The greatest All Blacks XV: how we see it

Six Fairfax rugby writers take on the daunting task of naming an all-time time ABs team.

Marc Hinton This is a thankless task, if ever there was one. My first recollections of watching the All Blacks were in the ‘70s and it’s really only since the ‘80s that I’ve paid close attention. So clearly the likes of Colin Meads, Brian Lochore and their ilk have to be judged from afar, so to speak. I had Jeff Wilson shading John Kirwan for right wing, the midfield of Frank Bunce and Ma’a Nonu tipping out any number of worthy contenders, Richie McCaw just nudging out Michael Jones as No 7, and Ian Kirkpatrick pipping the Iceman for No 6. Just my team. But a goodie. 15. Christian Cullen, 14. Jeff Wilson, 13. Frank Bunce, 12. Ma’a Nonu, 11. Jonah Lomu, 10. Daniel Carter, 9. Sid Going, 8. Zinzan Brooke, 7. Richie McCaw, 6. Ian Kirkpatrick, 5. Colin Meads, 4. Brodie Retallick, 3. Olo Brown, 2. Dane Coles, 1. Tony Woodcock Liam Napier Always subjective, and never an easy ask this team. Comparing completely different eras alone is a fruitless task. I’m fresh faced when it comes to New Zealand rugby’s storied history, so largely stuck with what I know to be true. The likes of Wilson Whineray and Kel Tremain are unlucky, as were Frank Bunce, Bruce Robertson, centre with a touch of class. But as far as combinations go, you simply can’t overlook the best balanced midfield pairing the world has ever seen. Michael Jones, at his peak, could easily have featured on the blindside in tandem with Richie McCaw. But the toughest call of all came at hooker, where Fitzpatrick gets the nod due to his leadership, longevity and significant role in the first series win in South Africa. 15. Christian Cullen, 14. John Kirwan, 13. Conrad Smith, 12. Ma’a Nonu, 11. Jonah Lomu, 10. Dan Carter, 9. Sid Going, 8. Zinzan Brooke, 7. Richie McCaw, 6. Michael Jones, 5. Colin Meads, 4. Brodie Retallick, 3. Ken Gray, 2. Sean Fitzpatrick, 1. Tony Woodcock Hamish Bidwell Wow, what a task. I’m in my 40s, so it seemed logical to restrict this to players that I actually saw a bit of. Men such as Colin Meads, Ken Gray, Kel Tremain – the list could go on and on – are all-time greats, but it would be disingenuous to judge them on the strength of what some old books suggest or a couple of grainy clips. Second fiveeighth, halfback and blindside flanker were the three spots I eventually spent the most time on. Here goes. Christian Cullen, John Kirwan, Joe Stanley, Walter Little, Jonah Lomu, Daniel Carter, Dave Loveridge, Zinzan Brooke, Michael Jones, Jerry Collins, Brodie Retallick, Gary Whetton, Olo Brown, Sean Fitzpatrick, Tony Woodcock. Aaron Goile My eyes have only been privy to the past 20 years of rugby, though with the advent of professionalism and the increased physicality, skill and number of matches, I reckon it’s the modern-day players tending to be the ones ranking among the greats. There are two exceptions in my XV – Sid Going and Colin Meads. 15. Christian Cullen, 14. Jeff Wilson, 13. Conrad Smith, 12. Ma’a Nonu, 11. Jonah Lomu, 10. Dan Carter, 9. Sid Going, 8. Zinzan Brooke, 7. Richie McCaw, 6. Michael Jones, 5. Colin Meads, 4. Brodie Retallick, 3. Olo Brown, 2. Dane Coles, 1. Tony Woodcock Tony Smith As the senior citizen of the selection panel, my increasingly addled memory dates back to tests in the late ‘60s and it pains me to omit some of the greats of that era, notably prop Ken Gray and flanker Kel Tremain, who would have been stars in any era. Bruce Robertson, the prince of centres, had it over Frank Bunce, Joe Stanley and Conrad Smith and Beegee Williams – circa 1970 – shades Kirwan and Wilson. It’s tempting to include both Richie McCaw and Michael Jones, but I’ve stuck to the purist selection theory of plumping for specialists and Jones wasn’t the best blindside of the last 50 years. 15. Christian Cullen, 14. Bryan Williams, 13. Bruce Robertson, 12. Ma’a Nonu, 11. Jonah Lomu, 10. Dan Carter, 9. Aaron Smith, 8. Kieran Read, 7. Michael Jones, 6. Ian Kirkpatrick, 5. Brodie Retallick, 4. Colin Meads, 3. Olo Brown, 2. Sean Fitzpatrick, 1. Tony Woodcock. Chris Barclay I’ve seen all of these players in action with the notable exception of the late Kevin Skinner, who is selected on reputation alone. Anyone who can come out of retirement in 1956 and sort out Springbok props Jaap Bekker and Chris Koch with two punches gets a start in the front row. Contentious selections? Maybe Stu Wilson on the right wing, though check out YouTube. 15. Christian Cullen, 14. Stu Wilson, 13. Joe Stanley, 12. Walter Little, 11. Jonah Lomu, 10. Dan Carter, 9. Justin Marshall 8. Buck Shelford, 7. Richie McCaw, 6. Jerome Kaino, 5. Brodie Retallick, 4. Robin Brooke, 3. Olo Brown, 2. Sean Fitzpatrick [captain], 1. Kevin Skinner.