TRF All Time XV of 6/5 Nations

[getofmeland]

Right after a very drunken discussion about Six Nations and five Nations Rugby, it made me think...

What is everyone's all time XV for the Six Nations squad, so basically pick a player for each position, who you feel would be an appropriate member of the TRF All Time 6 Nations Squad..

The rules are simple, they must have played at least one game in the Six or Five Nations. For Obviously England, France Ireland, Italy, Scotland or Wales...

So lets hear your teams... I know its gonna be tough with all the quality players who have graced the field in a Six or Five Nations Game...

 

[shazbooger]

hmmmmmm this could be a tough one. Might start by picking my all time Irish 15, then looking at the other nations.

 

[An Tarbh]

Well this could well be a question of picking the best of the 71 and 74 Lions team and seeing if there's any French greats who'd get in, could be interesting. Will have a think and get back to you, although I'll have probably thrown that idea completely out the window, well it's there for someone if I don't use it!

 

[polonius]

This is proving more tricky than I first thought. I like the idea of An Tarbh - start with the Lions of the early 70's and work from there. Gordon Brown and Wille John would be a shoe-in ... but you can't leave out Martin Johnson - and Moss Keane would be right up there, too.

The French back-row of Rives, Bastiat and Skrela would surely be included as a unit, but individually? How could one leave out Fergus Slattery, Tony Neary, Jim Telfer, Richard Hill or Mervyn Davies?

The more I consider it, the more I realise those I am likely to include are players of my generation - the early/mid-seventies. So I would pick Barry John over Johnny Wilkinson every time, Gerald Davies over Esteve, Gareth Edwards before ... well, he'd be before everybody. (That Welsh side was amazing, wasn't it?).

Here goes with a first attempt.

FB - JPR with Blanco as very creditable alternative.
RW - Gerald Davies
LW - JJ Williams (maybe Jean-Luc Averous)
Centres - Mike Gibson, Brian O'Driscoll (with Ian McGeehan very close)
Fly Half - Barry John (Phil Bennett and Jean Pierre Romeau just missing out)
Scrum Half - Gareth Edwards

Back Row - Skrela, Mervyn Davies, Neary
Second Row - Willie John, Martin Johnson
Front Row - Ian McLaughlan, John Pullin, Jason Leonard

The forwards have been the hardest to choose and it is quite likely none of my choices woul even get close to featuring in someone elses's XV.

 

[dundeesmiffy]

Gavin Hastings surley in some consistancy.

 

[danny]

Gavin Hastings surley in some consistancy.
[/b]

Hastings was excellent but Blanco was out on his own as the worlds greatest Full back.
My team would be something like:
15 Blanco
14 Davies
13 Gibson
12 Sella
11 Underwood(Rory)
10 Bennett
9 Edwards
1 Mclaughlan
2 Wood
3 Price
4 Johnson
5 McBride(capt)
6 Hill
7 Back
8 Dallaglio.

 

[SaintsFan_Webby]

Gavin Hastings surley in some consistancy. [/b]

Only problem with Hastings for me personally is that I couldn't put him ahead of JPR or Campo. Great player though he was, I'm not convinced he's top of the fullback pile.

As has already been said, it's almost an impossible task this one. Really all has to come down to personal preference.

 

[An Tarbh]

<div class='quotemain'>
Gavin Hastings surley in some consistancy.
[/b]

Hastings was excellent but Blanco was out on his own as the worlds greatest Full back.
My team would be something like:
15 Blanco
14 Davies
13 Gibson
12 Sella
11 Underwood(Rory)
10 Bennett
9 Edwards
1 Mclaughlan
2 Wood
3 Price
4 Johnson
5 McBride(capt)
6 Hill
7 Back
8 Dallaglio.
[/b][/quote]

agree with everything there bar the back row, would have gone with O'Driscoll, Slattery and Scott Quinnell, although ask me again tomorrow and I'm sure I'll come up with something completely different.

 

[shazbooger]

Been thinking about this for ............... hmm well at least the last 3 minutes and so far I have;

Martin Johnson, Jonah Lomu and Os du Randt. Then I read back and realised Jonah and Os were excluded on a minor technicality (something about them being from SH and never actually played in the 5/6 nations) so I've got Johnson.

I'd agree with Gibson and Sella in the centre, but I'd probably go for Hastings ahead of Blanco at fullback. Dont get me wrong, Blanco was pretty awesome on his day, but Hastings kicking would probably swing it for me.

 

[stormmaster1]

I only watched rugby since proffessionalism so here's my 5-min thought post 1995 6N team:



1 Leonard

2 Ibanez

3 Califano

4 Johnson

5 Pelous (I know that's 2 no 4s but what the hell)

6 Betsen

7 Back

8 Quinnell (Dallaglio comes close)



9 Howley

10 Wilkinson

11 Underwood

12 Sella

13 O'Driscoll

14 Williams

15 Robinson



I'm not so sure about the wingers

It's pretty France/England biased but then since 1995 only 2 competitions have been won by sides other than France or England.

 

[Stillknox]

My pick, based on the 90's/2000's only.

1 Leonard

2 Wood

3 Califano

4 Johnson

5 Pelous

6 Betsen

7 Back

8 Dallaglio

9 Howley

10 Diego Dominguez
(Wilkinson or Jenkins could have been there, but Italy deserved a spot)

11 Underwood

12 Sella

13 O'Driscoll

14 N'Tamack

15 Hastings

Could have been there too: Shane Williams, Philippe Bernat-Salles, Jason Robinson, Castaignede, Quinnel, Magne, Humphreys, Townsend, Charvis, Galthié, Lamaison, Carling...