Dream Team: Joe Simpson – Wasps and England Saxons scrum-half

1. Soane Tonga’uiha – When he was at his peak at Northampton three or four years ago he was the best ball carrier in the league. A man mountain.
2. Trevor Leota – I first met him when I was coming through at Wasps and I never thought a human being could be this big. Walking into the club and seeing someone this wide was just mind blowing.
3. Phil Vickery – A World Cup winner who was just huge for the Wasps scrum. A great ball carrier in his earlier days, too.
4. Simon Shaw – I’m picking a pack full of big guys and they don’t come much bigger than Simon.
5. Joe Launchbury – He’s been performing at the highest level since breaking into the team at 20. Will be at the forefront for Wasps in years to come.
6. James Haskell – Playing out of his skin at the moment. Re-catching the form he had when he first broke into the England team which has a lot to do with him being captain at Wasps. It brought a huge sense of responsibility to him.
7. Tom Rees – The best player I’ve played with. His career was brutally cut short but what he did in such a short career was phenomenal. Would be up there with the world’s greatest opensides by now.
8. Sebastien Chabal – I made my starting debut against Sale and he was unbelievable. A real presence around the field. I made sure I was nowhere near when he was running with the ball.
9. Justin Marshall – I was lucky enough to play against him. Great at marshalling the troops and had an unbelievable drive. Something I’m trying to emulate now.
10. Danny Cipriani – Went off the boil for a few years but in his early days, and even now, he was such a threat with ball in hand. Moves the team well around the park.
11. Tom Varndell – A world-class try-scorer who somehow always manages to get over the line. Will be missed at Wasps when he joins Bristol not only on the pitch but off it.
12. Luke McAlister – Another one I faced on my debut and the things he could do with the ball were fantastic. A beast physically as well.
13. Elliot Daly – Still young but he’s done so much for Wasps already. In a league that is all about physicality he brings finesse and pace in abundance. There’s a lot more to come from him.
14. Christian Wade – Refuses to get tackled! I don’t know how he does it being so small.
15. Josh Lewsey – Maybe a better option on the wing because I wouldn’t want him to kick the ball but his never-say-die attitude and his passion are the reasons I picked him.