Jonny Wilkinson's All-Time Dream XV Could Be The Best We've Seen

In some ways, you could argue Wilkinson has been the epitome of the professional era. He has set new standards in terms of dedication and an almost obsessive pursuit of perfection.

He’s also been one of the great match winners of the era and one of the game’s greatest ever accumulators of points.

In fact, only Dan Carter has scored more in Test rugby, with Wilkinson having garnered 1,246 during his 97 caps for England and the Lions. His finest hour, of course, came in 2003, when he slotted the drop goal that won the World Cup.

The fact he landed it with his weaker right foot speaks volumes for his hours and hours of diligent practice. Bowed out on a high, earning two more trophies with Toulon.

Fullback: Serge Blanco - France: He typified French rugby at its best with his audacity, ambition and flair. He was most famous for his scintillating counter-attacks, frequently running the ball out of seemingly impossible situations."

Wing: Christophe Dominici - France: "His opportunism, his flair, his game reading, his sheer explosivity to really change a game is something that sticks in my memory”

Wing: Jonah Lomu - New Zealand: “The guy is quite a remarkable rugby legend and deserves to be so. No dream team would be complete without him.”

Outside Centre: Brian O'Driscoll - Ireland: The ability to change the game in a second, a heartbeat, with his movement, with his skill, his game reading but also his leadership.”

Inside Centre: Tim Horan - Australia: “A guy that knew how to win, knew how to play the game. His body language suggested he didn’t really know how to fail or what mistakes were, what under performance was.”

Fly-half: Lynagh, Carter, Larkham, Stransky, Fox: “This is the key position for any World Cup winning team. You need guys that are going to lead and continue to do so right to the final seconds when it gets very, very tough. I can't just pick one."

Scrum-half: Gary Armstrong - Scotland: “The sheer aggression and resilience of the guy, his sheer character meant that anything, any ball that wasn’t good enough to go out to the number ten was never going to go out to the number ten. He would deal with everything himself and that meant control of the game”

Prop: David Sole - Scotland: "He was seen by Wilkinson as “someone who inspired and brought energy to the game” with impact."

Hooker: Keith Wood - Ireland: “You need someone here in this position who can bring you the set piece control but at the same time I think they need to be aggressive, be someone that runs hard, someone that doesn’t stop, never gives up,”

Prop: Craig Dowd - New Zealand: “As with all tight heads what you want is someone who doesn’t take no for an answer, someone who is maybe a little quieter but someone you just don’t mess with”

Lock: Bakkie Botha - South Africa: “Someone incredibly fierce but very very down to earth” and “at times he’s exactly what a team needs,” according to Wilkinson.

Lock: John Eales - Australia; 'Eales was described by Wilkinson as “intelligent, another massive leader, gets himself around the park and brings another angle of goal kicking”

Flanker: Francois Pienaar - South Africa; “Approaching a World Cup in our own country I think people can understand the pressure on the home team and to think about the pressure on the home captain - think about what this guy must have been going through in South Africa at that time. To see how he dealt with it I think is a lesson to all of us”

Flanker: Richie McCaw - New Zealand: “A guy that stood the test of time and has remained at the best, the highest level of the game for that time”

Number 8: Pat Lam - Samoa: “Pat Lam was one of the most creative, instinctive players as well as bringing his own brand of leadership and the way he saw the game.”