Dream Team: Nick Easter Harlequins and former England No.8
2. Tani Fuga – We played together for a long time at Quins and always seemed to be on the same wavelength. He would run great lines and was great to play alongside.
3. Mike Ross – You need to have someone in the team to laugh at and Mike fits the bill. He aslo did a very good job at Quins to force his way into the Ireland reckoning.
4. Simon Shaw – A one-man maul-wrecking machine. It’s incredible to think he’s still going strong and he has great skills for a big man.
5. Victor Matfield – Every time I played against him he ruled the airwaves, never more so than in the World Cup final in 2007. We just couldn’t get the ball off him. He was also a real athlete, especially in his younger days.
6. Juan Smith – Absolutely outstanding for South Africa, especially at the 2007 World Cup, and even in what was a great team, he was the one who was most missed if he was injured.
7. Steffon Armitage – He gave us more problems than anyone else over the ball. I remember the Premiership semi-final in 2009 where we just couldn’t stop him. Also not bad with ball in hand.
8. Imanol Harinordoquy – Not someone who you think ‘watch out’ but he’s involved so much for France. He’s great in the lineout and is always in the right place at the right time, that’s not by luck.
9. Fourie du Preez – It’s difficult to leave out Danny Care but du Preez ran the show when South Africa won the World Cup. He’s got incredible pace and his decision- making is outstanding.
10. Nick Evans – I can’t leave him out after all he’s done at Harlequins. One of the few players who has come up to the Northern Hemisphere and improved. His kicking is brilliant and he’s still got his pace as well.
11. James O’Connor – I don’t have a great deal of kicking in my backline so I’ll stick O’Connor on the wing. He has an unbelievable ability to get himself out of trouble.
12. Seilala Mapusua – He had an incredible offload and made lots of space for his teammates when at London Irish. He also packed quite a punch for a small guy.
13. Mathieu Bastareaud – He’s a big man and very difficult to stop when he gets going. He has some incredible skills as well and was brilliant in 2010 for France when they won the Grand Slam.
14. Sailosi Tagicakibau – The player at London Irish we have to pay the most attention to, he is outstanding on the wing and is so good at beating his man.
15. Jason Robinson – He could create something out of nothing and is a great guy as well. He never made a mistake which was because he was a total pro. He really had that X factor.
