Whatever the criteria, Maro makes my best XV

WORLD Rugby’s much heralded team of the decade – which spans 2010-2019 – hasn’t met with universal approval but then these composite All-Star teams rarely do because the criteria is always a bit hazy.

Are we looking at quality of performance through the entire decade or the best player to perform at some stage during that decade?

Brian O’Driscoll, unquestionably the best 13 of the noughties, controversially gets the nod at outside centre ahead of Jonathan Davies and Conrad Smith despite playing no rugby whatsoever since 2014.

George North’s inclusion seems very much based on the first part of the decade when he was on fire and scoring great tries for fun rather than his more patchy form of the last four or five years.

North is included yet Julian Savea, whose career took a similar trajectory and whose try scoring strike rate is notably higher, is considered surplus to requirements.

New Zealand fans are also up in arms – when aren’t they? – about Sergio Parisse getting the nod at No.8 ahead of Kieran Read although they are totally wrong on that one. Would Read have had anywhere near the same impact playing for an outclassed Italy? I think not. They do, however, have a case with their claims that Aaron Smith should have got the nod over Conor Murray.

Meanwhile, although you can understand the strong temptation to pick the old firm of Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock together at lock, if I was asked to select a second row pairing from the ‘teenies’ to play for my life I would unhesitatingly opt for Eben Etzebeth – 85 caps and counting during the decade for the Boks – and Maro Itoje, England’s main man between 2016-19 and throughout that period probably the best second row on the planet.

World Rugby World XV of the decade (2010-2019): Ben Smith (New Zealand); George North (Wales); Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland), Ma’a Nonu (New Zealand); Bryan Habana (South Afria); Dan Carter (New Zealand); Conor Murray (Ireland); Tendai Mtawarira (South Africa), Bismark Du Plessis (South Africa), Owen Franks (New Zealand), Brodie Retallick (New Zealand), Sam Whitelock (New Zealand), David Pocock (Australia), Richie McCaw (New Zealand), Sergio Parisse (Italy)