The greatest World Rugby XV of all-time

Roar Pro

By James Mortimer, 6 Jan 2009 James Mortimer is a Roar Pro

Tagged:: All Blacks, Argentina, Auckland, Australia, David Campese, International Rugby, International Rugby Board, John Eales, John Kirwan, Jonah Lomu, Jonny Wilkinson, Mark Ella, Martin Johnson, Rugby Union, Serge Blanco, Springboks, Tana Umaga, The Springboks

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In 1823 William Webb Ellis disregarded the rules of football (at the time not separated into codes) and picked up the ball, thus giving birth to the origins of Rugby Union.

In 1871, England and Scotland played the first recorded international game, and after twelve years of “friendlies”, the inaugural home union’s championship was formed.

In 1886 the International Rugby Board was formed by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland and so began the beginnings of the great game we know today.

So what is the greatest rugby XV of all time? Impossible to ask, impossible to answer!

But for the risk of opening myself to endless questioning and debate, I shall attempt to do what no man has ever done before. Behold, the greatest XV of all time:

15 – Fullback: Serge Blanco – France 93 caps
Serge was the greatest attacking fullback of all time, and a gentleman on the field. He scored 38 tries, most of them from deep. Not as defensively brilliant as some 15s, he made the game look effortless.
RUNNER UP: Gavin Hastings – Scotland

14 – Wing: David Campese – Australia 101 caps
With a goose step and desire to attack at all costs, causing him to be a average defender and mistake maker. But when it worked, did it work! He dazzled his way to a world record 64 test tries.
RUNNER UP: John Kirwan – New Zealand

13 – Centre: Philippe Sella – France 111 caps
An attacker so stunning that few realised his defensive strength. A weaving magician who had the “strength of a bull and the touch of a piano player.” A Five Nations superman with 50 appearences.
RUNNER UP: Tana Umaga – New Zealand

12 – Centre: Tim Horan
With two World Cups – and 1999’s player of the tournament – and the lightest feet even seen. A great defender, brilliant pace, runner of the cleanest attack, and a great decision maker.
RUNNER UP: Will Carling – England

11 – Wing: Jonah Lomu – New Zealand 63 caps
Youngest man to wear the black jersey and the most unstoppable force ever seen in rugby. Became the first global rugby sensation – and singlehandedly ran through entire teams. Terrifying.
RUNNER UP: Gerald Davies – Wales

9 – Scrum Half: Gareth Edwards – Wales 53 caps
Edwards was regarded by many as the greatest player of all time, and the catalyst for the Welsh golden age. Won ten caps for the Lions with series victories over both the All Blacks and Springboks.
RUNNER UP: Joost van der Westhuizen – South Africa

10 – Flyhalf FOUR WAY TIE: Barry John – Wales, Hugo Porta – Argentina, Mark Ella – Australia, Jonny Wilkinson – England

8 – Number Eight: Mervyn Davies – Wales 38 caps
Played all of his matches consecutively and was the figure head of the Welsh pack of the 1970’s. Played in two victorious Lions tours, won two Grand slams and three triple crowns.
RUNNER UP: Brian Lochore – New Zealand

7 – Flanker: Michael Jones – New Zealand 55 caps
The Iceman revolutionised this position, following the ball religiously – while his faith famously prevented him playing Sundays. Regarded by purists as the finest flanker in the game’s history.
RUNNER UP: Wavell Wakefield – England

6 – Flanker: Francois Pienaar – South Africa 29 caps
Francois captained Transvaal to be Super 10 and Currie Cup champions in 1993 before marking the world by winning the 1995 World Cup. A man far beyond a rugby player with his global impact.
RUNNER UP: Graham Mourie – New Zealand

5 – Lock: Colin Meads – New Zealand 55 caps
Pinetree was the most devastating forward of his era, and visions of him with ball in one hand still would haunt many ex-players. A monster who could not be stopped, he is the iconic All Black
RUNNER UP: Willie-John Mcbride – Ireland

4 – Lock: John Eales – Australia 86 caps
The most successful Wallaby captain – and the highest points scoring forward in history. The iconic Queensland lock was the linchpin of the Australian golden age from 1999 into the new millennium.
RUNNER UP: Martin Johnson – England

3 – Prop: Jason Leonard – England 114 caps
The most durable prop of all time with three series appearances with the Lions, and responsible for anchoring what became the world’s strongest scrum leading up to a World Cup win in 2003.
RUNNER UP: David Sole – Scotland

2 – Hooker: Sean Fitzpatrick – New Zealand 92 caps
The most capped captain of New Zealand – 51 times. Sean is alongside Meads as the most influential All Black ever. Key for Auckland’s and New Zealand’s complete supremacy in the late 1990’s.
RUNNER UP: Keith Wood – Ireland

1 – Prop: Wilson Whineray – New Zealand 32 caps
One of the All Blacks’ most enduring captains, with 25 wins as leader – and probably the first rugby prop that could run with the pill, and play both sides of the scrum. An Enduring Kiwi icon.
RUNNER UP: Os du Randt – South Africa

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The Crowd Says (117) | Page 1 of Comments

LeftArmSpinner said | January 6th 2009 @ 6:38am | Report comment

james, I agree with most of your proposed team and runners up. However, I have to take you to task on a few players: Carling, Wilkinson, Pienaar.

Simply put, Carling was an average footballer, with an overinflated ego. Wilkinson is too one dimensional, particularly when compared to Mark Ella. Pienaar, and I’m thinking of a modern day 6 as a quasi second rower but more mobile, would not rank even with Elsom. There is no doubting his onfield leadership at a critical point in history but…..

Other than that, what a team!!!!

Reply
- shark said | January 1st 2010 @ 7:45am | Report comment
  
  carling v o driscoll no contest . this must b an english thing .
  
  Reply
- Braydon Whakamatua said | September 28th 2011 @ 12:01pm | Report comment
  
  I am only 16 years old and i live in New Zealand,so i dont know all these old school players but this is my best ever team…..
  
  1.Os Du Randt(RSA)
  
  2.Sean Fitzpatrick(NZ)-Vice Captain
  
  3.Carl Hayman(NZ)
  
  4.Martin Johnson(ENG)
  
  5.John Eales(AUS)-Captain
  
  6.Michael Jones(NZ)
  
  7.Richie McCaw(NZ)
  
  8.Zinzan Brooke(NZ)
  
  9.George Gregan(AUS)
  
  10.Dan Carter(NZ)-Kicker
  
  11.Jonah Lomu(NZ)
  
  12.Tana Umaga(NZ)
  
  13.Stirling Mortlock(AUS)
  
  14.Jeff Wilson(NZ)
  
  15.Chritian Cullen(NZ)
  
  Reply
sheek said | January 6th 2009 @ 7:22am | Report comment

James, James, James, James, James,

Sick of living? As you probably know, I love these types of exercises, but even I won’t dare go here!

It’s hard enough picking the best from one country, let alone the best from all countries combined. In cricket, at least you have averages to provide some clarity. But in rugby, it relies so much on perception, & your personal preference for the type of game played.

All great selections, but all contestable. Anyway, here are my anti-thoughts.

Fullback: The Welsh will demand JPR Williams. Even the Scots can’t decide between Hastings & Irvine. The Saffies reckon HO de Villiers was special. The Kiwis would insist on Cullen, or Gallagher, or Nepia, or Clarke…..

Winger: Did you ever see Duckham in the 1973 BaBas-ABs match? He had a sudestep that went from one side of the field to the other? Great top 4 selection, but there are so many others.

Centre: Carling & Umaga? Give yourself an uppercut for each…you’re kidding, right? Both good players, but not great. The Saffies will lynch you for omitting Gerber. Then there’s the Irish pair Gibson & O’Driscoll. And even Guscott was better than Carling.

Flyhalf: Pea-heart! 4 way-tie indeed. No guts! Personally, as an Aussie I would pick Ella. But as a world statesman, I would pick Porta. And the Welsh can’t even decide between Morgan, John & Bennett.

Scrumhalf: We all accept Edwards as if by rote learning. But is this really so? There are plenty of contenders, although he might still stand tallest.

Eightman: I reckon Zinzan Brooke changed the way this position was imagined & played. Always a useful starting point in determining a player’s greatness. And the Bok Muller was something very special.

Flanker: Michael Jones, yes but Pienaar no. You have forgotten Kirkpatrick. He’s first, & daylight second at blindside, except maybe for his predecessor Tremain. Did you know Jones, Pienaar & Mourie (your selections) are all opensiders? The French revere Rives. I would suggest Wakefield was perhaps more of a lock.

Lock; The Saffies won’t hear of anyone better than du Preez. Ran like the breeze, strong as an ox, jumped like a gazelle. In a 3 way contest, arghhh, I might have to omit Eales…..oh arghhh, that hurt!

Tight-head prop: Forget Leonard. He might be the most capped prop but there are a dozen tougher props than him in the history of the game. But then I have no idea what happens in the front-row!!!

Hooker: On the money here, I think.

Loose-head prop: A mate of mine who played club rugby against Whineray (admittedly in his post ABs days) reckons he was over-rated. That’s just one first-hand observation. Again, plenty of contenders here.

Good luck, you’re going to get it (a dunking, that is)………………..

Reply
Spiro Zavos said | January 6th 2009 @ 7:39am | Report comment

This is essentially, in fact, a Dream Team from the 1950s on. Wavell Wakefield is the exception but he could not compare with NZ’s Maurice Brownlie. This concentration on the modern era is fine because at least some of us of a certain age have seen all these players. Our judgements arfe not influenced unduly by sepia-coloured memories.
Sella at centre is warranted but Trevor Allan would have to get a mention at least. So should the great J.L.Gainsford, the Springboks great of the 1960s. And let’s not forget the Welsh centre pairing of the 1950s, Dr Jack Matthews and B.L.Williams, arguably the best centre combination of them all.
At halfback someone like Peter Crittle, former Wallaby and long-time administrator who put together one of the great rugby libraries, is adamant that the greatest halfback, if not rugby player, was Ken Catchpole.
Pienaar was an inspirational captain but an ordinary (in terms of the Best Players Ever) player. He can’t be compared, for instance, to Richie McCaw as a player.
Mervyn Davies was a fine number 8 but always over-rated in my view. For sheer hard-shouldered driving play its hard tro go past Wayne ‘Buck’ Shelford, in my opinion
Wilson Whineray was a fine ball-player, good enough to play number 8 for the All Blacks and Jason Leonard was an honest toiler in the front row, but players like Os du Randt, Olo Brown and going back a bit Ken Gray (probably the best prop of all) had much better claims to the front row positions. Other Springboks like Jappie Bekker and Chris Koch deserve consideration too.
Barry John was a fabulous player but had no defensive skills. Mark Ella in my view ticks ever box. Vision, ball skills, defence, running, passing – the perfect five-eights. Jonny Wilkinson is a talent kicking fived-eighths, a golden boot, but not in the same category as a player the others.

Reply
sheek said | January 6th 2009 @ 7:58am | Report comment

James,

Just for your interest & info, & also other readers, I have a book at home titled: “A History Of Rugby” written by Paul Morgan & published in 2004. It’s a very good book, as long as you don’t believe everything you read to be absolute gospel truth!

Anyway, Morgan got 25 ex-Internationals to select the greatest XV in history. There was a first XV & up to 9 runners-up. The location of those 25 ex-Internationals is very instructive – 12 English, 5 Welsh, 4 Scots, 3 Irish & a lone Saffie. There was no representation from France, Italy, New Zealand or Australia.

Anyway, based on their deliberations, these were the top 3 XVs they chose. Carwyn James (Wales) was the ultimate coach.

1st XV: Blanco(FRA), Davies (WAL), Sella(FRA), Gibson(IRE), Campese(AUS), Porta(ARG), Edwards(WAL), Davies(WAL), Jones(NZL), Kirkpatrick(NZL), du Preez(SAF), Meads(NZL), Paparemborde(FRA), Fitzpatrick(NZL), McLoughlin(IRE).

2nd XV: Nepia(NZL), Wilson(NZL), Guscott(ENG), Horan(AUS), Williams(NZL), Morgan(WAL), Loveridge(NZL), Brooke(NZL), Slattery(IRE), Tremain(NZL), Eales(AUS), Dauga(FRA), Gray(NZL), Wheeler(ENG), du Randt(SAF).

3rd XV: Irvine(SCO), Englebrecht(SAF), Robertson(NZL), Gerber(SAF), Roff(AUS), Andrew(ENG), Farr-Jones(AUS), Richards(ENG), Kronfeld(NZL), Greyling(SAF), Brown(SCO), Jones(NZL), Price(WAL), Wood(IRE), McLaughlan(SCO).

Again, all talented players. But there’s no way I would rate Roff, Andrew & Kronfeld (& some others) so highly, good players that they were. And there’s the problem of having 12 poms, & 24 guys from Britain & Ireland (out of 25) selecting an all-time team.

I would like to see a panel of 50 eminent rugby people, whose collective first-hand experience of the game goes back at least to 1946, a combination or ex-players, coaches, administrators, journalists & commentators.

I would have 5 each from England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France, South Africa, New Zealand & Australia. 2 each from Argentina & Italy. And one each from Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, USA, Canada & Japan. And I would have these people sit down & attempt to make some definitive selections.

It would be an interesting exercise, if ultimately non-conclusive.

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sheek said | January 6th 2009 @ 8:04am | Report comment

Spiro,

As ever, fascinating to hear & read your views.

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James Mortimer said | January 6th 2009 @ 11:09am | Report comment

For my next debate – I’m going to walk naked down Queen St. Mall and ask people to review my body…..

As sheek so elegantly put “But in rugby, it relies so much on perception, & your personal preference for the type of game played”.

A great example is my selection of Piennar – for pure playing skills, as Spiro points out, he would be outclassed easily by McCaw, or as a specialist number 6, even modern flankers such as Jerry Collins or Rocky Elsom. But irrespective of his skills as a player, the amount of mana (as the All Blacks refer) that he brought to the game was in my limited viewing experience, beyond anything that I had ever seen. I had so many Goosebumps throughout the 95 WC final that I thought I was going to scratch my skin off.

Equally with Wilkinson – agree with Spiro and LAS, there are far more superior first five’s in regard to what could be regarded as skill. On this point even Carter could make the team. But again, the presence of Johnny in the team for England was all but the difference between them being OK, and them being good enough to conquer the world. Could we not argue that even if he was one-dimensional, that his kicking ability was at such a level to warrant his selection?

By the same token when we look at Mark Ella – as Spiro remarks “ticked every box” – but in my limited views of him as a player, was an average kicking 5/8. But again, his running ability and vision was supreme.

It is interesting to note however so far the omission of remarks regarding other positions and their for and against arguments. Can anyone honestly dispute Horan at 12. Campo and Lomu at wing. Sella at 15. While positions such as lock, first five and prop caused me endless personal debate – there were some positions which were automatic.

Fascinating to read your remarks so far, and no doubt in the future.

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Who Needs Melon said | January 6th 2009 @ 11:17am | Report comment

James, LAS, sheek and Spiro,

This is just a chance for you guys to show off!

I’ve been watching rugby – mostly Australian rugby – closely for about 20 years. I’d be confident about putting together my best Australian team of the last 20 years… But have no way to compare these players to Australian players from earlier times without totally relying on heresay. I also have not seen enough of players from other countries to compare them.

I like sheeks idea of gathering opinions from a wider range of sources and counting/weighting them somehow.

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sheek said | January 6th 2009 @ 11:58am | Report comment

Who Needs Melon,

Don’t be shy about selecting a team from the past 20 years, providing you highlight that fact. Nothing worse than some 20-something telling you the best Wallaby team he’s ever seen, & he’s only been following the game since 1995!

For me, my first-hand viewing goes back to 1969, & even then it’s sketchy. From about the early to mid 70s it becomes clearer. You can always select a team based on first-hand experience, as long as you nominate as such.

I’m happy to select all time teams & to do so with any authority, you have to do some research, & be willing to trust the opinions of those who went before you. We all play favourites, or have different memories, so I find the more cross-referencing you can do, the better the picture emerges regarding the quality of various players.

Here’s my best Wallaby team from about 1970 to present:

15-Matt Burke, 14-David Campese, 13-Michael O’Connor, 12-Tim Horan, 11-Brendan Moon, 10-Mark Ella(vc), 9-John Hipwell, 8-Mark Loane, 7-George Smith, 6-Greg Cornelsen, 5-John Eales(c), 4-David Vickerman, 3-Ewen McKenzie, 2-Phil Kearns, 1-Topo Rodriguez. Bench: 22-Jason Little, 21-Michael Lynagh, 20-Nick Farr-Jones, 19-Simon Poidevin, 18-Tim Gavin, 17-Tony D’Arcy, 16-Tom Lawton jnr.

Here’s my best ALL-time Wallaby team:

15-Matt Burke, 14-David Campese, 13-Trevor Allan(vc), 12-Tim Horan, 11-Dally Messenger, 10-Mark Ella, 9-Ken Catchpole, 8-Mark Loane, 7-Col Windon, 6-Tom Richards, 5-John Eales(c), 4-Graham Cooke, 3-Jon White, 2-Phil Kearns, 1-Topo Rodriguez. Bench: 22-Cyril Towers, 21-Tom Lawton snr, 20-Des Connor, 19-Aub Hodgson, 18-Dick Thornett, 17-Wild Bill Cerutti, 16-Tom Lawton jnr.

Best pre-WW2 Wallaby team:

15-Alec Ross, 14-Dally Messenger, 13-Cyril Towers, 12-Jimmy Flynn, 11-Johnny Kelaher, 10-Tom Lawton snr, 9-Chris McKivat(c), 8-Jack Ford, 7-Tom Richards, 6-Aub Hodgson, 5-Charlie Fox(vc), 4-Graham Cooke, 3-Wild Bill Cerutti, 2-Eddie Bonis, 1-Eddie Thompson. Bench: 22-Otto Nothling, 21-Johnnie Wallace, 20-Syd Malcolm, 19-Jim Hughes, 18-Huck Finlay, 17-Willie Watson, 16-Jock Blackwood.

Now you’ve got me going!!! I would be interested in Spiro’s thoughts.

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Forrest Yip said | January 6th 2009 @ 1:09pm | Report comment

James can we please move on from repeating the warm and fuzzy Webb Ellis fairytale?

The RFU has made it clear that Webb Ellis has nothing to do with rugby’s founding and did not pick up the ball and run with it.

“Forget the William Webb Ellis myth” says the RFU Museum http://www.rfu.com/microsites/museum

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matta said | January 6th 2009 @ 1:30pm | Report comment

How about Wilkinson play more than 2 or 3 good season of rugby then he can be looked at.

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The greatest World Rugby XV of all-time

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