RUGBY: GERRY THORNLEYon the reasonings behind his and George Hook's choices and the Slams this lot would have won if they'd played together

PICKING A notional best Irish XV of all time is both fun and fiendishly difficult, especially when you know virtually everybody is going to disagree with you somewhere along the line.

Proof of this came by way of the response from readers, for of the 3,700 entries, not one agreed with us in entirety! Of course, as with all these things, people have short memories and veer towards more recent generations. Weighing up the credentials of someone from the past, purely on reputation and achievements, against a current player, is virtually impossible.

Our criterion (aside from being presented with a top five for each position) was that the greatest Irish rugby team of all time might notionally play against the greatest Rest of the World XV of all time. The opposition would be stuffed full of grizzled, flesh-eating mongrels from New Zealand and South Africa up front, and laced with French and Welsh backline flair.

The backline George came up with as the best of the rest of the world was: Serge Blanco (France); David Campese (Australia), Phillipe Sella (France), Danie Gerber (South Africa), Jonah Lomu (New Zealand); Bennie Osler (South Africa) – who possessed a kicking game of suffocating accuracy, his commitment to putting pressure on the opponents’ set-piece helping to define the successful Springbok sides of the 1920s and early 1930s – and Gareth Edwards (Wales).

Up front, he chose Jason Leonard (England), Sean Fitzpatrick (NZ) and Wilson Whineray, who played for the All Blacks between 1957 and 1965. He was the team’s longest serving captain, and according to some, its greatest, with Colin Meads (New Zealand) and Frik du Preez (South Africa), who was named as South Africa’s Rugby Player of the 20th Century, at lock.

The backrow has Jean-Pierre Rives and Dave Gallaher, the most revered footballer in NZ rugby history and who invented the role of the openside flanker and was killed in the first World War, and Hennie Muller, who introduced a new style of play for a number eight in the immediate post-war years.

Nicknamed “the greyhound”, he was arguably the fastest backrow forward up to that time. He could run and handle like a back and kicked with either foot, and captained South Africa in nine Tests.

Ye Gods! You’d want a good team to take on that lot, alright. You’d want eight forwards who wouldn’t take a step backwards for starters, and as much potency and dynamism as you could cram into the backline.

It says something about the choices at midfield and secondrow that they provoked the least debate amongst us and the entries. Indeed, it says everything about the choice at outside centre that some bloke called O’Driscoll prompted no debate whatsoever and polled the highest (98 per cent).

The great one was the people’s choice and alongside him Mike Gibson provoked almost as little discussion and polled 81 per cent in what is a mouth-watering midfield combination.

Similarly, there was little argument over the secondrow pairing of Willie John McBride and Paul O’Connell (second most popular pick at 86 per cent).

Then it started to get trickier. Surprised as we were about the top five at fullback, and particularly no Jim Staples, we eventually settled on Tom Kiernan. He played on the Irish team almost unbroken for 14 years, and though he only scored his first try in his last international, allowance had to be made for him coming from the era of a non-attacking fullback.

A scrumhalf and centre at school, George also pointed out that Kiernan, aside from re-inventing himself as a goal-kicking fullback, remained unwaveringly brave when also adjusting, mid-career, to the “mark” being removed from outside the 22. Besides, we both fancied getting out of Cork alive the next time we were there.

Allowing for Niall Brophy being a two-time Lions tourist, it’s hard to dispute the credentials of Tommy Bowe. Even George agreed! Few wingers have run better lines, and the prolific, Grand Slam-winning, Lions test series regular was also the most popular choice on the right wing, polling at 59 per cent.

While Denis Hickie has been both the quickest and most prolific Irish left winger of all time, we went with Tony O’Reilly, a Lions tourist at 18, and who twice set try-scoring records on Lions tours.

The outhalf top five. Hmm. No David Humphreys for starters? Ollie Campbell would have fitted in neatly into this back-line, but despite playing in the 40s, Jack Kyle led the poll at 49 per cent.

How could you not pick Kyle? A Grand Slam winner and a Lion, in the span of an unbroken 11-year Test career he was the world’s most capped player in his time.

Now it started to become even trickier. Peter Stringer, now in his 11th season of Test rugby, is probably Ireland’s greatest ever passer. Accordingly, he clearly led the popular vote in this category on 45 per cent, but we opted for Colin Patterson, on the grounds that his pass rivalled Stringer’s, while he also had a compelling break and eye for the try line, and it wasn’t his fault that injuries limited his Test career to three years.

Hooker was the most competitive choice of all. Karl Mullen, Ronnie Dawsopn and Ken Kennedy were great technical hookers with a huge body of achievement but it was still hard not to go with Keith Wood, for sure the most dynamic hooker Irish rugby has ever produced.

We went for two technically proficient scrummaging props in Ray McLaughlin and Peter Clohessy. McLaughlin was the first captain/quasi coach, whose idea of bringing the team for a walk on Dún Laoghaire pier on match-day mornings was almost revolutionary.

In a team featuring nine Irish captains, we reckoned he could wear the armband too, and we also wanted the Claw’s massive heart for the trench warfare against the overseas mongrels.

Fergus Slattery could have played in any era, and accordingly also polled 70 per cent, while our blindside, Bill McKay, polled the least of our picks, at 12 per cent, whereas Philip Matthews had just under half the votes. But George maintained that McKay was not only a key component of the vintage 40s/early 50s crop, he was an incredibly brave and hard Lions tourist who could play six or eight.

We reckoned number eight was our most difficult pick, and would be the most contentious one. Little did we know. Jamie Heaslip received the most votes, and we agreed that in a few more years he’ll probably walk onto this team.

To our surprise, Ken Goodall polled modestly. Applying the same criteria as at scrumhalf, there was a compelling case for Goodall on the basis of his sheer quality, and he was a victim of the times and financial considerations obliged the Derry teacher to take up rugby league with Warrington.

But this time it was hard to ignore Willie Duggan’s body of work. A Lions tourist who was still around for the beginning of the 1980s Irish revival, he is still hugely regarded in New Zealand and, again, was as tough as nails.

You’ll disagree, for sure, but one final thought. Had the careers of these 15 men co-incided for even four years, we reckoned four Slams and a World Cup mightn’t have been beyond them.

7. Fergus Slattery

(Blackrock)

1970-1984

2. Keith Wood

(Munster/Garryowen)

1994-2003

8. Willie Duggan

(Blackrock)

1975-1984

5. Paul O’Connell

(Munster/Young Munster)

2002- present

1. Ray McLoughlin

(London Irish)

1962-1975

3. Peter Clohessy

(Munster/Young Munster)

1993-2002

14. Tommy Bowe

(Ospreys/Ulster))

2004- present

4. Willie John McBride

(Ballymena)

1962-1975

6. Bill McKay

(Queen’s University)

1947-1952

13. Brian O’Driscoll

(Leinster/UCD)

1999-present

9. Colin Patterson

(Instonians)

1978-1980

10. Jack Kyle

Queen’s University

1947-1958

15. Tom Kiernan

(Cork Constitution)

Ireland career: 1960-1973

12. Mike Gibson

Cambridge/NIFC

1964-1979

11. Tony O'Reilly

(Old Belvedere)

1955-1970

The percentage of votes received in their position by each of the 15 players on our dream team was as follows:

Tom Kiernan 57%

Tommy Bowe 59%

Brian O’Driscoll 98%

Mike Gibson 81%

Tony O’Reilly 36%

Jack Kyle 49%

Colin Patterson 14%

Ray McLoughlin 31%

Keith Wood 77%

Peter Clohessy 41%

Willie John McBride 77%

Paul O’Connell 86%

Bill McKay 12%

Fergus Slattery 70%

Willie Duggan 39%

Seán McNamara, Maynooth, Co Kildare, wins the Luxury Weekend Stay in Rome for Italy v Ireland in the Six Nations.

Runners-up (€100 One For All vouchers):

Steven O’Connell, Waterford; Niall Morrissey, Kildare; Doirean McHugh, Dublin; Darrell McKenzie, Canada; Ken Gunning, Offaly.

These were chosen from a draw of all the entries.