2025 The Silver Fern Team of the Year
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B booboo pinned this topic on
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Great engagement with the TSF TOTY Brand!
Cut through with our valued stakeholders is strong, and we value your participation in this iconic annual (mostly) celebration of the best players in this year's test match calendar.
Just a reminder to jump on the nomination threads in the Fernies forum. https://forum.silverfern.rugby/category/69/fernies
I'll add any nominations from here, including those who made the assorted published combined teams.
I'll try and get the polls up toward the end of the week.
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@booboo said in 2025 The Silver Fern Team of the Year:
Great engagement with the TSF TOTY Brand!
Cut through with our valued stakeholders is strong, and we value your participation is this iconic annual (mostly) celebration of the best players in this year's test match calendar.
Just a reminder to jump on the nomination threads in the Fernies forum. https://forum.silverfern.rugby/category/69/fernies
I'll add any nominations from here, including those who made the assorted published combined teams.
I'll try and get the polls up toward the end of the week.
Excellent work so far @booboo. Maybe @Virgil should take note ?
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@Mr-Fish said in 2025 The Silver Fern Team of the Year:
A pretty good team, to be honest. Strongly disagree with Jordan at fullback but otherwise, no obvious issues. Beirne and Kolbe maybe a little controversial.
Will Jordan living rent free in Boneseys head.
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@Canes4life said in 2025 The Silver Fern Team of the Year:
My 1st XV for the year:
- Ox Niche (South Africa)
- Malcolm Marx (South Africa)
- Thomas Du Toit (South Africa)
- Maro Itoje (England)
- RG Snyman (South Africa)
- Pieter Steph-Du Toit (South Africa)
- Pablo Matera (Argentina)
- Harry Wilson (Australia)
- Cam Roigard (New Zealand)
- Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (South Africa)
- Louie Bielle-Biarrey (France)
- Len Ikitau (Australia)
- Huw Jones (Scotland)
- Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa)
- Damian Willemse (South Africa)
Excellent team ! Maybe Earl or Wiese instead of Wilson.
Here is my becnh :- Sheahan (Ireland)
- Fischetti (Italy)
- Louw (SA)
- Holland (NZ)
- McReight (Australia)
- Gibson-Parkes (Ireland)
- Carreras (Argentina)
- Kriel (SA)
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@MN5 said in 2025 The Silver Fern Team of the Year:
@booboo said in 2025 The Silver Fern Team of the Year:
Great engagement with the TSF TOTY Brand!
Cut through with our valued stakeholders is strong, and we value your participation is this iconic annual (mostly) celebration of the best players in this year's test match calendar.
Just a reminder to jump on the nomination threads in the Fernies forum. https://forum.silverfern.rugby/category/69/fernies
I'll add any nominations from here, including those who made the assorted published combined teams.
I'll try and get the polls up toward the end of the week.
Excellent work so far @booboo. Maybe @Virgil should take note ?
mate you just made the list..
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Nominations closed.
Polls posted in Fernies sub-forum https://forum.silverfern.rugby/category/69/fernies
Vote away.
Closing, I don't know, maybe after Christmas when I've got some time off.
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In a final indictment on the All Blacks’ 2025 season only one New Zealander has made it into this year’s prestigious TheSilverfern.Rugby’s Team of the Year.
Renowned fan website The Silver Fern (TSF), whose members pride themselves on awesome analysis, correct conclusions, infinite insight, and being right about pretty much everything (or something along those lines), has recently concluded the voting process for the completed calendar year, and delivered a team dominated by six South Africans. Three Frenchman, one Englishman and one Scotsman represent the Six Nations, and even Australia managed three selections.
The TOTY, run by TSF since 2005 is traditionally dominated by New Zealanders, including many who actually play for the All Blacks. Records for the 16 team announcements in that period until 2024 (for whatever reason records are not available for 2014, and for the period 2017 through 2020, probably due to laziness or incompetence, but more likely both), show that in that time NZ has dominated the voting providing 122 of 228 players, South Africa a distant second with 31.
New Zealand’s previous least number of selections was three in 2022.
This year Cam Roigard, reflecting his on-field performances, saved New Zealand’s blushes, heading off ex-pat countryman Jamison Gibson-Park, representing Ireland, by a single vote.
The all-Springbok front row of Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx and Thomas du Toit lay the foundations for the team’s attack, backed by two-thirds of the loose-forward trio, blindside flanker Pieter-Steph di Toit and No.8 Jasper Wiese.
South Africa’s new Wunderkind, first five-eighth Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, runs the cutter outside Roigard.
Somewhat surprisingly SFM is the only South African back to make the team, partly explained by the inclusion of France’s slick back three, Thomas Ramos at fullback, and wingers Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Pernaud (left and right respectively).
Hugh Jones at centre is only the second Scotsman to make a TOTY team (backing up his mid-field partner Sione Mc Tuipulotu from the year prior).
Australia, despite what turned out to be a quite miserable season, provide three players to this year’s team. Few however can quibble at the selected trio, particularly following the Wallabies fight back in the Lions series, and their come-from behind thrashing of the Bokke at Ellis Park, with Fraser McReight the standout openside doing the rounds, and Len Ikitau similarly conspicuous.
Will Skelton’s presence, or at times lack thereof, was a defining feature of Australia’s season. The difference in performance when he was actually available reflected in his and his compatriots' selection.
Maro Itoje rounds out the XV. In contrast to Australia, only one-player selected from a team unbeaten since the opening Six Nations is somewhat perplexing, and is probably down to a number of factors, including the dominance of the Boks, and in particular a lack of a clear fist XV, in particulat the evolvement of the Pom-Squad of loose-forwards stealing votes from each other.
Of course in a year where they dominated, the team is to be coached for the second year running by Springbok mentor Rassie Erasmus. Despite losing two of their matches it was the nature of the wins that stood out.
As we look forward to the 2026 Six Nations kicking of the Test year in little over a month we can look forward to a new TSF TOTY sometime around Christmas.
Details of the history of selections will be included in following posts.
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Sterling work
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@Duluth said in 2025 The Silver Fern Team of the Year:
@booboo said in 2025 The Silver Fern Team of the Year:
In a final indictment on the All Blacks’ 2025 season only one New Zealander has made it
I guess a second xv would not have many either? 2 or 3?
It's on the lap top, will have a look tomorrow (actually still in the threads if you really feel like looking), but top of my head:
Groot
Taylor
Holland
ClarkeWill confirm.
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@booboo said in 2025 The Silver Fern Team of the Year:
@Duluth said in 2025 The Silver Fern Team of the Year:
@booboo said in 2025 The Silver Fern Team of the Year:
In a final indictment on the All Blacks’ 2025 season only one New Zealander has made it
I guess a second xv would not have many either? 2 or 3?
It's on the lap top, will have a look tomorrow (actually still in the threads if you really feel like looking), but top of my head:
Groot
Taylor
Holland
ClarkeWill confirm.
Jordie Barrett tied 2nd with de Allende at 12. But way off the pace.
And just a little more on that ... of the "People's Favourites":
- Will Jordan one vote.
- Ardie Savea not nominated.
Haterzz
