London Irish 24 Bath 25 – The Verdict

LONDON IRISH 24 BATH 25
By Paul Morgan, editor of Rugby World Magazine

Well, something had to give here at the Madejski Stadium as two of the sides with the worst recent record in the Aviva Premiership clashed. Going into the game London Irish has lost their last eight games in all competitions since their 39-26 victory over Sale at Madejski Stadium on 31 October.
Bath’s most recent victory in Aviva Premiership Rugby was 31-16 against Sale at The Rec on 25 September. Both shocking runs!
Toby Booth was rightly exasperated by the performance of referee Greg Garner but as everyone in the crowd of 11,811 saw London Irish’s first try was created by a forward pass, so things do go both ways.
The game was one through a tactical masterstroke from the Bath coaches.
They were out-classed in almost every facet of the game in the first half and one had possession in the London Irish 22 twice! The fact that Irish only led 17-9 was the biggest surprise.
But in the 15-minute half-time break Steve Meehan and his coaches hatched a plan to attack Irish’s forwards in a very specific way with a pick and go game that was one of the narrowest I have ever seen. But it was effective.
Bath’s backline barely created a chance all afternoon, in contrast to London Irish who scored three superb tries – all singing and dancing!
But all singing and dancing doesn’t always win the game, although it should have done in this game.
So all Bath did in the second half was pick and go and rely on a very erratic kicking performance from Chris Malone. He kicked the ball out on the full once and failed to clear his lines twice, as Lewis Moody brought his England form to Reading.
Irish failed to get out of their territory for large parts of the second half and as Bath had been practicing this new style in training they stayed faithful to it, which was a brave move as Irish’s backline looked so dangerous.
They even stayed faithful to it when Topsy Ojo scored a superb try, cutting off his right wing and through an attempted tackle from Olly Barkley.
So Bath strayed patient, committed to the style and in Barkley they had a kicker who only missed one penalty all afternoon.
Bath’s pick and go and rolling maul even dragged Richard Thorpe into the sin bin and while he was off Bath scored a crucial ten points, including Michael Claassens’ try, predictably from inches!
In the end it was left to Barkley to score a final-minute penalty to win it.
Incredibly Irish have now not won for nine matches, but they are still fourth in the table, just ahead of one of the most congested mid-tables in Premiership history. Lose one more though and they could easily be seventh, and that would be unacceptable for a side of London Irish’s stature, and recent success.
But I do believe the match leaves London Irish (and not just in league position terms) in far better shape than Bath.
Irish should keep the faith as they have the players to get them out of this run. I would still back London Irish, as long as they win next week, to make the play-offs. One more loss though and they’ll fall back and they may start doubting themselves.

Players to note:
• Daniel Bowden – Could be the find of the season alongside Manu Tuilagi. Bowden’s kicking game gives England an inside centre they currently don’t have. Without an All Blacks cap he could (perhaps) be persuaded to throw in his lot with England in 2012 once he serves his residency qualification.
• Danny Grewcock – He would be mad to retire at the end of the season as he has suggested. He put the grunt into the Bath effort today and could still offer something to England.
• Alex Corbisiero – Another who will play for England as he offers the ball-carrying threat so absent from the vast majority of England props. Another one to move into the set-up quickly.
• James Buckland – When he was at Leicester I always felt his lineout throwing wasn’t good enough for the top level, but he has clearly worked very hard on this side of his game and deserves an England A call-up.

London Irish (17) 24 
Tries: Tagicakibau, Thorpe, Ojo Cons: Malone 2, Bowden Pens: Malone 
Bath (9) 25 
Tries: Claassens Cons: Barkley Pens: Barkley 6

What’s Hot and What’s Not From December

From Rugby World reader, Larissa Falls

Got any to add?

Hot:

Heineken Cup… Aironi’s win over Biarritz, the Clermont v Leinster tussles and Ulster’s performances. Adam Jones’ scrummaging, Laharrague’s drop goal and Farrell’s rise. Away wins, pool 3 and the match atmospheres.

McCaw…IRB Player of the Year for a record third time.

Tradition… The Baa-Baa’s and Varsity matches.

Southern Hemisphere Teams… Waratah’s to play Fiji, the Rebels to play Tonga, the Wallabies to play Samoa and Russia to play NZ provincial teams. Anything to help the ‘lesser nations’ deserves a pat on the back.

NZRU… For finally reinstating the Women’s NPC!

IRB…Financing Samoa’s High Performance centre. Now we just need teams to tour there!

Fans…In how many other sports would you find supporters sweeping snow from fields, walkways and seats. These are the values that make rugby such a special sport to be part of

Not:

Heineken Cup… Snow, frozen pitches, postponed games and travel chaos. Lost kit, Venter’s interview, yellow and red cards, and swinging arms.

RFU… Their ‘exceptional circumstances’ policy is a farce!

Brive… For asking players to take a pay cut after making initial exorbitant contracts.

Cipriani… Nicknamed ‘Google’ after telling a bar doorman to “Google me” when he was refused entry. Some things it would seem never change!

Harlequins 28 London Irish 18 – The Verdict

By Paul Morgan, Editor of Rugby World Magazine

Back in the late 1970s there was a punk band of some repute, The Monks, who came up with the classic if heavily politically incorrect song “Nice Legs Shame about the Face”.
Well I haven’t had the need to recall the ditty for a few years but it came to mind today when I was at Twickenham for Big Game 3, Harlequins against London Irish.
After having spent an almost wasted (thank you Gavin Henson for saving it) afternoon at Wembley 24 hours before watching Saracens and Wasps bore a decent crowd I was enthused by the pre-match entertainment and atmosphere at HQ for this ‘London derby’!
Quins (and Mark Evans, their CEO predominantly) certainly know how to throw a party!
It was a cracking occasion and exactly what the great game of rugby union is all about. A crowd of 72,214, loads of kids, mums and dads full of turkey and fans of both teams sitting together and enjoying a great day out. Wonderful!
That was the “legs” of the Monks’ song (and they were nice) but unfortunately the “face” or “boat race” as they bellowed, that followed which wasn’t so palatable.

It never hit the depths of the awful game at Wembley but it got close at times as both teams destroyed the game with endless penalties that ensured neither team got into their rhythm.
Quins won 28-18 and definitely deserved to do so as they had more confidence, style and go-forward than Irish, who are so far in the doldrums they can hardly see a way out.
Referee Andrew Small also didn’t help proceedings. He was happy to whistle for penalty after penalty and talk to both teams far too much (I thought he was one of the coaches at one point) but failed to back up his endless whistling with enough yellow cards.
He did finally sent Bob Casey and Danny Care to the sin bin but Casey didn’t go until the 40th minute, by which time he had lost the initiative and the players were doing what players will always do (if you let them) and killing the ball every time the opposition got anywhere near scoring.
Mr Small also bored me to death with his over-officious and too slow rendition of Crouch-Touch-Pause-Engage routine which started at tedious and moved off the Richter Scale by the end of the match.
This is not all his fault as Referee’s Supremo Paddy O’Brien must take the lions’ share of the blame for that one. It has turned the scrum into a farce while referees still can’t spot a crooked feed.
Irish proved to me they are going to need a seismic shift to get them out of this awful run of results and may be heading for a clear out in the summer?
Toby Booth, the coach told me after the match he is trying to coach players and not robots. Well, if that is the case he either needs a few robots or he has the wrong players because the way those players turned down the chance of a late penalty and a bonus point, compounded their failure this game. At the end of the season if they miss out on the play-offs by a point or Heineken Cup qualification, the way they are going, this is the game in which it was lost.
Irish have the players but need to rediscover their confidence. One big win, and that may come against Bath on Saturday could do it.
Their recent run of games against Northampton, Leicester and Toulon (twice) isn’t exactly for the feint-hearted but they must have the ambition to beat sides like that.
For Quins it was great to see a fit and hungry Ugo Monye back on the field while Danny Care looked very sharp. Nick Evans continues to be one of the best foreign signings with 25 points and if Jordan Turner-Hall developed a kicking game he could go to the next level. Without one he can’t.
Quins must take a massive pat on the back for their off-field efforts but also on it they are building a side of home-grown players like Joe Marler and man of the match George Robson. That, with the salary cap as it is, is the only way to head for success.

But what did you think? Were you at the game or did you watch on televsion?

Saracens 13 Wasps 6 – The Verdict on Gavin Henson

By Paul Morgan, editor of Rugby World Magazine

First of all I would be delighted to hear from Saracens and Wasps fans. Is Wembley a good venue for rugby? I have my views but it is the fans who count!
Certainly this game was awful for the first 40 minutes and barely improved afterwards – the highlights being Saracens Matthew Rouse winning £250,000 at half-time by hitting the crossbar from 40 metres out and the second-half appearance of Gavin Henson.
Thank you so much Gavin for coming off the bench and livening up the afternoon.
Saracens coach Mark McCall was doing everything he could to play down Henson’s part after the game, after the match. He would, of course, but it is ridiculous to play this prodigiously talented player away from a ‘decision-making role’, as McCall has started to do. Let’s hope he can recognise how good Henson is and if not the Welshman is at the wrong club.
Henson’s either good enough to play 10, 12 or 15 or he’s not. I have never heard of an injured player being eased back in my not giving him too many decisions to make. How does that work? He may lack match fitness but how will his decision-making improved if he is not allowed to make any. Trust me, Mark – Henson is the real deal.
All Henson missed was one horrific season when everyone kicked the ball and sent us to sleep. On this evidence he’s good enough to play any of them but I would slot him in at 10 – that is where Saracens need him the most. And who better for Owen Farrell, who has bags of potential, to learn from that a player like Henson?
At Wembley, Wasps continued their excellent form of late and would have won if they’d had anything bearing any resemblance to a lineout, especially in the first half.
Three times their continuity of possession earned them penalties in and around the halfway line, all out of Dave Walder’s range, and each time Walder dutifully drilled Wasps into the Saracens 22. Each time Wasps failed with the lineout, one of them hitting Marty Veale in the midrift.
They have lost hookers Rob Webber and Joe Ward (in the warm-up) to injury so any team who loses their two first-choices in any position will struggle, especially when they were up against a lineout run by the master of the art, Steve Borthwick, who was aided and abetted by Ernst Jourbert.
It would be ridiculous to suggest that Henson performed any more than a cameo in his 29 minutes on the field, but what was also clear is that he has got his hunger for rugby back and could easily make an impact on the highest stage.
I have interviewed him many times but I have never seen him so relaxed and at ease with himself. Saracens’ may just have pulled off a masterstroke by convincing him to sign – but play him and play him where he can make a difference, NOT at 13!
The first-half was the worst 40 minutes I have seen this season, but the second was far better.
Farrell would certainly have learnt a lot was hunted down by Serge Betsen, Joe Worsley and Andy Powell and the sooner Saracens take Henson out of cotton wool and hand him the No 10 jersey the better for the club.
In the end the game was won by one of the most under-rated players in the Aviva Premiership, Andy Saull. Memo to Martin Johnson: This guy could be your answer for the Six Nations. Not against Wales of course when Johnson will move Lewis Moody to six (due to the injury to Tom Croft) and bring Hendre Fourie into the 7 shirt. But against Italy give Saull his chance to show you that you have a world-class player in the making.

Saracens (3) 13
Try: Saull Cons: Farrell Pens: Farrell 2
Wasps (0) 6
Pens: Walder 2
Saracens: Wyles; Strettle, Tagicakibau, Barritt, Short; Farrell, de Kock; Carstens, Brits, Nieto; Borthwick (capt), Vyvyan; Brown, Melck, Joubert.

Replacements: George, Gill, du Plessis, Smith, Saull, Wigglesworth, Henson, Goode.

Wasps: van Gisbergen; Varndell, Jacobs (capt), Kefu, Lemi; Walder, Simpson; Taulafo, Lindsay, Broster, Shaw, Cannon, Worsley, Betsen Tchoua, Powell.

Replacements: Hobson, Payne, Baker, Veale, Jones, Berry, Jewell, Haughton.

Referee: Tim Wrigglesworth (RFU).

Attendance: 38,421.

Ulster 22 Bath 18 – The Verdict

By Paul Morgan, editor of Rugby World

BATH SHOULD be out of the Heineken Cup they are still in it because of the biggest shocks of the 2009-10 season, anywhere in the world.
Bath lost 22-18 at Ulster but the rugby world almost fell off its axis in Italy as Aironi beat Biarritz 28-27. Let’s say that again – an Italian side that was only formed in the summer won their first match ever and it was against last season’s Heineken Cup runners-up. Rugby is an extraordinary game.
Ravenhill is still one of my most favourite venues and it was rocking again for this Heineken Cup encounter and with the whole crowd on their feet in the second half to drive their heroes on to the line.
Ulster won but in a mistake strewn first half they almost gave it away as Bath race into an early 15-3 lead. No side should ever lose a 12-point lead and the fact that Bath did must be worrying for the club and coaches.
The penalty count killed them at Ravenhill as they conceded 15 to 5, allowing Ian Humphreys to kick 17 points and win the game.
But as the table shows should they beat Ulster with a bonus point on Saturday the group is wide open, presuming Biarritz win with a bonus as well.
http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/heinekencup/pools/index.php
The lack of attacking craft is the key element that is missing at the moment but I would definitely persevere with the experiment of Matt Banahan at 13. I know he drops a few but the guy has an abundance of talent and is learning yet another new position. Stick with him – he’ll come good but please let’s make sure he’s picked at 13 for the next 18 months. Give him a chance to learn the position!

It was also great to see Lee Mears careering around the field and stealing ball at the breakdown. He had a nightmare on the 2009 Lions tour but is getting back to his best. Good on him!
I hear that Berrick Barnes may be near the top of Bath’s shopping list. Memo to Bruce Craig: If Berrick is seriously considering making the move to the west country break the bank for the young man as he is not only quality through and through but a good bloke as well. Have a look at Berrick below and get out the cheque book!

It was a real shame that Bath have allowed Luke Watson to slip through their hands and back to South Africa as Watson is the sort of player you can rebuild a club around and having seen Bath play a few times this season they are in serious need of rebuilding on and off the field and what I hear about Craig I gather he is the man to do it.
They need to leave the Rec for another Bath city centre venue pronto as the ground isn’t up to National Division Three standards and they need a big clear out on the playing side if they are to compete not only with the top four in England but with the best in Europe as they used to do.
And while we are talking about breaking the bank the first man Craig should see on Monday morning in Danny Grewcock. Why on earth is he hanging up his boots at the end of the season? He was magnificent (again at Ulster) and to see him charging down the field in the second half to tidy up an Ulster kick proved to me he still deserves a place in the England squad. Forget about retiring – sign on again!
For Ulster they are starting something special. The ground is moving on leaps and bounds and in Johann Muller they have a leader for everyone to follow. And if there is a better blindside in the world than Stephen Ferris at the moment then I haven’t seen him.
They lack experience in the back line and attack with youthful experience and without the steady hand of a 50-cap star. That’s what they need to go to the next level to create an environment for their promising youngsters.

TEENKICKS by Ben Mcintosh

A new blog written by teenage Rugby World reader Ben Mcintosh

☺ Autumn Internationals – My Dream Team
☺ New Rugby Game?
☺ Joke of the week!
☺ Junior tip of the week!
☺ Coming up in next month’s edition – Exclusive interview with Leicester Tigers prop “Julian White”!
☺ A little something for Christmas!

Autumn Internationals – My Dream Team
The autumn internationals mostly went the way of the southern hemisphere countries as usual. Although only New Zealand were unbeaten at the end of the tour. Their most amazing offloading out of the tackle and their immense lines of running made them superior in this autumn series. I also think that many English players stood out as well.
My Dream Team of the Autumn would be:-
1. Tendai Mtawarira – Power and scrummaging
2. Dylan Hartley – Decision making at the break down
3. Adam Jones – Great maul work
4. Courtney Lawes – Awesome tackling
5. Victor Matfield – Amazing lineouts
6. Stephen Ferris – Superb attacking running
7. Richie Mccaw – All round leadership
8. Kieran Read – Power Machine
9. Ben Youngs – Quick thinking ability
10. Dan Carter – Brilliant kicking
11. Hosea Gear – Speed and strength
12. Sonny Bill Williams – Speedy offloading
13. Mike Tindall – Solid
14. Chris Ashton – The whole package
15. Mils Muliaina – Counter running

New Rugby Game?
The last rugby game was unveiled in 2008 but will there be another? There has been talk of a World Cup 2011 game, but will it happen? I personally love the Rugby 08 game as it has great graphics and is easy to use. I hope there will be another one in the coming years. Would you like to see another rugby Game?

Joke Of The Week
“Waiter, waiter, why are there ears in my soup”?
“It’s ok sir, they’re cauliflower ears”!

Junior Tip Of The Week!
Support the ball carrier!

A little something for Christmas!
http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/wSzldYrMkpA4svA88iN5

View from the Sofa – England v Ireland

By Rugby World reader, Mark Shanahan

Don’t bet on the Rose!!

I was at Twickenham on Saturday. Well I say Twickenham, I actually got as far as Feltham dropping off a business acquaintance lucky enough to have a ticket for the England v Ireland fixture. I wasn’t so lucky – but after driving through floods, was quite happy to be home on the sofa watching the green machine roll over the Red Rose warriors. This was a game England could have won. No, should have won. The forwards more than held their own but as for the backs….well, what is it that turns creative players like Care, Cueto, Armitage and Tait into automatons as soon as they pull on an England shirt?

I have a real problem with the England coaching set-up. Week-in and week out I watch the same players in the Premiership turn on the style: take on and beat opponents, defend on the edge and attack on the front foot. But not so when they play for England – and my view is that this has to be down to the coaching. Apart from in the line-out, England’s forwards more than held their own on Saturday. The ball wasn’t always quick, and Ireland’s players were cute when it came to delaying it. But England had good ball to work with – far more possession than their green counterparts. But the backs were one dimensional, and hampered further by the strange tactic of having Wilkinson take the ball so deep that every England move was going backwards before it ever got the chance to advance. The more I look at Jonny now, the more I question what he brings to a game other than his place kicking. Against Italy, even that was wayward. Isn’t it time for England to move on and look for a number 10 who will take give them an attacking platform at RWC 2011?

But it’s not just Jonny. Why isn’t Danny Care being told he needs to get his pass away quicker rather than scuttling several steps laterally before releasing the ball. Why are the centres being drilled only to run straight into contact or put up more aimless kicks. Why does the ball never get to the wingers in space? There appears to be a fear of failure instilled in the backs rather than a belief in backing themselves to outwit the opposition.

Johnson and his coaches seem risk-averse: play to the plan and don’t dare deviate. I hate to say it Johnno, but it’s not working. It’s dull to watch and won’t win games against sides like Ireland who are well-drilled but also play with freedom in attack and belief that they will score. Ireland had three real try-scoring chances and nailed them all. By contrast, England rarely looked really dangerous.

Two years out from the next World Cup, there’s no sign that Johnson has any plan as to how England can be winners. Too many players are in the side on past reputation than merited by current form – Borthwick among them – and those new faces who make the squad don’t seem trusted by the coaching triumvirate. Why on earth is Foden not starting for instance?

I hope Johnson will take off the blinkers in the last two matches of this Six Nations – but I’ll believe it when I see it. At the moment, the man with the permanently furrowed brow is making Brian Ashton look like the Messiah. If I were to bet on England to be the next RWC winners I’d probably get great odds. Frankly, I wouldn’t waste the stake money.

Super 14 – super stuff

By Rugby World reader, Steve Heath

You join me this week in a very sad mood as one of my best friends is in a coma. I did warn him that a full 80 minutes of watching England “play” international rugby would most likely lead to this outcome. “Take frequent breaks” I told him, I admit that I was only joking when I said the length of these breaks should be for 40 minutes just after kick off in each half, but who’s sorry now?

This week I decided to take a break from the tedium of under strength northern hemisphere club rugby and gave Super 14 a go. I appreciate that it gets criticised as being powder puff and not what us chaps like in our rugby but I have always enjoyed it. The Super 14 is based in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand – who are better than us, played in better conditions usually, and from what I have seen matches seem to be played with a far more attacking intent. What’s not to like?

LIONS 65 CHIEFS 72.

Admittedly I dropped lucky with the match I watched. The attacking intent was refreshing to see – players were actually trying to go past each other. Why do the England team insist on running into players? Seriously, Carwyn James once said the spirit of rugby was 14 players busting a gut to give the 15th half a yard on his opposite number, take your man on!!!!! This was a feast of attacking rugby and it was a shame when the half time whistle went as you knew this would be the longest period without a try.

Other news this week – Danny Cipriani is off to Australia, another indication that England would rather persist with bashers than let flair players have a go. Good luck Mr Cipriani, I genuinely hope you are one of the players of Super 15 next year while the England management team scratch their heads and mutter “oops”.

The Six Nations resumes next week. Your favourite blogist is off to the Millenium Stadium for Wales v France.

Predictions: The Welsh weekend to be over before it starts – France by 17. Ireland will be smarting from defeat against France and unless they fall asleep watching England “attack” I can see Ireland winning by 12 points. Italy will take heart from their performance against England and will beat a depleted Scotland by four points.

There you go, I suggest you go to the bookies and place your hard earned cash on Wales, England and Scotland.

Leicester v Wasps – The Verdict

By Paul Morgan, Editor of Rugby World Magazine

Leicester 34 Wasps 8

Wasps have problems, big problems up front as for the second time in a week they have been undone by a far more powerful front row.
This time – against Leicester – it was the turn of Dan Cole (who’ll find himself in the Saxons squad this week), the 22-year-old local lad from Leicester to turn the screw and send Wasps on the retreat. He was quite rightly named man of the match as Newcastle’s Jon Golding was last week, when the Falcons beat Wasps.
Leicester are however motoring nicely and with a hard core of young English players it is easy to see how they just might be heading for a period of English/European dominance they enjoyed at the start of the last decade.
Wasps took a shock third-minute lead when Danny Cipriani opened up the Leicester defence but after the first scrum (in the 23rd minute!) when Cole was penalised for dropping a scrum, against Tim Payne, it was all one-way traffic at the set piece.
The Leicester pressure finally cracked the Wasps rearguard in the 38th minute when Payne was yellow-carded for dropping yet another scrum and while he was off the field the 8-3 Wasps lead turned into a 17-8 Leicester advantage. Game set and match.
In fairness to Wasps they do have some big injury problems in the front row, missing both Phil Vickery and Jason Hobson, but then Leicester were missing their first-choice tightheads too in Julian White and Martin Castrogivanni.
On the bright side Sakaria Taulafo is looking to be a good signing, from Samoa. He has played on both sides of the front row in the last two weekends.

Louis Deacon: Great captaincy from the second row ensured this comfortable win. He kept going for the corner, keeping the pressure on when a kick at goal would have been the normal Leicester-way. When he did this at the end of the first half it led to Payne’s yellow card and the match was won.
Danny Cipriani: Another classy display from a young man running right into form. His pace off the mark will worry any defence and his passing is simply world-class.
Lote Tuqiri: Leicester need to do all they can to hold on to this guy when his contract runs out in the summer. I know it is tough to balance the books inside the salary cap but his effect on and off the field could be decisive. Who would you rather have in your side in a Heineken Cup final or Guinness Premiership final?
Geoff Parling: Another young English lock who should cheer Martin Johnson up. Should find his way into the Saxons this season and then the world’s his oyster.

But what do you think? Were you at the game? Do you agree with me making Dan Cole man of the match? Perhaps you would have picked someone else?

Rugby World Player and Team of the Decade

By Paul Morgan, editor of Rugby World Magazine

The new edition of Rugby World goes on sale today with our Player and Team of the Decade announced.
But what do you think? Would you have selected a different player or different members of the team.
Does a side with 4 Kiwis, 3 Englishmen, 2 Welshmen and 2 South Africans reflect the Noughties?

HE STARTED the decade with a hat-trick in his first Six Nations Championship and finished it as one of the key reasons why Ireland went the whole of 2009 without suffering a defeat. So in the eyes of Rugby World there’s only one man who should be named Player of the Decade: Brian O’Driscoll.
The man from Blackrock College will earn his 100th Ireland cap in the coming Six Nations and more than any other has written his name large and bold across the decade that will be known as the Noughties.
Whether as captain of Ireland, Leinster or the Lions, O’Driscoll has shown exemplary form over a sustained period – form that wins him our accolade above and beyond a host of players who have left an indelible mark on our great game.
O’Driscoll may be our Player of the Decade, but he doesn’t captain our Team of the Decade. That honour falls to the captain without peer, England’s Martin Johnson.
The decade produced two World Cup winners, in England and South Africa, so naturally those teams had a number of players on our shortlist. But it isn’t all about World Cups as New Zealand managed to earn four representatives in our starting XV without even making a final.
Similarly, the rise of Argentina in this decade and Wales’ two Grand Slams had the judges scratching their heads
and working out how we could keep our team down to 15 players. A number of big names missed out, such as Lawrence Dallaglio and Neil Back, as we looked for balance in our side and the recognition of players like Sergio Parisse, who may never win a Six Nations or World Cup but should nevertheless always figure when we’re looking for legends of our game.
Full team

Mils Muliaina – New Zealand
Jason Robinson – England
Brian O’Driscoll – Ireland
Matt Giteau – Australia
Shane Williams – Wales
Dan Carter – New Zealand
Agustin Pichot – Argentina
Gethin Jenkins – Wales
John Smit – South Africa
Carl Hayman – New Zealand
Martin Johnson (c) – England
Victor Matfield – South Africa
Richard Hill – England
Richie McCaw – New Zealand
Sergio Parisse – Italy

Subs: Rodrigo Roncero, Mario Ledesma, Sylvian Marconnet, Juan-Martín Fernández Lobbe, Fourie Du Preez, Jonny Wilkinson, Yannick Jauzion, Juan Martín Hernández.

By what do you think? Name your Team and Player of the Decade and tell us why you have made your choices.

Also if you’d like to get 32% off a subscription to Rugby World Magazine go to our websites at http://www.rugbyworld.com, where we have a new offer available!