Lawrence Dallaglio snubs Jonny Wilkinson from his all-time best XV

My dream team, by Lawrence Dallaglio

BACK-THREE:

• Fullback: CHRISTIAN CULLEN (New Zealand): Comes down to Cullen or Serge Blanco. While Blanco might have been a great player for a longer period, Cullen’s best years were sensational
• Winger: DAVID CAMPESE (Australia): Wasn’t always generous in his comments about England but he was a great player and, really, he walks into the team
• Winger: JONAH LOMU (New Zealand): If only for the matches he played against England, he would get in, but Lomu played plenty of other great matches.

CENTRES:

• Outside-centre: FRANK BUNCE (New Zealand): Lots of people will say ‘how can you not pick Tim Horan at No 12?’ Horan was a great player, a better attacker than Bunce but I loved Bunce’s physicality
• Inside-centre: JEREMY GUSCOTT (England): The way Jerry could accelerate onto a pass made him unique in my eyes. One of those players with the ability to do something that changed a game

HALFBACKS:

• Fly-half: MICHAEL LYNAGH (Australia): Dan Carter, Jonny Wilkinson or Lynagh? I would go for Lynagh. His ability to control a game was phenomenal and he was so hard to get at
• Scrum-half: NICK FARR-JONES (Australia): Gets in before Joost van der Westhuizen. Farr-Jones could be a brilliant link man, or an extra forward and he was an awesome wind-up merchant. Slippery Nick, not a bad bloke at all.

FRONT-ROW:

• Loosehead-prop: JASON LEONARD (England): People might say, ‘ah, Lawrence liked Leonard and put him in his World team’ but how can you get 115 caps, play in three decades, two World Cup finals and not be a pretty extraordinary player?
• Hooker: SEAN FITZPATRICK (New Zealand): To do it for as long as he did it, in a country where the scrutiny is intense and every mistakes is seized upon, that takes something special. Defined the role of the modern hooker.
• Tighthead-prop: OLO BROWN (New Zealand): When the All Blacks had Dowd, Fitzpatrick and Brown in their front, they only ever went in one direction, forward. Brown was an awesome player, a truly brilliant scrummager.

SECOND-ROW:

• Lock: MARTIN JOHNSON (England): About 10 years ago, I said Johnson and John Eales would be my second-row forwards in a World XV. Nothing has changed. Farr Jones, Fitzpatrick and Eales and Johnno would still be my captain
• Lock: JOHN EALES (Australia): He could dominate the lineout, make plenty of tackles, maintain an unbelievable workrate, kick goals and remain the calmest person on the pitch. Great forward and great leader

BACK-ROW:

• Blindside-flanker: RICHARD HILL (ENG): It is unusual not to have a Springbok in my World XV but was Francois Pienaar better than Hill? Not in my opinion. The thing about Hill is that even at the highest level, he didn’t make mistakes
• Number 8: ZINZAN BROOKE (NZ): So talented, so physical, such a great understanding of the game and so bloody competitive
• Openside-flanker: MICHAEL JONES (New Zealand): He had everything. Quick, athletic, skilful, brave, and a great team player. There have been some great No 7s; Winterbottom, Back, George Smith, Richie McCaw but none as good as Jones.