BACK-ROW
Blindside-flanker: Richard Hill (England) – I rated Hill so highly in an England jersey that he was the only player I never dropped once during my tenure. Different class.
Openside-flanker: Richie McCaw (New Zealand) – He loved wearing the All Black jersey so much and he was so committed to victory. That’s where his stellar leadership started.
Number 8: Lawrence Dallaglio (England) – So talented, so physical, such a great understanding of the game and so bloody competitive.
HALFBACKS
Scrum-half: Gareth Edwards (Wales) – The greatest talent I played against was Gareth Edwards. He was in his last season and I was in my first. His talent was undiminished and he had a great aura.
Fly-half: Jonny WIlkinson (England) – Jonny was special and he scared the opposition. Everyone has to pat him on the back. The way he defended and attacked, he was a very special player. All of us involved in that team [in 2003] just felt very lucky and privileged to have had him around at that time.