Joe Marler and Danny Care rarely agree on anything — so asking them to pick a dream Six Nations XV was always going to cause chaos.
The England and Harlequins duo joined forces on the Hits Different podcast to select the best team they’ve played with or against between 2009 and 2024, and the results were as entertaining as they were controversial.
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From Marler branding Johnny Sexton “garbage” to Care being accused of “friendatism” for picking Owen Farrell, the pair didn’t hold back as they argued their way through rugby’s biggest names.
Here is the final XV they settled on.
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Back-three:
15 Rob Kearney
Care wanted a full-back who could “score some tries but be a rock at the back”, and that led him straight to Ireland’s Rob Kearney. Beating out names like Leigh Halfpenny and Thomas Ramos (who Marler once famously slapped in Europe), Kearney’s pedigree spoke for itself: four Six Nations titles and two Grand Slams.
14 George North
Marler wasn’t convinced, but Care forced George North into the side because of his ability for “scoring loads of tries”. Tommy Bowe missed out as Wales’ powerhouse winger got the nod.
11 Vincent Clerc
No debate here — Clerc was an automatic pick. One of France’s deadliest ever finishers, the winger’s Six Nations record and two Grand Slams made him impossible to ignore.
Centres
13 Jonathan Davies
It came down to Davies or Gaël Fickou, but the Welshman edged it. A Lions Test regular and four-time Six Nations winner, Davies’ class in midfield was undeniable.
12 Manu Tuilagi
Perhaps the easiest selection of the lot. Both Marler and Care spent years alongside Tuilagi with England, and his raw power and big-game presence made him a straight inclusion.
Halfbacks
10 Owen Farrell
This was where things got spicy. Care initially leaned towards Johnny Sexton, only for Marler to cut in with:
“Mate, he was garbage.”
That ended Sexton’s chances immediately. When Farrell’s name came up, Marler objected again, accusing Care of “friendatism” and calling Farrell “one of the worst tens I’ve played with”.
Care, though, had the final say — and Farrell, three-time Six Nations champion, took the shirt.
9 Antoine Dupont
Here, the duo were in full agreement:
“You can’t look that far past Dupont.”
Marler still found time to fire shots, claiming “Gibson-Park is terrible” and reducing Gareth Davies’ career highlight to “one try that World Cup in 2015”. Dupont, already with multiple Six Nations titles, was the standout choice.
