Dream Team: Mark Robinson – former All Blacks, Saints and Wasps scrum-half
2. Anton Oliver – He captained me with the All Blacks and I’ve also played a lot against him. He believed so passionately about the All Blacks jersey.
3. Carl Hayman – He had hollow legs when it came to drink. He was one of the best tightheads in the world even if he was of a slightly different mould.
4. Simon Shaw – Peter Pan. He just got better the older he got. The ultimate lock, he was 6ft10in but could demolish driving mauls.
5. Ian Jones – He took me under his wing when I played for the Chiefs. He was very uncompromising, demanding a lot from his players, and would be ready to abuse you if you didn’t do what he expected.
6. Richard Hill – I played against him a number of times and he just had such a presence. He did so much off the ball.
7. Richie McCaw – What he has achieved personally and for the All Blacks has been great. He has been compared to some of the legends like Sean Fitzpatrick and he is one of the best leaders.
8. Zinzan Brooke – He set the standards for No.8s. He offered more than a standard pick up and run. He had the skills and the reverse pass and he just seemed to be one or two steps ahead of you.
9. Byron Kelleher – He would say the most stupid things and believe they were correct. He was also the first person to break my nose when he hit me with an elbow when I was trying to tackle him.
10. Carlos Spencer – He invented things that no one had thought of, like bouncing the ball off the knee for the no-look pass. He was so skilful and fast and he had the talent to pull it off.
11. Jonah Lomu – One of the first superstars and millionaires of the game. He was also very generous. I was on a bus with the team with no music so he went and bought a 500 dollar boom box so we had something to listen to.
12. Walter Little – A phenomenally talented, skilful player, one of the best midfield players in the world.
13. Frank Bunce – The defensive backbone of the All Blacks who set the tone with his uncompromising style. Frank and Walter loved taking young juniors under their wing and introducing them to the drinking and social side of rugby.
14. Jeff Wilson – He had such an array of skill and speed and was such a talented player.
15. Christian Cullen – Just the natural speed of him and the way he cut through defensive lines was amazing. We always had a bit of a laugh, more at him than with him.
