Barry Everitt, the former Munster, Leinster, London Irish and Northampton fly-half chooses the best XV he has played with or against
1. Gary Halpin –A legendary player who sadly passed away this year. Terrific anchor with indepth knowledge of the arts of the front row. A true gentleman on the field and wonderfully entertaining off it. A must, in any touring side.
2. Dylan Hartley – A fantastic leader at Saints; very skilful and uncompromising. No better person to have on your side in a tight spot.
3. Neal Hatley – Had all the qualities of a modern front rower. Dynamic in the loose, extremely solid in the set-piece and an incredible work rate.
4. Courtney Lawes –Carries and tackles as well as any back rower. Great lineout option, is mobile and a real asset to the front five.
5. Bob Casey – My captain for a long time at Irish. He was a brilliant motivator, a real professional when analysing the opposition and hugely competitive. A superb lineout operator.
6. Trevor Brennan – A tough, unyielding competitor on the field, balanced with a great sense of humour off it.
7. Olivier Magne – Read the game incredibly well, it seemed like everyone had to work harder than he did to get to the same place. His only flaw was his fashion sense.
8. Dave Wallace –A fast, explosive ball carrier. Well-respected by everybody, he always played better as the match intensified.
9. Paul Hodgson – We still work together at Cranmore School so I had to pick him! Lightningquick off the mark, agile and elusive in attack. He marshalled the pack and was incredibly committed in defence.
10. Mike Catt – Equally classy in midfield but I’m giving him a run out at 10. A fantastic distributor and a real visionary, with all the skills to match. I’d love to see him get this backline moving.
11. Topsy Ojo – Record try-scorer for London Irish. He was deceptively strong in the contact area which allowed him to slip tackles. Give him a chance and he would find the try line.
12. Seilala Mapusua – His ability to read the game and his skill set were top level. If he couldn’t find the space, he would make it. Always breached the gainline and immensely strong in the tackle.
13. Brian O’Driscoll – One of the best centres of all-time, in attack, defence, reading the game and playmaking. Could see space and had the pace to exploit it.
14. Chris Ashton – Saw him score with his first touch in Union for Saints against London Welsh in 2007. Never short of confidence, he developed into a real try poacher.
15. Conor O’Shea – He would be a huge asset in the modern-day aerial battle. Safe pair of hands under the high ball and a powerful runner. He read the game exceptionally well and led by example.
