something at this stage of his career. Drive, maybe.

My choice came down to two young Crusaders flyers.

Sean Maitland is a guy I've liked for a couple of years. He's electric when he's on form. But his time will come next year.

I'm going with Guildford. He's bounced back into some top form with the wandering Crusaders. You could argue he's a bit one-dimensional but you could also argue he's fucking quick. And wingers should be quick.

My World Cup XV - Second five

In which the blogger picks the team he wants to represent the All Blacks when they choke compete in the Rugby World Cup in September-October.

12 - Sonny Bill Williams

I'm what you call a casual rugby league fan.

I count the Penrith Panthers (for 20 years now) and Queensland as my teams, and I like to see the Kiwis beat those evil Kangaroos as much as anyone.

But I don't watch much NRL every week and I don't have a great depth of knowledge about the game other than the basics: you get six tackles, you don't push in scrums, Darren Lockyer is a god, Wayne Bennett is a super coach, the Storm rorted the cap etc.

So when a young New Zealander called Sonny Bill Williams emerged with the Bulldogs a few years ago, it took me a while to realise he was something special.

My enlightenment came one Saturday night when I happened to catch a few minutes of the Doggies playing . . . I want to say Canberra, but it might have been somebody else.

Holy shit. This tall, ripped figure was totally dominant. He was putting in massive hits on defence, ranging with the ball in hand, and making offload after offload. Sonny was obviously very special indeed.

Fast forward and what an extraordinary few years it's been for the man christened Sonny William Williams.

He controversially walked out on the Bulldogs, switched to rugby for a French club, got into boxing, became best friends with Anthony Mundine and converted to Islam.

Then, most shockingly, he decided his dream was to become an All Black. He moved to New Zealand, played for Canterbury and was immediately called up by Graham Henry for the end-of-year tour.

I tried to keep an open mind about SBW when he came home but I wondered if his murky track record and his style would make him an ideal fit with the All Blacks and the Crusaders, both of whom try to maintain the highest standards.

Shows what the fuck I know. He's still fluffing around with boxing, in which he has no future. But he's just dynamite on the rugby field, the most exciting thing we've got.

Too many fancy offloads? Oh please. Offload on, Sonny boy, offload on.

He's clearly in a head-to-head contest with incumbent Ma'a Nonu for the World Cup No 12 jersey. Nonu still has plenty to offer, despite his crap form with the Hurricanes, but it's SBW for me.

My World Cup XV - Centre

In which the blogger picks the team he wants to represent the All Blacks when they choke compete in the Rugby World Cup in September-October.

13 - Conrad Smith

One of the easier decisions, right?

I guess so. Smith has certainly been an automatic selection in recent years when he's been fit - which has, happily, been a more common state than in his early years.

But he's an interesting case. He doesn't demand selection because of his dynamism, or his game-breaking abilities, or the fact he is called Richie, Dan or Big Bad Brad.

Smith's great asset is his ultra-consistency. He shows up, always, and does the things a good centre is supposed to do.

I mean, he's a classy player, don't get me wrong. He's defensively sound, a nice runner, a fine distributor, a leader and a mistake-free footballer. And he's intelligent because, you know, he's a qualified LAWYER, which approximately 872 profiles of him have mentioned.

But you would never say Smith was on the same level as a Brian O'Driscoll or a Stirling Mortlock. You don't look back over a year and pinpoint the games in which Smith made you jump off your seat and yell "faaaarrrrkkkkk".

He is what he is: an experienced, quality midfielder who won't let you down.

Plus, he doesn't really have contenders breathing down his neck. I'm a great admirer of the Highlanders' Kenny Lynn, but you wouldn't call him All Black material. Jared Payne (Blues) has talent but is buggering off, and team-mate Isaia Toeava isn't a centre in my book.

The Chiefs . . . er, who plays centre for the Chiefs? Checking Google.....checking......ah, of course, Richard Kahui. Big, strong, talented, good-looking and always injured. I first met Kahui five years ago when he was drafted into the Highlanders. Lovely kid and a real talent. But will his body ever allow him to string a series of games together?

No 13 goes to Mr Smith. No contest. Just look at this face!

My World Cup XV - Right wing

In which the blogger picks the team he wants to represent the All Blacks when they choke compete in the Rugby World Cup in September-October.

14 - Hosea Gear

The real question here isn't: why should Hosea Gear be in the All Blacks?

It's: what were Ma and Pa Gear thinking when they named their bouncing baby boys?

When Maori boys are born in Poverty Bay, they tend to have names like Wiremu or Warren, Hone or Harold. You would have had long odds on a family producing anything as exotic as Rico - the elder brother, who was a decent All Black winger between 2004 and 2007 - and Hosea.

Seriously, Rico and Hosea. They sound like Colombian drug dealers, or Hispanic Los Angeles cops.

I haven't yet read anything explaining why the Gear boys got their fancy handles. The Baby Name Facts website lists seven "celebrities" with the Rico name - and five of them are baseballers. There is only one Hosea, another baseballer.

Anyway, the most famous Hosea in New Zealand is one of my World Cup wings. He's more of a leftie, but I slot him on the right as my other pick is also better on the left.

Gear is the incumbent. He played well on the end-of-season tour in 2010, after having only a couple of opportunities in the previous two years.

The All Black coaches took some convincing that his try-scoring ability was backed by a solid all-round game. But I think the questions have been answered. Gear is big and strong and quick and has a nose for the tryline.

In other words, he's a winger. And a very good one.

My World Cup XV - Fullback

In which the blogger picks the team he wants to represent the All Blacks when they choke, er, compete in the Rugby World Cup in September-October.

15 - Ben Smith

Local bias already!

Yes, I happen to live in the same city as Highlanders fullback Ben Smith.

Yes, I saw him play at school (well, I think I remember him at King's), and for his Green Island club, and for the Otago sevens team, and for Otago.

Yes, I am unashamed to admit I am a fan of the kid.

But he gets his place in my World Cup XV on merit. He's a bloody good player and his form dictates he must be picked. And more, that he must start.

We have a running joke in the ODT sports department. The doyen of club rugby, Alistair McMurran, has a habit of picking out a promising player in the Dunedin premier ranks and predicting they are good enough for the All Blacks. He liked a young Ben Smith so much he wrote a profile comparing him to Stephen Larkham (Smith wore headgear and was a first five at the time) and said if Smith was an Australian, he would be known as Ben Larkham-Smith and would already be in a Wallabies squad.

Looks like the bearded master might have been on to something.

I became convinced Smith was something special when I covered the national sevens one year in Queenstown. The fastest, most exciting athletes were in Auckland and Counties and North Harbour and Wellington.

But Otago had this skinny white boy who looked like John Leslie and ran like Christian Cullen. A Joe Average name with Joe Millionaire skills.

Smith joined the other Ben Smith - later, famously, to play a couple of seasons as Billy Elusiv - in the Otago NPC team and duly graduated to the Highlanders. With Israel Dagg drafted south and locking up the fullback jersey, Smith was placed on the wing, and looked right at home.

In 2009, the Highlanders were pretty rubbish but Smith was superb, and Otago was really rubbish but Smith was excellent, leading to his first (and, so far, only) call-up to the All Blacks.

He went on the end-of-year tour, playing one test (against Italy) and one tour match (against the Barbarians).

Smith did not exactly make a fantastic debut but it's not like he failed dismally. Oh no, he dropped the first ball kicked to him. Oh dear, he's the worst All Black since Shayne Philpott.

That one mistake contributed to the ludicrous inclusion of Smith in a "Worst XV of the Henry Era" feature (by a man who, by his own admission, doesn't watch the Highlanders or Otago), and a theme of "Smith blew his opportunity" has been built into every story on him since.

Now, with Smith in sublime form for the resurgent - er, that word seemed appropriate a couple of weeks ago - Highlanders, the media is feeling the love for our boy.

But would he really be a bolter for the World Cup squad? No, he wouldn't.

He runs with pace and grace, he can kick (for goal, for touch and for position), he's intelligent, he's a superb support player and he is defensively sound.

Mils Muliaina is the popular (and, let's face it, the coaches') pick to play fullback at the World Cup. Love Mils. He's a great player with fine all-round skills. But I wonder if his time has passed.