Monday, March 19, 2007

Rugby All Star Team: 3 Italians on First Team, and 3 More on Replacements-- Amazing!!!

The ANNOTICO Report

Sport Rugby Union correspondent Andrew Baldock selects his Six Nations All Star team.

Three Italians were named to the First Fifteen, and Three more Italians were named to the Six  Replacements.

Now, Remember Italy first joined the then Five Nations Tournament in 2000, which then became the Six Nations.

The winner of the RBS 6 Nations is often seen as being the unofficial European Champions.

In 2007, France was the RBS 6 Nations winner on point difference over Ireland. England, Italy, and Wales followed, w Scotland in last place.

On the FIRST TEAM: Ireland had 7 players named, France only 3, Italy with 3, England with 3, and Wales and Scotland with none

REPLACEMENTS: Italy 3. Wales 2, England 1

TOTALS: Ireland 7, Italy 6, France 3, England 3, Wales 2  

The Italian Players and Comments:

First Fifteen:

Martin Castrogiovanni (Italy) - Already proved himself as one of the Guinness Premiership finest imports by starring for Leicester this season, and although injured in Italy's third game against Scotland, he was a scrummaging rock for the Azzurri.

Marco Bortolami (Italy) - Captained Italy to their best Six Nations tournament, which included a first away win against Scotland. Led from the front, and rarely put a foot wrong.

Sergio Parisse (Italy) - At the heart of a mighty Italian pack - the best forward unit in this season's tournament - he provided a colossal presence on a consistent basis.

Replacements (6)

Carlos Festuccia (Italy) - Always in the thick of things. A consistent performer.

Carlos Nieto (Italy) - Took over from an injured Castrogiovanni against Scotland, and impressively anchored the Italian scrum thereafter

Alessandro Troncon (Italy) - Recalled against England, aged 33, and drove Italy on to victories over Scotland and Wales.

See Wikipedia for more info on RBS 6: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Nations_Championship

RUGBY UNION NEWS

Sporting Life
TEAM OF THE SIX NATIONS

The 2007 RBS 6 Nations Championship will be remembered as a title that got away from Ireland's perspective - but they still provided numerous individual stars.

Consistency of performance and match-winning ability are critical ingredients in any team of the tournament selection process, and Ireland came up trumps in most positions.

Italy's mighty forward unit is also recognised, along with top scorers Ronan O'Gara and Jason Robinson, while the likes of James Hook, David Strettle and Alun-Wyn Jones all challenged strongly for recognition.

Here, PA Sport rugby union correspondent Andrew Baldock selects his SIX NATIONS team.

15: Clement Poitrenaud (France) - It has taken the Toulouse star more than five years to collect his 26 caps, but he shone for the Six Nations champions and now looks set to enjoy an extended stay.

14: Shane Horgan (Ireland) - The Leinster wing showcased his pace, power and appetite for hard work as Ireland collected a second successive Six Nations Triple crown.

13: Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland) - Led Ireland to within a whisker of their first Six Nations title, and maintained his status as arguably the world's finest centre.

12: Gordon D'Arcy (Ireland) - Created so much for a try-laden Irish back division with an ability to unlock opposition defences. Always alert and always adventurous.

11: Jason Robinson (England) - Scored four tries in four games on his return to the Test arena, and an explosive finish for England's second touchdown against Wales confirmed he had lost none of the old magic.

10: Ronan O'Gara (Ireland) - The tournament's top scorer with 82 points, he also finished alongside Robinson as leading try-grabber. Consistently excellent, he knows how to boss a game.

9: Harry Ellis (England) - Probably England's best player during the Six Nations campaign as he pinned down a position that has caused its fair share of problems since Matt Dawson and Kyran Bracken retired post-2003 World Cup.

1: Olivier Milloud (France) - Quality loosehead props are thin on the ground in Europe, and Milloud proved arguably the best of some average candidates.

2: Raphael Ibanez (France, capt) - Led France to their fourth Six Nations title in the past six years, scoring a try during a pivotal victory over Ireland. Now 34, a World Cup swansong awaits.

3: Martin Castrogiovanni (Italy) - Already proved himself as one of the Guinness Premiership finest imports by starring for Leicester this season, and although injured in Italy's third game against Scotland, he was a scrummaging rock for the Azzurri.

4: Marco Bortolami (Italy) - Captained Italy to their best Six Nations tournament, which included a first away win against Scotland. Led from the front, and rarely put a foot wrong.

5: Paul O'Connell (Ireland) - Furious with his personal performance in the loss to France, he recovered to man-handle England's cowering pack at Croke Park a fortnight later. The best line-out forward in the business.

6: Simon Easterby (Ireland) - An unsung hero of the Irish pack, who strung together a sequence of influential performances. A workaholic, whose tackling prowess put him among the tournament's biggest hitters.

7: David Wallace (Ireland) - Shades Wales openside Martyn Williams for the number seven shirt, and proved an instrumental figure, especially in contrasting victories over Wales and England. Made a huge contribution to Ireland's Triple Crown campaign.

8: Sergio Parisse (Italy) - At the heart of a mighty Italian pack - the best forward unit in this season's tournament - he provided a colossal presence on a consistent basis.

Replacements

16: Carlos Festuccia (Italy) - Always in the thick of things. A consistent performer.

17: Carlos Nieto (Italy) - Took over from an injured Castrogiovanni against Scotland, and impressively anchored the Italian scrum thereafter.

18: Alun-Wyn Jones (Wales) - A great find for Wales coach Gareth Jenkins. Could prove a star performer at the World Cup.19: Serge Betsen (France) - Brought all his experience to France's title-winning campaign.

20: Alessandro Troncon (Italy) - Recalled against England, aged 33, and drove Italy on to victories over Scotland and Wales.

21: James Hook (Wales) - Saw off England with a majestic performance that belied his tender age of just 21. Has made an irresistible case to be Wales' World Cup number 10.

22: David Strettle (England) - Capped in a hurry against Ireland after Jason Robinson was injured, but scored a try on debut and looks a natural.

http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyunion/

news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rugby/

07/03/19/RUGBYU_Six_Nations_Team.html

The ANNOTICO Reports Can be Viewed and are Fully Archived at:

Italia USA: http://www.ItaliaUSA.com (Formerly Italy at St Louis)

The ANNOTICO Reports Can be Viewed at

Italia Mia: http://www.ItaliaMia.com

Blogspot: http://annoticoreport.blogspot.com

Annotico Email: annotico@earthlink.net