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G LINE-UP FARE IN THE 2009 SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP? 1. JASON LEONARD Date of Birth: Jason has to be Number 1. He is king of the Six Nations, with more appearances in the competition than any other player (45). He is just a legend in his position and one of the all time rugby legends. You couldn’t think of having a Six Nations team in my era without him in it. He was also one of my great mates. 2. RAPHAEL IBANEZ Date of Birth: I only got to know Raphael in the twilight of my career when he joined Wasps but he was fantastic for France over his 98 caps. Like Jason Leonard, you don’t stay there that long unless you are one of the greatest. He has captained France for two stints and won two Grand Slams. He is a great leader, a real icon and talisman for French rugby. I love his mentality and I admire him enormously, although he is a bit crazy. 3. PHIL VICKERY 4. MARTIN JOHNSON Date of Birth: Phil’s all-round ability as a player is incredible; his ball carrying skills are a real asset and he is a good, solid scrummager. He got cited in his debut against Wales at Twickenham which was a statement of intent for the rest of his career. Phil is a wonderful servant to England and he is in fantastic form at the moment. He has the leadership qualities to help Steve Borthwick through these hard times. Date of Birth: Everyone talks about him as a captain and about his presence on the field but first and foremost he was a world class lock, right up there with the two or three best second rows ever. His work rate was unbelievable and his rugby brain is very astute. No matter how important a game was, Martin would always approach it in the same way, regardless of the opposition. He had that great levelling mentality. CLASSIC SPORTS SERIES / 91 |