2. Rory Best – Rory is a phenomenal scrummager and very aggressive around the park. I’m not sure what Warren Gatland is planning on doing, but I’d have him starting for the Lions if it was up to me.
3. Carl Hayman – I played against Carl when he was at Newcastle and his all-round game was incredible. A fantastic scrummager but also great around the park, you know as a prop that you’re in for a hard afternoon when he’s playing.
4. James Percival – One of my teammates at Worcester, he has a massive work-rate and is a really abrasive guy. He provides a lot of power and makes my job a lot easier in the scrum.
5. Lewis Stevenson – He was at Quins with me, and is now at Ulster and doing very well. He’s like Percy in many ways, but also a great lineout option. I’d have liked to have seen him get a chance for Ireland in the Six Nations.
6. Roger Wilson – Out of position, but I reckon Roger would do a good job at six. He’s a great ball-carrier and has fantastic offloading ability.
7. Stephen Ferris – Probably the best athlete I’ve played with in the forwards, Stephen has that X-factor. His pace is phenomenal and you can guarantee that he will get you over the gain line with his carrying.
8. Nick Easter – He’s got the all-round game. A tough, physical man with a huge work-rate for Quins.
9. Danny Care – Working well with Nick at No.8, I’ve got to get Danny in there. Lightning hands and lightning feet, he can give you something extra and change a game.
10. Nick Evans – Nev is pretty much the complete player. He’s got great distribution and vision, and despite not being the biggest guy, he’s also very solid in defence.
11. Tommy Bowe – His performances on the international stage speak for themselves. An incredibly talented guy and an outstanding finisher with the ability to do everything.
12. Yannick Jauzion – I played against him when he was at his peak and he was just a massive guy, really physical, but also with an incredible ability to offload.
13. George Lowe – George came through the ranks at Quins while I was there. He’s really strong, has good feet and I think we’ll see a lot more from him.
14. Gonzalo Camacho – I think of him as the rubber man, he just seems to be able to wriggle out of tackles. He’s only about 5ft 7in but he’s so powerful and almost impossible to stop.
15. Mike Brown – So safe under the high ball and can make something out of nothing to change a game. He’s also very abrasive and put everything on the line.