Dream Team: Peter Short – former Leicester, Bath, Exeter and England Saxons lock

1. Dave Flatman – he was not afraid to put himself in the way, and was very aggressive on the pitch. He is also an incredibly funny and articulate guy off it.
2. Lee Mears – A difficult decision between Lee, Richard Cockerill,  and George Chuter. I’ll go for Lee. Quite small, he goes to show rugby is a game for all shapes and sizes. He was a fantastic ball carrier.
3. Darren Garforth – When he got injured in 1999, Leicester struggled. He loved playing the game, and did his job fantastically.
4. Danny Grewcock – He had a huge work rate and made a great second row partnership with Martin Johnson at Leicester. He’s quite into shooting and has a penchant for furry animals. If you ask him about it, his eyes light up.
5. Martin Johnson – A fantastic bloke and leader.  He’d get the bus to stop off on the way back from matches and buy everyone an ice cream or fish and chips. He was as physical as they come.
6. Andy Beattie – Unlucky with injuries, if he’d had a good run he could have gone further. It was great to have him in the team at Bath, he was always up for some fun.
7. Josh Kronfeld – I came across him at Leicester and he was an absolute dynamo  and also a world class guy.  Whether it was  playing the guitar or harmonica, he could turn his hand to anything.
8. Will Johnson – I played with him at Leicester and he was full of dynamism going forward. He had a different take on life and a great sense of humour.
9. Michael Claassens – I played with him at Bath and he had a fantastic defence and work rate and was  able to pick up the pace of any game. He also had a high opinion of his looks.
10. Butch James – Another with a fantastic work rate and with Michael alongside him at Bath it made for a great combination.
11. Freddie Tuilagi – The original Tuilagi, a big character who certainly brought something to the side. He had a great sense of humour and was a very colourful character.
12. Pat Howard – In the Leicester side you have the grunt but he was the brains. He was nuggety and tough and would try his hand from anywhere on the pitch.
13. Dave Lougheed – Dave was the great big Canadian slab of meat. He was so strong he could wrestle a bear.
14. Geordan Murphy – A great servant for Leicester, he had that do-or-die attitude running through him. For such a slight guy he was fantastic, with an amazing set of skills.
15. Tim Stimpson – During the successful time at Leicester, he was one of those who really stood out. He was a great thinker about the game.