Jamie nominated for ERC player of the year

[Donny B.]

ERC European Player of the Year 2013

Official Shortlist

1. Julien Bonnaire
2. Jamie Heaslip
3. Wesley Fofana
4. Sitiveni Sivivatu
5. Jonny Wilkinson

Think it's between Fofana and Sivivatu but interesting that Jamie got a nod.

[johng]

Fofana gets it.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

This makes me very happy!

If I'm honest, I wouldn't have him on the list but I also think his form has been much much better than people generally seem to think and I'm delighted that his hard work is recognised.

Agree with you about it being between those two Donny, I'd go for Fofana.

Sivivatu doesn't get the credit he deserves IMO. I'm not sure that any player who has been as successful as he was in the SH has come up and played as well as he has. He really impressed me (he'll be delighted with that) when we scored those quick 10 points in the semi last year and he was the one who was dragging them back into it. He was everywhere.

[ceemec]

The final selection is generally made up of players who are in the final weekend. Heaslip, for his part, was outstanding at the weekend and also had very strong displays in the pool stages. If we think back to the actual games, he was immense in Clermont and away to the Scarlets and had strong games in both of the last two pool matches.

If I had to go with a Leinster player to be nominated on the basis of the ERC performances this season, he'd get the nod. Sexton perhaps the only other player I'd have in the frame.

[fourthirtythree]

Excellent player for us this season. Clermont games do stand out. Obviously the weekend was a bit of a help.

Due to the vagaries of the process the standout player in most people's minds - Fofana - isn't guaranteed it.

[Apocrypha]

ERC European Player of the Year 2013

Official Shortlist

1. Julien Bonnaire
2. Jamie Heaslip
3. Wesley Fofana
4. Sitiveni Sivivatu
5. Jonny Wilkinson

Think it's between Fofana and Sivivatu but interesting that Jamie got a nod.

Leaving provincial bias aside (POM and TOD being far worthier candidates in a premier competition) to see Heislip selected ahead of someone like Lobbe for his performances in a mickey mouse competition against bottom of table also-rans, is well, pretty typical of a jury made up of a knuckle-dragger such as Stephen Jones.

Note: He was not in the initial long-list, so his performances in the HEC certainly didn't merit his selection.

It must have been for all the invisible work that he is known and so respected for in these here parts.

[Sauvignon Blank]

ERC European Player of the Year 2013

Official Shortlist

1. Julien Bonnaire
2. Jamie Heaslip
3. Wesley Fofana
4. Sitiveni Sivivatu
5. Jonny Wilkinson

Think it's between Fofana and Sivivatu but interesting that Jamie got a nod.

Leaving provincial bias aside (POM and TOD being far worthier candidates in a premier competition) to see Heislip selected ahead of someone like Lobbe for his performances in a mickey mouse competition against bottom of table also-rans, is well, pretty typical of a jury made up of a knuckle-dragger such as Stephen Jones.

Note: He was not in the initial long-list, so his performances in the HEC certainly didn't merit his selection.

It must have been for all the invisible work that he is known and so respected for in these here parts.

[ceemec]

Indeed, 433. Fofana didn't do much at the weekend and, whilst he scored a try, he was relatively quiet by his standards in the QF. Last season, Sexton was our best player in the HEC by a country mile in my opinion. Kearney came up with the eye catching moments in the semi final though and won MOTM in a big game which led to him winning ERC POTY.

On the same criteria, I wouldn't rule out Sivivatu. He was ridiculously good in the QF. He absolutely tore the game wide open on his own with some of the moments of the season.

[fourthirtythree]

They usually have an Amlin player in it as a token don't they? Wilkinson last year, Parrisse the year before? I'd say they have to because they're told by ERC to promote the competition but there is zero chance of that player winning.

[Logorrhea]

Would probably go for Sivivatu myself.

[Vamos los azules]

His Opta stats for this season are excellent. He is the leading forward in European competition.

http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/statistics/ ... _index.php

Congratulations to Jamie on the nomination. Judging by the tweets that were showing on the ERC page his nomination may not have gone down particularly well with some people

[simonokeeffe]

if we win amlin do we get a silver star for our jerseys alongside the three gold ones?

[fourthirtythree]

His Opta stats for this season are excellent. He is the leading forward in European competition.

http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/statistics/ ... _index.php

Congratulations to Jamie on the nomination. Judging by the tweets that were showing on the ERC page his nomination may not have gone down particularly well with some people

The thing is that not only is he on top in the stats, he has also got a bigger gap than anyone else.

Mentioning Petero Mahoney is ridiculous in this context: the last few games O'Donnell has been the most eyecatching back row in Munster, though O'Mahoney was excellent also. But nobody outside Ireland has even noticed O'Mahoney exists yet. I did a Nexis search on UK National newspapers sportspages just after the Welsh game in the 6N. Irish papers were full of him. Outside the teamsheets the UK ones just weren't He just didn't figure. Sorry to harp on about the generation of narratives devoid of substance by the media and how people can then look at what is in front of them through those goggles. Most Irish people think he has been awful this year, and last, and the year before. Yet he gets picked somehow. And tops the Opta stats for forwards by a considerable margin.

You would think it would give people pause before engaging in groupthink based on a media narrative. But it won't.

[jezzer]

In 8 or whatever years I've never added anyone to the "ignore" list, but yer man Apocrypha has absolutely nothing to add to any discussion, so Room 101 it is.

Slán.

[Golf Man]

His Opta stats for this season are excellent. He is the leading forward in European competition.

http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/statistics/ ... _index.php

Congratulations to Jamie on the nomination. Judging by the tweets that were showing on the ERC page his nomination may not have gone down particularly well with some people

The thing is that not only is he on top in the stats, he has also got a bigger gap than anyone else.

Mentioning Petero Mahoney is ridiculous in this context: the last few games O'Donnell has been the most eyecatching back row in Munster, though O'Mahoney was excellent also. But nobody outside Ireland has even noticed O'Mahoney exists yet. I did a Nexis search on UK National newspapers sportspages just after the Welsh game in the 6N. Irish papers were full of him. Outside the teamsheets the UK ones just weren't He just didn't figure. Sorry to harp on about the generation of narratives devoid of substance by the media and how people can then look at what is in front of them through those goggles. Most Irish people think he has been awful this year, and last, and the year before. Yet he gets picked somehow. And tops the Opta stats for forwards by a considerable margin.

You would think it would give people pause before engaging in groupthink based on a media narrative. But it won't.

Have a look at the UK view of Heaslip in the last year or two - doubt it will be very positive (rightly or wrongly)

[Sionnach]

Have a look at the UK view of Heaslip in the last year or two - doubt it will be very positive (rightly or wrongly)

It it's not positive, rightly or wrongly, it might not be worth looking at! Sure if it was all positive, rightly or wrongly it'd be equally useless.

[Oldschool]

A few points:-
I like Apocrypha's posts by and large but as his name suggest they are "of questionable authenticity" (Per Wiki) - Don't "ignore" him please - it can be a lonely existence being ignored.
The UK opinion of Heaslip is misguided and misinformed by Frankie and Quinlan and others of their ilk.
Only BOD would be of sufficient world standing for the UK or any other country to know anything about Irish players.
(As someone pointed out it's POM who? in the UK and yet ye are wetting yourselves about him - ye may be right but they don't know it or even care.
Irish people look out at the world, the UK is the world - you've heard of them "GREAT Britain" and all that good stuff.
Lions selection criteria works like this.
Irish players only get selected for two reasons:-
a. Tokenism when our representation is very low.

b. An Irish player is a stronger contender for a test place.
To illustrate the point - There are three players (of roughly equal ability) for two positions and one of them is Irish.
Unless the Irish player is a nailed on match day cert, then in all other cases the other two will get selected and I include Scottish players in that - so bad news for Murray.

[ceemec]

The last Lions tour sort of dispels that theory comprehensively, OS. A glut of Irish players were selected who went out there with others strongly favoured ahead of them for test selection. ROG, TOL, Quinlan, Kearney, Fitzgerald and Earls all spring to mind.

[Flash Gordon]

In 8 or whatever years I've never added anyone to the "ignore" list, but yer man Apocrypha has absolutely nothing to add to any discussion, so Room 101 it is.

Slán.

Caste him to the dark and bottomless pit of bile and filth that is the youtube comments section!

[Oldschool]

The last Lions tour sort of dispels that theory comprehensively, OS. A glut of Irish players were selected who went out there with others strongly favoured ahead of them for test selection. ROG, TOL, Quinlan, Kearney, Fitzgerald and Earls all spring to mind.

ROG and Earls were the only unrealistic selections + 2009 remind what was notable about the 6Ns that year again?
In fact now that I think of it maybe the Lions squad representation is based on a weighted "no of GS won" basis with obviously more recent ones getting a higher weighting. Either way Ireland is generally under represented on Lions tours. 1997 Lions four reps, four test starters, no dirt trackers.