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Brodie Retallick: World Rugby’s Player of 2014
Published: January 2, 2015
Except when that man is Brodie Retallick and when he has had a year like the one just passed.
Unlike the anointment of his coach Steve Hansen as coach of the year, it is just about impossible to quibble with the naming of the young New Zealand second row as the best player on the planet in 2014.
Here’s a breakdown of why he deserves it.
Super stats
Retallick had a strong campaign in Super Rugby with the Chiefs, playing in 16 matches and averaging over nine tackles per game. He took 42 lineout catches, which doesn’t put him in the top ten for that area of the game, but that is not where the 23-year-old is most valuable.
Retallick’s hunger for carrying the ball is what sets him apart. He did that 116 times during the 16-game season for a total distance of 327 metres, more than any other Test lock playing in the competition.
A first for the second row
In being named World Rugby’s Player of the Year, Retallick is the first lock to be awarded the accolade since it was introduced. When you consider the likes of John Eales, Martin Johnson and Paul O’Connell have never won it, Retallick’s achievement from the engine room of the scrum is a significant one.
Summer performances
New Zealand hosted England for a three-Test series in the summer, and Retallick was outstanding in all three matches.
In the first, he ran for 44 metres with the ball, making him the second furthest ball carrier in the entire team, per ESPNScrum.com. In the third Test, his defence came to the fore with eight tackles.
Those numbers don’t portray the quality of his performances, though. When England attacked close to the r...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Rugby Union
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