There were plenty who were less than impressed when Eben Etzebeth and Ardie Savea failed to make the shortlist for World Rugby men's player of the year.
Let’s just suggest a few more may have been added to their number after the announcement of the global game’s men's team of 2022.
There is no place for the great South African lock and enforcer Etzebeth or the ultra-talented New Zealand back-row forward Savea in the World Rugby dream XV of the year. One social media poster called the Springbok’s omission ‘a joke’ with another settling for ‘mad’ when assessing Savea’s absence from the line-up.
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The side was picked by a panel of ex-players that included Richie McCaw, Thierry Dusautoir, Ugo Monye, Jacques Burger, John Smit and Melodie Robinson.
They opted for four Irish players, including Johnny Sexton and the new world player of the year Josh van der Flier, with Six Nations Grand Slam winners France represented by just two players in Antoine Dupont and Gregory Alldritt despite recording a perfect record this year: 10 matches played, every one won. South Africa have three players in the selection, New Zealand and England two apiece with Argentina and Australia having one each.
Pleasing everyone was never going to be easy.
But pleasing someone would have been nice.
From some of the early reaction, it wasn't altogether clear World Rugby had managed even that.
If a significant number felt the outstanding Alldritt was deserving of a place at No. 8, plenty felt Savea could still have been squeezed in somewhere. Accepted, he has played his Test rugby this year in the middle-of-the-back-row slot, but so has Pablo Matera, who took the blindside position in the dream pick.
And some felt Etzebeth should have been named instead of either Tadhg Beirne or Sam Whitelock.
Argentina’s wing Emiliano Boffelli was another whose efforts over the past 12 months must have taken him very close to a place in the side, along with Italy’s shooting star full-back Ange Capuozzo, who had to settle for the breakthrough player of the year gong.
World Rugby dream XV of the year : Freddie Steward (England); Will Jordan (New Zealand), Lukanyo Am (South Africa), Damian de Allende (South Africa), Marika Koroibete (Australia); Johnny Sexton (Ireland), Antoine Dupont (France); Ellis Genge (England), Malcolm Marx (South Africa), Tadhg Furlong (Ireland), Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), Sam Whitelock (New Zealand), Pablo Matera (Argentina), Josh van der Flier (Ireland), Gregory Alldritt (France).
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Wales rugby crisis uncovered - the major questions that need answering and what happens next
