DREAMTEAM
MURRAY M cCALLUM, THE NEWCASTLE AND FORMER SCOTLAND, EDINBURGH AND WORCESTER PROP, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE HAS PLAYED WITH…
1. Rory Sutherland – One of the most aggressive loose-heads around, never gives his opposite number an easy day at the office. Good fun on and off the pitch.
2. Ross Ford – I’ve never felt so safe in a scrum at the start of my career as when I was with Fordy. A man-mountain with an impeccable rig. It was a close call between him and another incredible player, Stuart McInally, and Neil Cochrane, an unsung hero.
3. Zander Fagerson – Surely a shoo-in for a Test Lions spot. Z is a proper 80-minute prop. Received plenty of plaudits at an early age and has backed that up with his performances. We grew up playing together.
4. Alun Wyn Jones – Played with him for the Barbarians, which was pretty sick, and I’ve also played against him. Very wise and smart and a big fella, you don’t want to be banged off him. A lot of fun. Lewis Carmichael would have got in otherwise.
5. Grant Gilchrist – Someone you’d much rather have on your side. Gives you absolute beans in the scrum. A fantastic second row.
6. Ted Hill – That man, he’d be in the gym after an 80-minute shift at the weekend hammering it out. An adonis, he got asked to model for a high-end fashion brand when he was 19.
7. Jamie Ritchie – A leader and fantastic player. I’ve known him since I was 14. I’d have Hamish Watson on the bench. Also, it feels wrong to leave John Hardie out of the conversation.
8. Viliame ‘Bill’ Mata – We play his new club Bristol first game of the season and it’s lucky for us he won’t be playing now he’s sadly picked up an injury. I had told the guys we need two men on him because if we hit him high, he’ll bounce you and if you chop him and no one goes high, he’ll offload. Abraham Papali’I and Magnus Bradbury come a close second.
9. George Horne – Played with him at school and U20 level, similar to Z and Jamie. He is someone that can really light up a game. Great game-manager and a complete player, plus he’s good on the beer.
10. Damian McKenzie – I played in the same Barbarians team as him. Flair personified. An absolute chiller off the field, horizontal even.
11. Duhan van der Merwe – Give the man the ball and he’ll score a try. An easy selection. A lot of fun off the pitch, too. He Graham van der Merwe takes his nickname ‘Donald’ in good heart (after Donald Trump because of the blond quiff).
12. Levi Aumua – Crusaders and New Zealand XV player. One of the most powerful men I have ever played with (for the Barbarians).
13. Ollie Lawrence – Injured half the time at Worcester but has been sensational for Bath and is making the England midfield spot his own. An absolute battering ram but can also get his hands free and distribute.
Him and Levi could easily interchange between 12 and 13. Good fun off the pitch.
14. Darcy Graham – Sensational and rounds off my little and large wing combination. Can beat defenders in the proverbial phone box. Honourable mentions to current team-mate Adam Radwan and one of the skinniest men I’ve ever met, Tom Brown, who won his one Scotland cap in the 9-8 win over Australia in Perth and was a sensational club man.
15. Blair Kinghorn – Was chucked about at 10 and 15 for quite a few years and gave his absolute all wherever he played. Has grabbed his opportunity with Toulouse with both hands. centre Helena Rowland
