Here's who Doddie Weir named in his rugby dream XV

Rugby News
Friday, 24 September 2021 at 10:25
screen shot 2021 09 24 at 101745
There has never been anyone quite like Doddie Weir. A giant of the game and a rugby icon, his unique story is charged with a passion for living life to the full.
The former Scotland international, whose charity the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation has raised more than £5m for MND research, played with and against some of the best players of all-time.
The XV you see is made up of players Doddie Weir singled out for praise in his autobiography.
If you like rugby then this is a simple, honest and amusing book of Doddie Weir's career (which was quite a career spanning the amateur and professional game).
He is facing a devastating challenge and he has faced it head on. What a legend.

Doddie Weir names his dream team:

BACK-THREE:

Gavin Hastings (Scotland): "Consistently outstanding for both Scotland and the Lions. Helped me a lot when the game turned professional."
Tony Stanger (Scotland): "Probably Scotland's greatest ever finisher. He was key as we won the 1990 Grand Slam."
Jonah Lomu (New Zealand): "He took the 1995 World Cup by storm. There were plenty of players who were six foot five and nearly nineteen stone, but none I knew who could run the 100m sprint in 11 seconds."
lovemark jonah lomu standard

CENTRE:

Alan Tait (Scotland): "He seemed to have the uncanny ability to always be in the right place at the right time. Then you realised that was because he was pushing opponents into areas where they had no space to work. He was also the tightest man in the world."
Tana Umaga (New Zealand): "Scored twice against us. Like with Lomu, we really struggled to contain him."

HALFBACKS:

Jonny Wilkinson (England/Lions): "He must have only been 17 or thereabouts when I met him. Thinking wise, and in terms of skill was on another level. Jonny's dedication and diligence put many - me included - to shame."
Joost van der Westhuizen (South Africa): "From a rival who almost single-handedly ended my career as an international number 8, to a standard-bearer in the fight against Motor Neurone Disease, and, eventually, a victim of this cruel disease. He was unstoppable on his day."

FRONT-ROW:

George Graham (Scotland): Aggressive beyond belief, like a bulldog whose lost its bone then swallowed a Wasps trying to find it. He'd have been a nightmare to play against."
Keith Wood (Ireland): "Phenomenal as a teammate and a super tourer. As a person, for me, he epitomized the whole Lions ethos."
Jason Leonard (England/Lions): "He was always an absolute rock on the corner of the scrum. He did all the work in the scrum and I could just have a breather."

SECOND-ROW:

Chris Gray (Scotland): "Great man he was. Loved playing next to him."
Simon Shaw (England): "I think he is one of the most underrated players in recent history. He had everything."

BACK-ROW:

Richard Hill (England/Lions): He was fantastic guy and a terrific player, someone I got to know really well on that trip (1997 Lion). But in terms of bedroom manners, he was abysmal.
Rob Wainwright (Scotland/Lions): "Someone I always loved playing with was Rob."
Scott Quinnell (Wales/Lions): "I've known Scotty for a long time, as a rival, as a fellow tourist, as a pundit, and a lot of hospitality functions. He was the complete player."

EDITORS PICKS:

loading

Loading