Munster - Who's Boss and who's Toss

[jezzer]

In the spirit of the week that's in it and the building buzz, how's about your 3 favourite Munster players of the pro era and the 3 you can't stand.

To kick off:

Boss:

1) Quinny (Feckin legend. Hated seeing him on the other team. Sort of a panto villain, sometimes crossed the line, but a brilliant player behind it and always seems like a great bloke)
2) Halstead (Did his best to make the Munster backline into...ehm... a backline)
3) POC (Because POC. In 3rd because of his antics with the boot vs Leinster)

Toss
1) ROG (Reading his name here on the screen makes me grit my teeth. It's irrational I know but...)
2) Axel Foley (The world's greatest rugby brain (TM) encased in goose fat and crackling.)
3) Anthony Horgan (the other Horgan, you know, the sh!t ginger one)

[Dave Cahill]

I'd agree with your three Boss players, always enjoyed watching both Rua Tipoki, Shaun Payne and John Kelly also

[simonokeeffe]

Howlett, Stringer, Quinny

Horan, Mafi, Horan

[jezzer]

I'd agree with your three Boss players, always enjoyed watching both Rua Tipoki, Shaun Payne and John Kelly also

Save your restraint for another week, Daithi!

[jezzer]

Howlett, Stringer, Quinny

Horan, Mafi, Horan

I thought about Dougie, but because he never really got near what he produced in NZ as a winger from an attacking pov, I always felt he was a bit of a letdown, despite the hard work and dependability etc.

[OTT]

Boss:

1) POC, warrior, class player, dragged teams up with him (Munster and Ireland).
2) Stringer, you don't have to have a good pass to be scrum half but when you do it is bloody great to watch, still standing to him to this day.
3) David Wallace, just an absolute beast of an athlete. Could play just about anywhere.

Langford and Williams were pretty boss as well.

Toss:

1) Horan, dirty cheap shot merchant.
2) Mafi, to many clothesline tackles, cheap shots.
3) Ronan, stupid 'cheap pop' comments about Leinster and the organisation and subsequently couldn't back them up with his performances on the pitch.

[simonokeeffe]

Howlett, Stringer, Quinny

Horan, Mafi, Horan

I thought about Dougie, but because he never really got near what he produced in NZ as a winger from an attacking pov, I always felt he was a bit of a letdown, despite the hard work and dependability etc.

I like him as a bloke and he was in the haka v NZ so he gets serious love for that

[Dave Cahill]

I'd agree with your three Boss players, always enjoyed watching both Rua Tipoki, Shaun Payne and John Kelly also

Save your restraint for another week, Daithi!

Not so much restraint as I don't want to waste the mental processor cycles on the other sort. I'm quite happy to sit here staring into space and thinking about good rugby players who weren't wocious little bollixes

[Peg Leg]

Radge has his place reserved in some kind of alternate dimension or portal where his bizarro exists, both to be loved and loathed in equal measure.

Boss:
1) Hayes
2) POC
3) DO'C/Quinlan/Wallace or at a stretch Warwick

Toss:
1) Ronan/Conway
2) Botha
3) M'.O'D

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Hope Axel doesn't see this thread...he'll think his Excel files have leaked again.

[cormac]

Denis Leamy deserves his place amongst the tossers for his constant off-the-ball niggle in games against us. Marcus Horan, same as Leamy, but also for constantly getting away with collapsing scrums.

[Dirk Stickler]

Boss
POC
Jerry Flannery
David Wallace

Toss
Ian Dowling
Johne Murphy
Andrew Conway

“The lovely Munster passion is sooo much more passionate than the passion at Leinster, which is passion but not really passion. Oh and the pride…”

You were never good enough for Leinster. Simple as.

[BlueStreak]

Boss
David Wallace (great player and all round good guy)
POC (just coz)
Barry Murphy (Classy centre + quality singer/musician)

Toss
Mafi (cheap shot merchant)
Horan (see above)
Foley (just don't like his attitude)

[simonokeeffe]

Am glad to see the hate being shown for Horan and Mafi

Sidenote a comedy colleague once threw Anthony Horgan down a flight of stairs for trying to get fresh with his girl

[riocard911]

Say what you like about RO'G, but I remember a minor but revealing episode, when they beat us in the Celtic League Final in Thomond in 2011: After the final whistle the Munster lads were lining up to get their winners medal and RO'G ran over to the sideline to get a former player of their's, who was in a wheelchair with some disease and who would die shortly after - sorry I can't remember his name. Anyhow RO'G was the one, who pushed the wheelchair out onto the pitch, put your man in with the rest of them in front of dais and generally looked after him and made him part of the victory. That for me was PURE CLASS. If you can take care of the less fortunate, while you're flying high, then that's something, IMO.

[Dave Cahill]

Am glad to see the hate being shown for Horan and Mafi

Sidenote a comedy colleague once threw Anthony Horgan down a flight of stairs for trying to get fresh with his girl

The player the once infamous Hooker Larkin nicknamed 'The Slug'

[molloyjh]

Say what you like about RO'G, but I remember a minor but revealing episode, when they beat us in the Celtic League Final in Thomond in 2011: After the final whistle the Munster lads were lining up to get their winners medal and RO'G ran over to the sideline to get a former player of their's, who was in a wheelchair with some disease and who would die shortly after - sorry I can't remember his name. Anyhow RO'G was the one, who pushed the wheelchair out onto the pitch, put your man in with the rest of them in front of dais and generally looked after him and made him part of the victory. That for me was PURE CLASS. If you can take care of the less fortunate, while you're flying high, then that's something, IMO.

Paul Derbyshire. He was their strength and conditioning coach who suffered from Motor Neuron disease.

[riocard911]

Thanks, molloyjh.

[molloyjh]

2) Axel Foley (The world's greatest rugby brain (TM) encased in goose fat and crackling.)

Boss:

1) Wallace
2) POC
3) Hayes

Toss:

1) Horan (want to have him in all 3 slots if I'm honest!)
2) Mafi
3) Sheahan (although I probably have him there for his post playing career antics in the commentary box, specifically his MOTM awards)

[hugonaut]

Boss:
1] Wallace - simply an outstanding rugby player and athlete. A world class player.
2] O'Connell - same as above, but also a superb captain and leader.
3] Hayes - unbelievably hard-working and durable. An absolute man-mountain in every respect.

Honourable mentions:

Dutchy Holland, John Kelly, Mick O'Driscoll, Peter Stringer