4. Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland)
Irish rugby legend and former captain, O’Driscoll is widely regarded as one of the greatest centers in the sport’s history. A skilled strategist, he led Ireland to numerous victories.
Woodward said: “In the Grand Slam game in 2003, we worked on a plan to man-mark him with three players, so the tackler was not exposed by O’Driscoll’s footwork and pace in a one-on-one situation.
“That’s how big a threat we believed he was – he needed three men to handle him. Ireland were going for a Grand Slam, but none of the players around Brian were in the same league.
“Whenever he had the ball we wanted one player opposite him and one man either side – it would usually be Wilkinson, Will Greenwood and Mike Tindall.”
3. Jonah Lomu (New Zealand)
New Zealand rugby icon, Lomu was a powerhouse winger whose size and speed revolutionized the game. A true legend, he left an indelible mark on rugby.
“He took rugby to a whole new level,” said Woodward.
“There’s very rarely one player who dominates a whole World Cup and he certainly did.”
