15 Matt Burke - in my mind, the best all-around rugby player of his time. Had everything - balance, pace, strength, and smarts. Could kick a bit too and broke many All Black hearts with that right boot.

14 Jeff Wilson - girly-boy blond locks floating on the gale of the wash as he cuts the wind. What a player.

13 Tana Umaga - hard as nails, gets stuck in, and looks like the Lion from the Wizard of Oz. Perfect combination of attributes.

12 Tim Horan - the maestro, with a knee built from plywood and a head about as pretty.

11 David Campese - every team needs a back who is so far up themselves you can't help hating them. This is your man.

10 Hugo Porta - have seen very little footage of this man's play, but according to all reports he was sublime in a time where Puma rugby was just moving up.

9 Agustin Pichot - completing the Argie halves pairing, this guy is dynamite behind his massive forward pack

8 Lawrence Dallaglio - the sort of dirty bastard you need to join the fight with onfield, and have a beer and a laff with afterwards.

7 Simon Poidevin - played hard, and often on the borderline between "fair" and "prick". Comes from being a blood-nut I suppose....

6 Owen Finegan - because this is turning out to be the most bastardly, niggly, penalty-prone back row ever...

5 John Eales (c) - had the pleasure of meeting the man once. Like Burke at FB, a superb all-rounder and from a young age helped redefine the lineout. Top bloke off the field too, despite the voice.

4 Martin Johnson (vc) - this was a hard one to choose, but he combines Eales' leadership and ability with the back row's niggle value, and I like that.

3 Ewen McKenzie - I just want to see which of he or Os can eat more. You know - compare the amateur to the professional.

2 Keith Wood - Fester is getting a lot of votes in this little "Select your XV" and why not? There's a lot to like about a bloke respected the world over for his set piece and running game.

1 Os du Randt - I've got a lot of time for the big bloke. A humble man with a lot of ability from what I've seen.

No honourable mentions - either you're good enough for my team, or you're not :)

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