The ultimate one-club XV, featuring Brian O'Driscoll and Martin Johnson

The ultimate one-club rugby XV, featuring Brian O’Driscoll, Martin Johnson and Lawrence Dallaglio

Lock: Martin Johnson (Leicester Tigers)

A giant of the game in more ways than one, Johnson is widely regarded as one of the greatest locks to have ever played the game.

As a player he famously led England to glory at the 2003 Rugby World Cup and also captained the British & Irish Lions in 1997 and 2001 – the first player to lead the elite tourists on two occasions.

On the domestic stage he played all his club rugby for Leicester Tigers, making his debut in 1989 before going on to make a total of 307 appearances before hanging up his boots in 2005. During his 16-year career at Welford Road he led them to back-to-back Heineken Cup titles in 2001 and 2002 and also five Premiership titles including four in-a-row between 1998-99 and 2001-02.


Lock: Paul O’Connell (Munster)

Second-row Paul O’Connell is Munster through and through and holds the honour of having skippered the British & Irish Lions during their Test series with South Africa in 2009.

He steered Munster to Heineken Cup glory in 2008 but greater success would follow in 2009 when he played a key role in Ireland’s historic Six Nations Grand Slam triumph.

Despite signing for French giants Toulon, he never played a game due to injury meaning we’ve decided we can still count him on this list.


Flanker: Lawrence Dallaglio (Wasps)

The back-rower became one of the most decorated and successful English players of all time.

Emerging as a raw talent in the back row during England’s victory at the 1993 Sevens World Cup at Murrayfield, Dallaglio went on to secure 85 England caps and cement his place as a hero of English rugby.

Dallaglio was a one-club man, playing every first-class game of his career for Wasps. He took the reins as club captain in 1995 when Rob Andrew departed for Newcastle and made his England Test debut in November that year against South Africa.


Flanker: Richie McCaw (Crusaders)

Richie McCaw is a great of the modern game having led the All Blacks to Rugby World Cup glory in 2011 and 2015 as well as claiming the International Rugby Board’s Player of the Year award on a record three occasions.

He carved out a formidable reputation as arguably the best openside flanker in the world since emerging onto the international stage at only 20 years of age, but unlike a lot of other All Blacks never left New Zealand shores, choosing to stick with the Crusaders his whole career.


Number 8: Bill Beaumont (Fylde) 

A former England and British & Irish Lions international, Beaumont is currently chairman of World Rugby having previously served as chairman of the RFU, vice-chairman of the International Rugby Board and a member of the IRB Council and IRB Executive Committee.

Beaumont rose to prominence as a lock for Lancashire-based side Fylde, where he spent his whole club career 1969-1982, and made his international debut for England as a replacement against Ireland in 1975 – aged just 22.

His sons, Josh and Sam, have both since represented Fylde in the National Leagues.