Dream Team: Marland Yarde – Harlequins, England and former London Irish wing

1. Clarke Dermody – I remember how big he was when I was coming through the London Irish academy. A former All Black who was a key figure in our front-row.
2. Dave Ward – For a man who’s not the biggest he’s one of the best. Great over the ball and like another openside on the pitch. Working hard on his set piece, too.
3. Kyle Sinckler – By far one of the most powerful men I’ve ever met. Surprisingly quick, too. I made a break against London Welsh last season only to find Kyle on my shoulder on the 22.
4. Bob Casey – Not the most dynamic player but one of the best in the business when it came to the set-piece. His ability to call the lineout and add his weight in the scrum was great.
5. Courtney Lawes – Different to Bob because of his dynamism. Devastating in defence despite his strange technique. He hit me a couple of times and I didn’t enjoy it that much.
6. Chris Robshaw – A workhorse who does a lot of the unseen work. He does all the dirty work whether that’s tackling or hitting those rucks.
7. Steffon Armitage – One of the best opensides in the world. He’s fast, dynamic and great over the ball. He was already very good at Irish but he’s got better at Toulon. Loves a try, too.
8. Kieran Read – Ridiculous skills. One of the best No.8s to have ever played the game. Very clinical and almost guaranteed to score a try.
9. Danny Care – Brings the tempo up on the field. Very fast and good passing. A danger to play against but, luckily, I’m playing with him more now.
10. Ian Humphreys – He was the fly-half at Irish when I first broke through. He brought me into the game a lot which gave me the opportunity to show what I could do.
11. Sailosi Tagicakibau – On his day he is a top player. Learnt a few things off him and especially the physical side of the game. I’m still trying to implement that today.
12. Matt Giteau – A great footballer who can slot in anywhere. A lot quicker than people anticipate. Sees the space and very good at exploiting it for the players around him.
13. George Lowe – Great player to play outside at Quins. Very underrated but works hard in defence and has a lot of speed, too.
14. Alesana Tuilagi – I played against him a couple of times and I didn’t enjoy when we didn’t find touch! He took a 20-metre run-up at me and I somehow had to get him down.
15. Delon Armitage – One of the best full-backs under the high ball. Very committed and, even though he might go over the top sometimes, he was a great player to have in our side at Irish.