Now that rugby is all over: your Greatest of All Actual Time

[Muttonbirds]

A lot of these teams are really white.

[BokJock]

A lot of these teams are really white.

I agree, but I think you will find I had Habana at 14 while all the rest of these racists had Campese

[Muttonbirds]

A lot of these teams are really white.

Right. That's it. Mods, ban this fcker.

I see your point. I must come up with my own team. I will work on this.

[naki]

A lot of these teams are really white.

Right. That's it. Mods, ban this fcker.

I see your point. I must come up with my own team. I will work on this.

Thank you.

It would be bizarre for a sport where the most prominent participants for a century were mostly European (and in at least one case exclusively “European”) to be anything but. Even the rise of Polynesian players in particular is only going to have a major impact on younger posters from SH countries as these teams are to a large extent parochial and the majority of this forum is from the North, where their players were white forever

[naki]

... and it goes without saying that Richie transcends ethnicity so selecting him is a vote for the supernatural

[Muttonbirds]

... and it goes without saying that Richie transcends ethnicity so selecting him is a vote for the supernatural

Yep. The first pick for any serious all time team.

[boere wors]

1. Os du Randt
2. Sean Fitzpatrick
3. Carl Haymans
4. Martin Johnson
5. John Eales
6. Juan Smith
7. Ritchie McCaw
8. Sergio Parisse
9. Joost van der Westhuisen
10. Hugo Porta
11. Jonah Lomu
12. Tim Horan
13. Tana Umaga (this was actually the last spot I could fill, my hardest choice).
14. David Campese
15. Christian Cullen

Porta might be my hometown decision, but he was actually the most talented FH I've seen play, a complete player and a leader who usually lifted badly disadvantaged Pumas team to another level.

Parisse was my choice at 8 pretty much for the same reasons. Italy was a better team by an order of magnitude with him onfield.

I was badly tempted to put an entirely Pumas front row, made up of Serafín Dengra (the firt ever modern day-style prop, back in the 80s), Federico Mendez and Topo Rodriguez... they would scrummage the sh*t out of anyone (those were the days..) and have the handling skills to fit into the modern game.

Choice of forwards is pure class

[piquant]

... and it goes without saying that Richie transcends ethnicity so selecting him is a vote for the supernatural

Yep. The first pick for any serious all time team.

Unless one picks George Smith, often as good if not better, and you'd be off white from the get go

[IKUR01]

all you oldies choosing Campese. If he was in a best of game he would get murdered. The worst tackler EVER in international rugby. you cant make the best team ever by having 1 trick.
Joost was good but nowhere near the skill level or game management as Du Preez.

Campo was more than 1 trick. You must have never seen him play. He played about 3 positions at once by the end of his career. His kicking skills from hand were up there with the best 10s and he could sweep back in fullback.

Caught the end of his career. have seen highlights of him at his best. I'm sorry though, you just cannot make a best of team with defence like his. imagine him trying to tackle a big fast guy?
Could he do what Lomu, Caucau, Rocokoco, Savea, Umaga etc could do? Imagine if he had actually played against these guys.
And for skill, Jeff Wilson had more, Cory Jane, Ben Smith, Joe Roff, etc.
Sorry mate, the older folk on here need to be honest with themselves about players like him. He would get blitzed in a best of game.

[Roadman]

Dan Carter and Danie Gerber are the two lock ins. You can also make a case for McCaw as a lock in. The rest you can argue to the cows come home.

[blindcider]

Possibly a favourite of all time rather than a genuine GOAT team - close misses for Sella, Hill, Contepomi amongst many others in this list

1. Trevor Woodman
2. Rafael Ibanez
3. Marcos Ayerza
4. John Eales
5. Martin Johnson
6. Michael Jones
7. Josh Kronfeld
8. Zinzan Brooke
9. Austin Healey
10. Dan Carter
11. Jonah Lomu
12. Tim Horan
13. Will Greenwood
14. Jason Robinson
15. Christian Cullen