7. JOHN HAYES
Another player to break into the scene at 25, John Hayes has appeared in more than 100 international games for Ireland and had a successful 13-year club stint at Munster. Despite the fact that Hayes started playing late in his life, his size and natural skill for the game allowed him to overcome numerous challenges. In 2006, he helped Munster defeat, Toulouse, to win the Heineken European Cup at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.