Dream Team: Ben Pienaar – Moseley and former Leicester back-row

1. Graham Rowntree – Just a wise old head who’s been there, done that, and knows what’s happening in the front row much more than me. Now a fantastic coach.
2. Mefin Davies – When at Leicester, he was the scrum. He could tell you what was going on, how to fix things and again is a very wise man. He never got injured either so was always there.
3. Dan Cole – You won’t get a better tighthead at the moment. He’s up there with the best in the world and a safe bet for the Lions tour.
4. Jon Phillips – I played with him at Bedford Blues. He might not set the world on fire with his skills but he would always do the job for you in the second row. Mr Reliable.
5. Leo Cullen – A very underrated player who could run your lineout all day long. I don’t understand why he’s been overlooked by Ireland in his career. If it were up to me I would have picked him every time.
6.  Richard Hill – Whenever he played lots of people would say ‘What’s Richard Hill doing?’ but when you properly watch him he does everything for you. The Silent Assassin, that’s how I saw him.
7. Shane Jennings – When he was at Leicester he used to teach me a thing or two at the breakdown. Fantastic over the ball and used to school me in training. The odd trick here and there, all legal of course!
8. Henry Tuilagi – There is no better man to get you good, quick go-forward ball than Henry. Totally and utterly destructive.
9.  Julien Dupuy – Gets the nod purely because of his French flair. He was useful with the boot and if the team needs a bit of a spark, you know he’ll provide it for you.
10. Ruan Pienaar – He might not be the biggest bloke but he sure does put himself about. Can win you a game and orchestrate things from nine or 10 he’s that good.
11. Alesana Tuilagi – Size and power in abundance and he’s very quick for a big man. He changed the Premiership and is a big loss to the league.
12. Daryl Gibson – Again, a very wise head. He could just see different things on the pitch and suggest playing a certain pattern, using this person or that person. Always useful to crash a ball up as well.
13. Seru Rabeni – I’ve gone for size in my team. With his step and aggression you can’t get a better centre pairing than him and Daryl. Not many people would be getting through.
14. Declan O’Donnell – I played against him in the RFU Championship XV v NZ Maori game. Only 21 but he’s just rapid, has got great feet and exciting to watch. He was brilliant in the sevens in NZ. I see him as a future All Black.
15. Geordan Murphy – He has to be my man in the sky. A safe pair of hands and he’s been there and done it all. For an old man he’s still got that step. Maybe leave the old man comment out…