The former Bristol, Newcastle and Ealing Trailfinders back rower, chooses his best XV he has played with or against…
1. Ellis Genge – Even at a young age you could see he would go far. He’s a ball of raw power and the perfect attitude for a modern day player. It was great to see him get the England captaincy. I’d have to have Wayne Thompson as his understudy. He made more than 150 appearances for Bristol and brought so many laughs and smiles during my career – although most of which he was oblivious to.
2. Ross Johnson – Body like a melted wheely bin but 100 per cent dependable for Bristol. He rarely missed a dart and always put his body on the line.
3. Darren Crompton – The rock. Not very often the Bristol scrum would go back with DC at 3. Also added a lot to team culture. The team joker. Another who made 150+ appearances for Bristol and won an England cap.
4. Simon Shaw – A lineout maestro and beast on the pitch but absolute gent off it. How he kept going for so long and at such a high level without dropping his standard is beyond belief, especially as he played in one of the most physically confrontational positions. Started at Bristol and went on to great things at Wasps and with England.
5. Sébastien Chabal – A physical neanderthal with knuckles that seemed to drag along the floors. Not a pretty site running at you five metres from your try line.
6. Mark Wilson – Unbelievable athlete, with an insatiable work rate and a huge chin. He was just coming through at the Falcons when I was there.
7. Chevvy Pennycook – The best ‘all-rounder’ back row I have played with. Had the skillset of a 10, ball-carrying prowess of an elusive 12, and a solid tackler to boot. Obviously learnt it all from me!
8. Dan Ward Smith – The attributes of an Olympic sprinter and power lifter. He was formidable off the back of a scrum for Bristol. One of the quickest to ever pick up off the base.
9. Dimitri Yachvili – Played against him once, I was stuck at the bottom of a ruck and he smiled at me and then punched me square in face. Brilliant kicker – out of hand and off the tee – as well as being an absolute feisty nuisance.
10. Jimmy Gopperth – Calm and collected, ‘Sponge Bob’ was and still is a class act. Like Shawsy, not many have played as many games as Jimmy and very few have played as consistently to such a high standard.
11. David Lemi – He was a magician, he could fit through impossible gaps and score wonder tries from nothing.
12. Jack Adams – The late Jack Adams had so much vision and skill as well as being a very well balanced runner with a turn of pace. A great character in the Bristol changing room as well.
13. Alaifatu Junior Fatialofa – Dynamic ball carrier who, on his day, could cut through defences like a hot knife through butter. He was also not shy when it came to tackling.
14. Lee Robinson – “Horse Boy” was a freak of nature, very quick and hard to stop when he was at full gallop when his head was on.
15. Mike Brown – Very competitive and tough to play against. Never backed down. Weirdly always seemed to smell of aftershave during the game!
