Composite Wallabies Rugby World Cup squad 1987-2015

Um Folau somewhere? Tim Gavin over Troy Coker any day as well.... Burke in as kicker I guess.

Delusions of a golden age that never really existed. Article is pointless but does allude to the psyche of the Woobly fan.

I loved how Kearns behaved when the Haka was being performed. The odd wink at Fitzy, maybe the odd blown kiss. Always led to a good opening few minutes.

Yeah it's a toss up between Fitzy and McCaw......either way can't go wrong. I just realised I left Kieran Read out!

I've just re-read what Taylorman wrote here PeterK and I see nothing personal in it. Is it

”You fail to take a wider view”

which has you claiming that, or

”selectively narrow reasoning”

or both? I think you are milking it by citing "derogatory" and "belittling" in Taylorman's responses, seeking to find offense lurking all about. You are as stubborn a debater as one will find here, PeterK, and blunt in your reactions to opposing opinion. I nonetheless read your pieces and both agree and disagree from time to time, because it is clear to me you are driven by knowledge of and affection for the game and therefore due a hearing. You may be surprised to hear that during one of the Pocock crusades, when the site was overrun by a flash mob of hitherto unsighted posters attempting to run political campaigns, I posted in your defence when I considered several rude responses from strangers to your earnestly expressed views were both impolite and undeserved of a serious minded Rugby man and long term honorable Roar contributor. I think my missive was gobbled up when the moderators got twitchy and nuked whole pages of posts. My point is that it is self evident you are well able to make your case, free as anyone else to put it, capable of debating it without assistance and sufficiently interested and inquisitive about wider things to eventually leave behind the opinions which disagree with yours. Ticket buying supporters are entitled to call from the stands "George you goose!" as they used do every weekend, to which Mr Ayoub would smile and run off, undamaged, to blow his whistle at somebody else. He could have claimed r8cism! The same holds for The Roar – it is not the Supreme Court where each submission must pass the test of completeness or even objectivity. Fans are passionate, critical and – praise be – free to express themselves in plain language. The hackneyed cliché "Play the ball, not the man" does not hold water in the free flowing hyperbole common at The Roar nor do the more recent bleats about "bullying". Bullying? Between (ostensibly) adults, arguing about sport, on a computer? Nah. These complaints foreshadow a brave new world of calls on moderators to ban posters for naming someone else's favourite player a "brat" or a "ball hog" or a "hair flicker" - denying freedom of expression - leaving behind a circle of the like minded protecting their mutually agreed sacred truths, unchallenged, in a room of resounding with disinterested echoes. My take on the forums here is more of amusement than dismay, treating the discussion more often than not as a debate at the pub with ones mates and acquaintances, roaring with laughter and bagging opponents relentlessly - ridiculing them (oh golly gosh), with most pleadings resolved with "What would you know you useless boofhead. Anyway it's your shout."

back in my day. Yawn

Younger correspondents may be surprised to learn there once was something that Phil Kearns was good at, and Michael Foley.

I think I'm still a bit scared of Steve McDowall and Craig Dowd! I only just discovered McDowall was selected in the NZ judo team for the boycotted Moscow Olympics. I'd have named Sean Fitzpatrick captain, Ruggerphil, for his unbridled ruthlessness - you may recall Nick Farr-Jones commented on his retirement that he had never played against a better referee than Sean! :)

Matt Cockbain (and younger brother Brent) was big and strong and tireless that's for sure, and he was able to competently play both lock and breakaway.

”Sharpe is a poor selection Sheek Sorry mate”

Lovely fella, pleasant, patient, happy - but Nathan Sharpe near brought me to tears week after week, year after year with his customary stand still, catch pass from scrum half, plod once, plod twice, plod three times and fall down. We have had many better locks than Nathan Sharpe.

Sheek, I say one could not send out a Wallaby best side without Poidevin and Wilson, for their skill and their continuous effective involvement throughout a match. They were simply indispensable, and better and more influential during their time than the current lot in their time. Simon Poidevin - they both - matched it with the very best of the All Blacks and kept out the most able loosies Australia has produced - I've long held him to be the best of the Wallabies I have seen (I'd have loved to seen more of Loane - earning a quid, playing, poor TV coverage of rugby prevented that). Wilson went on to compete in the Springbok's golden period of seriously exceptional loosies - Pienaar, Krige, Johan Erasmus and Teichmann (an 8 I know, just wanted to include him 'cos he was a particular favourite of mine ;) ) On Horan and Little - there is an inarguable case for installing successful combinations such as they were (see the argument which rages here about Waratah bias, which there is and for good reason) and these blokes are a case in point. They were the outstanding second five and centre duo for years, capitalising on Horan's strength and sure hands and Little's beautifully balanced, incisive running. As it happened Herbert developed into the perfect alternate for injury and there were two of him! I do not recall much angst or argument at all about their pre-eminence from my (NSW) home base during their splendid reign.

Poidevin and Wilson played all game long, from the moment they first laced up a boot until their very last game. Finnegan was lazy too often - even the exceptional, fabulous Viliami Ofahengaue needed to be poked with a stick from time to time. He is now a Wesleyan minister to a Tongan community in outer Melbourne.

My all time All Black World Cup squad McDowall, Woodcock, Brown, Hayman, Dowd Fitzpatrick, Mealamu, Oliver Rettalick, Whetton, Jones, Whitelock McCaw (c) Jones , Shelford, Brooke, Collins Kirk, Marshall, Smith Carter, Merhtens Nonu, Bunce, Smith, Umaga Lomu, Kirwan, Cullen, Wilson, Howlett This squad assumes all players at the peak of their powers

Yeah I like those, was a real McDowell fan, not so much Gary, more Allan.

Yes that's right that horrible 99 effort so fair enough Dagg or John Gallagher are the only Fullbacks that contributed strongly.

If I'm basing it on RWC's, I wouldn't include anyone like Retallick or A Smith who's yet to play in one. McDowell over Woodcock. Gary Whetton over Retallick. John Gallagher over Cullen (who only played centre in RWC matches).

Christian Cullen only played one RWC and it was at centre.