Greatest XV & 2nd Greatest XV & More
For me this is the greatest XV. Not necessarily the best, as we all know that modern players are generally of a higher standard than those of yester year, and thus naturally are by in large better players. However, I believe that greatness does not directly coincide to how good a player was/is and it is unfair to hold players from different generations to the same standard in terms of Rugby playing ability. Comparisons of the greatness of players between generations can, however, be fairly be determined based on the impact that said players had in their given time period, as this puts all on a level playing field.
Again, this selection is not based purely on performance, or stats, or any one thing for that matter, but rather a combination of numerous factors, such as performance, longevity, achievements, impact on the game, importance to their team, statistics, their legacy etc., which all contribute to the overall impact that a player had and their greatness. Clearly, this a very subjective selection and I have tried to be as objective as possible.
That being said, here is, in my opinion, the greatest Rugby XV of all time, as well as an 'Unlucky XV' and some honorable mentions
Greatest XV:
1. Os Du Rant (SA)
2. Sean Fitzpatrick (NZ)
3. Jason Leonard (ENG)
4. John Eales (AUS)
5. Colin Meads (NZ)
6. Frik du Preez (SA)
7. Richie McCaw (NZ) (CAP)
8. Zinzan Brooke (NZ)
9. Gareth Edwards (WAL)
10. Dan Carter (NZ) (KICK)
11. Jonah Lomu (NZ)
12. Philippe Sella (FRA)
13. Brian O'Driscoll (IRE)
14. David Campese (AUS)
15. Serge Blanco (FRA)
Unlucky (2nd) XV
1. Graham Price (WAL) (Honorable M - Tom Smith, Tony Woodcock, Charlie Faulkner)
2. Kieth Wood (IRE) (Honorable M - John Smit, Bobby Windsor)
3. Carl Heyman (NZ) (Honorable M - Armand Vaquerin)
4. Martin Johnson (ENG) (Honorable M - Willie John McBride, Paul O'Connell, Brodie Retallick)
5. Victor Matfeild (SA)
6. Richard Hill (ENG) (Honorable M - Jerry Collins, Francois Pienaar, Ian Kirkpatrick, Ruben Kruger)
7. Michael Jones (NZ) (Honorable M - George Smith, Jean Pierre Rives)
8. Mervyn Davies (WAL) (Honorable M - Lawrence Dallaglio, Buck Shelford)
9. George Greegan (AUS) (Honorable M - Agustin Pichot, Joost Van Der Westhuizen)
10. Johnny Wilkinson (ENG) (Honorable M - Naas Botha, Andrew Merthens, Hugo Porta, Barry John, Jonathan Davies, Michael Lynagh, Phil Bennett, Jack Kyle, Mark Ella)
11. Bryan Habana (SA) (Honorable M - Shane Williams, Gerald Davies, Caucau)
12. Tim Horan (AUS) (Honorable M - Mike Gibson, Ma'a Nonu)
13. Danie Gerber (SA) (Honorable M - Bruce Robertson)
14. John Kirwan (NZ) (Honorable M - Jeff Wilson, Jason Robertson)
15. Christian Cullen (NZ) (Honorable M - Gavin Hastings, JPR Williams)
*Some stats just out of interest*
NUMBER COUNTS BY COUNTRY
Greatest XV:
NZ = 6
SA = 2
Aus = 2
FRA = 2
WAL = 1
ENG = 1
IRE = 1
Unlucky XV:
NZ = 4
SA = 3
ENG = 3
WAL = 2
AUS = 2
IRE = 1
Honorable Mentions:
NZ = 8
WAL = 8
SA = 5
Ire = 4
AUS = 2
SCO =2
Eng = 2
Fra = 2
Arg = 2
Fiji = 1
