Unlucky James Ryan
Each year, the BBC ask rugby fans to submit their Best XV from players the world over. The uptake is always huge and some 60,000 people made their selections. From those picks, the World Team of the Year was assembled, and there are six Irish names in that XV.
Cian Healy, Tadhg Furlong and Peter O’Mahony are all included in the pack, while Johnny Sexton, Jacob Stockdale and Garry Ringrose are in the backline. Remarkably, and wisely, 92% of the 60,000 voters had Furlong at tighthead.
World Player of the Year Johnny Sexton got 61% of the outhalf selections but the consolation prize for New Zealand’s Beauden Barrett is that he made the team at fullback. Owen Farrell slots in at inside centre.
Unlucky Irish players to miss out are CJ Stander and Dan Leavy, who were both included in the BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly Team of the Year, and Leinster lock James Ryan.
The absence of Ryan is the most glaring. No matter how stern the competition offered by New Zealand’s Brodie Retallick and England wonder kid Maro Itoje.
The Rugby Union Weekly Team, selected by Chris Jones and Ugo Monye. has eight Irish players included.
Furlong is there, along with Ryan, and there is an all green back row of O’Mahony, Leavy and Stander. Sexton, Stockdale and Ringrose are in the back row but Healy misses out to Springboks loosehead Steven Kitshoff.
BBC FANS’ TEAM OF THE YEAR:
