Australia v New Zealand - Sydney 16 Aug

[ACT Crusader]

Below is the team who won the 2001 Tri Nations.

1. Nick Stiles
2. Michael Foley
3. Rod Moore
4. David Giffin - (Brumbies)
5. John Eales
6. Owen Finegan - (Brumbies)
7. George Smith - (Brumbies)
8. Toutai Kefu
9. George Gregan - (Brumbies)
10. Stephen Larkham - (Brumbies)
11. Joe Roff - (Brumbies)
12. Nathan Grey
13. Daniel Herbert
14. Chris Latham
15. Matt Burke

Slightly off topic, but I remember at the time thinking that was one of the biggest OZ backline's (11-15 that is) I'd ever seen.

 

[KOB1987]

Slightly off topic, but I remember at the time thinking that was one of the biggest OZ backline's (11-15 that is) I'd ever seen.

That's interesting because none of those guys are actually that big..Latham is tall but pretty wirey. The others would all be between 5'11 and 6'2 max, Herbert being the most solid of them.

 

[Tangawizi]

As part of the build up to the match next week, Dove are asking people to tweet in their questions to Wallabies players.

So ask away. Not sure which players so probably need to keep them more general.

 

[Train Without a Station]

Joe Roff: 6'3/190cm - 100kg/222lbs
Nathan Grey: 6'1/185cm - 98/kg218lbs
Daniel Herbet: 6'2/187cm - 100kg/222lbs
Chris Latham: 6'4/192cm - 99kg/220lbs
Matt Burke: 6'0/184cm - 97kg/215lbs

All 6 foot/184cm and above and all within a whisker of the 100kg mark. Definitely would be our biggest and heaviest 11-15 combo ever.

 

[Braveheart81]

I reckon average size of players has increased a fair bit since then too. Particularly weight.

That was a huge backline then.

 

[KOB1987]

OK so I had their specs roughly right, it doesn't strike me as a particularly large combination though, but I guess it's hard to think of a bigger one..not suggesting they are small, but not huge either..how times have changed!

 

[RugbyReg]

Any backline with Dell and Lote on the wings would've gone close to surpassing it. Morty at 13. Depends on where Rogers and Gits fitted into those backlines I guess

 

[Train Without a Station]

Dell: 6'3/191cm - 102kg-226lbs
Lote: 6'3/191cm - 102kg-226lbs
Morty: 6'3/191cm - 103kg-228lbs

Considering they would have played having Rogers at fullback and Giteau or Flately at 12, probably not.

 

[Braveheart81]

If you look at other regular Wallabies of that era like:

Ben Tune: 6'1 96kg
Elton Flatley: 5'10 92kg
Rod Kafer: 5'9 98kg (what a fatty boomba!)
Andrew Walker: 5'10 85kg
Mat Rogers: 6'0 85kg
Clyde Rathbone: 5'11 93kg

The backline that won in 2001 was massive!

All heights and weights from ESPNscrum.

 

[Viking]

I guess the difference is the big players back in that era still had a great amount of skill. Seems these days its either one or the other and not both.

 

[Braveheart81]

I guess the difference is the big players back in that era still had a great amount of skill. Seems these days its either one or the other and not both.

I guess the guys who managed to combine both like Mortlock or Roff are all time Wallaby greats.

That said, I think the game is highly skilful now. Defences are incredibly well organised and for most teams, offloading in contact is the best way to break down excellent defences.

I don't think we ever saw the level of offloading previously that we have today and it certainly takes an enermous amount of skill.

 

[Scrubber2050]

Reckon nowdays players whether big or not so big probably have greater skills than those who have worn the jersey before.

Suppose it is the age old argument comparing players from different eras.

 

[Pfitzy]

Certainly the Tahs players are more skilled than they've ever been.

 

[FilthRugby]

All Blacks 2001 side wasn't too shabby height and weight wise as well.

9. Kelleher 1.75 and 95kgs
10. Mehrtens 1.78 and 89 kgs
12. Alatini 179cm and 90 kgs
13. Umaga 1.88 and 102 kgs
11. Lomu 196 and 120 kgs
14. Howlett 185 and 93 kgs
15. Macdonald 181cm and 96 kgs.

(Note: some players have out on weight when measured last, I.e. (Kelleher, Umaga and Howlett.)

I suppose Jonah really does push the average up, haha!

 

[KOB1987]

I think it's a perception thing from my point of view..I'm the same size as Matt Burke (as per the above specs) and have stood next to all of those blokes bar Latham and none of them struck me as huge. But I'm a forward and it's because I don't regard myself as a big forward I guess. In 1991 we won a country premiership with a backline in which everyone from 10-15 was around my size, 2 were both taller and heavier. So having never played at the elite level obviously I think I always just assumed the backs were heaps bigger than those blokes!

 

[Train Without a Station]

Barring exceptions, generally I find professionals are never as big in person as they seem. I was talking to Scott Higginbotham late last year. At about 178cm and 92kg I'm not giant but he certainly wasn't towering over me imposingly. I could have swore that Colby Fainga'a if anything was smaller than me also. Luke Jones looked like an absolutely monster though.

I wouldn't be surprised that on the majority of players these figures listed are bumped up a little much like they do for professional wrestling.

 

[KOB1987]

I reckon you are right because I thought I was bigger than Burke..not significantly though.

 

[Train Without a Station]

But it seems to work both ways. I'm deadest certain Lloyd Johansson for example is even fatter in person!

 

[Braveheart81]

I had a photo at the start of the year with KB (Kurtley Beale), Ben Volavola and Mitch Chapman.

My Dad commented that I should be playing rugby because I was bigger than Beale and Volavola.

My reply was that Mitch Chapman made me look tiny and that was the position I played as a kid!

I remember as a junior at Easts (I would have been about 13) seeing Tom Bowman down at the club who had just become a Wallaby and I just couldn't believe how big he was.

I reckon locks are the only football players who are genuinely massive humans.

 

[Slim 293]

I used to work on a lot of live crosses with Brumbies players for the Rugby Club out of Canberra years ago, and I've never seen a set of guns as big as Mark Chisholm's.........