Age 32 (10.12.86) Position Hooker
The World Cup-winning All Black has
been plagued by bad luck over the
past two years, with concussion,
Achilles and knee problems dogging
the Hurricane. He’s lost his Test spot
to Codie Taylor but such is the quality
of this ball-playing quasi-centre that
he remains an important figure.Age 31 (17.1.88) Position Scrum-half
After an eight-year, 114-appearance
career with Queensland Reds, the
scrum-half went to Stade Français in
2015 for two unsuccessful seasons.
However, over the past two years he has
bounced back wonderfully at the Rebels.
Still a force in attack and still a hugely
influential defender; the Wallabies
need him now as much as ever.Age 30 (1.7.88) Position Scrum-half
After becoming the first woman to
lift New Zealand’s Kelvin R Tremain
Memorial Player of the Year trophy in
2018, Cocksedge said her next goal
was to win 50 caps. She should reach
that milestone in San Diego in July as
vice-captain of the Black Ferns team
playing in the Women’s Super Series.
That tournament is a major fillip for
NZ’s women, who have long struggled
for an adequate Test programme. When
they do get the chance to perform on
the world stage, this nine dictates play.Her pass has been described as
“faultless” and she’s one of the world’s
best goalkickers, having had many
years to practise – her father built
goalposts in their Taranaki backyard.
Her greatest attribute is her game
understanding, with team-mate
Krysten Cottrell saying: “She knows
the ins and outs of every play. Not
just her position but everyone else’s
position. She has been in the rugby
environment for such a long time, she
can just take control of games and
whatever she does she does it well.”54
SIYA
KOLISI
52 DANE COLES
53 WILL GENIA
601004155 KENDRA COCKSEDGE
47100 Best PlayersAge 28 (16 June 1991) Position Back-row
T
HE SPRINGBOK skipper’s
rise from impoverished
childhood to rugby star is
well documented, which
piles the pressure on the flanker.
His season hasn’t been as consistent
as he’d like, not least because of the
demands on his time as the face of
SA Rugby. Yet despite being pulled in
a million directions since his ascent
to becoming the first black Boks Test
captain, he’s put in big performances
for the Stormers and now looks to be
coming to the boil at just the right time.Although he is the Boks’ openside,
he is not a traditional ‘fetcher’ but
rather a powerful ball-carrier and
strong defender. The Boks use Duane
Vermeulen and Malcolm Marx as their
primary jacklers, so it’s left to Kolisi to
protect possession by cleaning rucks
quickly and linking with the backs.
His leadership is now unchallenged
and in the past year his calm head saw
the Boks overcome two big deficits to
beat England twice and also defeat
the All Blacks in Wellington.
If he lifts the Webb Ellis Cup later
this year, there’s unlikely to be a more
popular winner for neutrals everywhere.