Anyone remember Jean Paul Rives? Thys Lourens? How about Richie Mc caw-the lad has it all? Schalk Burger is great but Richie is more wily and almost as good as Fitzpatrick was at "controlling" the ref.
I also remember as a kid a Jack RusselL of a no9 called Sid Going, who gave the 1976 Boks a hell of a time. Willie -John has to be there and there abouts. His infamous,yet effective '99' style leadership of the Lions against the Boks in 1973 was brlliant.
Agree RE: Andre Joubert was superb. How about Gavin Hastings? Scotland with and without this man were very different teams.
Anyone recall a flyhalf by the name of Hugo Porta, who ,(sometimes),single-handedly took on the world for his country-what balance and a hell of a boot? Daniel Carter is poetry in motion-that's hard to admit as an ardent Bok supporter,but he is simply in a class of his own.

Stephen, Durban, South Africa

I'm a casual fan, but is it not true that these "legends" from the80's and even 70's would be unable to cope with the physicality of the professional era. Did these guys shine because they were playing against weaker, less drilled teams than we see these days?

Is there no place for Gavin Hastings?

Apparently there are enough best XVs to create two teams. Could someone not do the Rocky Balboa trick and simulate what might happen? A southern Hemisphere top XV and european one. Who would win that?

Garry, Scotland,

this fellow is a joke. Has he not heard of Mark`Ella, John Eales, George Greagan...and what about the great Don Clark at no. 15. One of the two objects in Rugby is to kick goals!!

terry mcgill, Wollongong, Australia

Martin Johnson - you are kidding are you not ? You can find room for only Australian in your 15 ? - the most successful world cup country can only muster one player ? please, make me laugh !!. Still, you should take solace in the fact that soon you will have the opportunity to hand back the cup to a real rugby nation - and it is in giving that you shall receive.

JFL, Sydney, Australia

Carter the best. How old are you laddie, ever heard of Barry John or Phil Bennett? What about Mark Ella?

Martin W., Sydney, Australia

I.m English, and I think Carter is the real deal at 10. He has everything Jonny has, plus speed.
Have to go with Cullen at 15. Agree with the rest.

Loosehead, Basingstoke,

Pretty good selection although Johnson should be in there himself. Three quibbles, Fergus Slattery was the best flanker in the world and played at the higest level for years. Michael Lynagh has to be the best all round outhalf ever to play the game but if you wanted to pick one on the basis of pure talent then it would have to be Gary Ella. Finally to leave out Campo the most mercurial outside back ever seen is pure folly!

ken, Dublin, Ireland

Fair enough i say for most of the team, however there seems a consensus that Hill and Wilko are out of place.

I think there are an army of players that would vie above both of them in those positions. For mine I think you would have to consider Carter and Ella for 10 above Wilkinson 8 days of the week.

As for back-rowers - take your pick, certainly just about any All Black 6 or 8 would do. Again I agree with many that Kefu would have Hill for breakfast, but I too saw Michael Jones play and he was simply incredible.

Simon Poyduvarn, Dapto, Oztralya

Jonny at no.10 you have got to be joking... Dan Carter is the best no.10 the world has seen, he's the complete package, and he can defend... unlike Jonny.. all he can do is kick.

JT, London,

People seem to be unappreciative of Hill, he was a classic old school player. Wilkinson is incredible, I bet no one trains harder, carter is good but over-rated, greatest ever? Being welsh I might suggets the likes of niel jenkins and JPR Williams? But I dont think anyone here can argue with MJ, I met the big man once, scary, inspiring

Toby L-D, Sussex,

No better sight in rugby than Christian Cullen at his peak steaming into the line.

frank mccallister, edinburgh,

Gerber was a very good call - without doubt the best all round centre I've ever seen. He had the pace and vision of O'Driscoll / Gibson & the power of Sella. A truly remarkable player - what a shame apartheid prevented the rest of the world seeing his talents more fully. If anyone remembers his three tries in the first half against England in '84, you'll know what I mean.....

Sven, Bath, UK

The only problem with the No 10 is that he can't run just like his England predecessor. They were there to kick & tackle. How many games & how many tries did they both score? Zip worth talking about. With conventional No 10 Eng would have scored many more G Slams & Triple C. I raise my Celtic glass to them both.

stanley williams, Altea,Alicante, Spain

Not one Irishman in the side.........? No Willie John McBride,no Mike Gibson ,no Fergus Slattery. I could go on and on. As and Irishman and bearing in mind that Martin Johnson picked the side I can't say that I'm too surprised. Too many knocks to the head in his long career,I would say.

Brian O'Toole, Figueres, Girona Spain

The best centre pairing would have to be Jerry Guscott and Brian O'Driscoll. I would have paid a king's ransom to see the pair of them playing for the Lion outside Gareth Edwards and Phil Bennett.

Andrew McCabe, Newbury, UK

I'd have to say that I wouldn't pick Jonah Lomu as one of the choices for winger. As undeniably powerful and impressive as he was in full flight, he was ultimately a very one-dimensional player compared to the likes of Jeff Wilson, John Kirwan or David Campese, all of whom possessed a lot more skill and general knowledge when it came to tactics and siezing the opportunity. Indeed, Wilson played fewer tests than Lomu but scored far more trys and was clearly the superior player throughout their respective careers.

Unfortunately for him, his performances in both the 1995 and 1999 world cups were both below his best, certainly they lacked the guile and almost freakish eye for an opportunity that he displayed almost without fail in the period between those two tournaments. Lomu, on the other hand, was only ever at his best on the massive international stage of the World Cup, either side of it his performances could be frustratingly lacking.

Matthew, Dunedin, New Zealand

A much better captain than a selector.

Phil O'Donovan, London, England

I'm a kiwi and a massive All Black fan, but I have to say that Martin Johnson deserves to make this team. One of the all time greats....pity he didn't play for his wife's country..

Anton, London,

What is Raji on about! Wilko has to be there as the all rounder of the game at 10, class in both feet and hands and bone crunching ability down chanell one. If any 10 should be ahead of our Jonny, it's the legend Barry John. Don't argue with Johnno on any of the selections as he is the greatest captain the game has ever known.

Ian F, LLandrindod Wells, Radnorshire

Martin Johnson is right because it is his OPINION. We all have our own thoughts on the matter and they are right also - in our own minds. Not a bad team but certainly not the best - and that is my opinion. I wouldn't have any of the SA props because they can't do 80 minutes. Johnny W - great loyalty but D Carter is the only one there.

Michael Sommerville, Auckland, NZ

From an NZ perspective, he's got most of our legends so i'm happy. Michael Jones - greatest player i've ever seen. Fitzy, Buck, Meads, Jonah... the only absolute NZ legend missing would be Cullen - most naturally gifted back to wear the black jersey in my lifetime.

Joe Roff is an understandable pick - very classy player. I'd go with Caucau though as one of the other posters said... up there with Jonah for his ability to break a game open. Campo has to go close too.

Reuben, Auckland,

Ok, I think the World wouldn't question if we just make it the 2007 All Blacks World Cup Team.

Wilko, what a shocking choice! Nothing but a kicking glamour model. The likes of Mehrtens, Carter or even Fox were far better than Willy at his peak.

Raji, London, England

No Mike Gibson, Willie John McBride or Fergus Slattery ???? Give us a break Martin.

marvin g. cassidy, dublin, ireland

Good list i thought, but still feel zinzan brook needs to be 8 and david campeze in place of Roff. Carter in my opion is a far better 10 than wilkinson but fair dues to MJ for picking his mates at 10 and 7. Hill is underated, but thats the reason he was never regarded as great. For all those schalk burger fans, please note SA sides reverse 6 & 7 jerseys.

Tommy Tucker, London,

A high quality 15 especially in the tight five. Richard Hill's and Buck Shelford's selection are questionable in the loose forwards. I think the main questions are posed in the backs.

Would Jonny Wilkinson make the all blacks ahead of Daniel Carter? I think not. I also question Joe Roff. Was he that good? I'd pick Campese, Wilson or Caucau ahead of Roff.

I think Johnson's selections are biased toward world cup victors which as we've seen this year - it is ruining every other part of the game.

Jason, Perth,

Agree with "Rough Rider". While I wouldn't dare call into question MJ's rugby knowledge, I wonder why he feels he has to prove it through some very obscure selections, especially in 3, 4 and 5. Reminds me of some boring old Welsh bloke down the pub banging on about the legends that played 50 years ago just to try and demonstrate that he knows more than you do!

Having said this, Johnno would presumably be first on the teamsheet in most peoples' selections, not just for playing ability but also for sheer presence - a true great.

JM, London, UK

Why, when someone puts up a team, does the majority of posters say I wouldn't have x, put y in and so forth? This is Jonnos team, it's a subjective choice. Bill McLaren's was team was ripped to shreds as well.

Du Preez and Meads were absolute titans of their day. Any player who can say to their union that they're not playing on Sundays and STILL get constantly picked for the All Blacks MUST be a special player.

Would change a few players but I'm not saying which - not arguing with Jonno - one stare from those intense eyes under that knitted brow would be enough to shut me up!!

Martin, Chelmsford, Essex

The props are very contentious, I'd say. To my knowledge, Jase was never considered the world's best prop (tight-head or loosehead) even when he was playing - there were always more lauded props: Dowd, Califano, du Rant, to name a few. And as MJ admits, Garuet was truly old-style. Look at those old videos and you'll see him trundling from scrum to scrum, pausing only to whack a few people on the way. He just never touched the ball or made a tackle. Du Preez and Meads are legends but MJ is just picking them on reputation; he can't have seen them play. He's right about Gerber, though. Watch the video called 100 Greatest Tries. About half of them are by Gerber. He was his generation's Lomu (hidden because of apartheid).

Rough Rider, London,

Although blind side flanker is a strong position with a number of good candidates, anyone who states Richard Hill isn't deserving of a place in this team, or at least of serious consideration, simply doesn't understand rugby. Outside of the experts and aficionados of the game, Hill probably remains the most underrated player of the past twenty years, no doubt, in part, due to his undemonstrative character. However, the key moment of the last World Cup was when Hill was declared fit for the semi-final. After that, England played at a level way beyond that at which they had during the rest of the tournament without him. A quality player whose presence, for both England and the Lions, allowed the rest of the team to perform.

Also, good to see Roff in the team: a proper rugby player.

Tim, Manchester,

Martin - you know your rugby and your choice is a well informed one - but I would have put in Phil Bennet t - unbelievable ablities with ball in hand, Yes I know that you would have to back him up as regards the assault on his channel. Not so sure about your number 3 choice ...... ??

peter, hitchin,

What about the Rolls Royce of fullbacks, Andre Joubert....Won the World Cup final with a broken hand, pity he missed his best days cos SA were not playing international rugby!

cammo, Durban, SA

Jonno was a very good player and a great captain, but some of his selections are just plain weird. Jason Leonard the greatest loosehead prop ever!?? Come on - surely not even in the top 10, or even 20. Joe Roff ahead of the likes of Campese, Kirwan and Wilson?? And most strangely, no Christian Cullen - the best rugby player on the planet at his peak. Jonno's selection has clearly been made with his audience in mind.

James, London, UK

Not a bad team, pretty obvious that he's favoured players he either played with, watched or knew though.

Jon, Sydney, Australia

There are one or two positions where I might have made a different choice but they are all positions where Jono said he had difficulty and named players that could have been his selection. Having played against Colin Meades three times, in New Zealand and England, I believe he has earned his place on merit.

Vic, Sarasota Florida

Victor Marriott, Sarasota, FL

Phill Bennett was the complete outside half, he could run kick, jink, he had it all.....Johnny, can kick, and tackle.....but is not that "Will of the Whisp" fly half who can make things happen.

Martin I think has got that postion very wrong and perhaps influenced by his playing days with Johnny.

Terry , Tweed Heads, NSW Australia

Richard Hill the best ever number 6 that is absurd, Johnson has just picked a mate, Jerry Collins and Schalk Burger are still playing and a better than Hill in every respect, not to mention the likes of Kefu, A.Whetton, Kirkpatrick. Carter leaves Wilkinson in the dust and is an all round player ( No northern hemisphere team has ever beaten the All Blacks when Carter has played) Cullen deserves the spot over Blanco but both are a step ahead of the rest.

James, london, england

nope - scalk burger at no 6 - the greatest every by far

steven, london, uk

Agree it has to be Johnson and Meads in the second row (Eales close third). Zinzan Brooke, McCaw, Michael Jones in the Back Row, The welsh combination of Gareth Edwards and Barry John at half back, with Tim Horan and Sella in the centre (Mike Gibson/O'Driscoll close behind). Lomu, Cullen and Gerald Davies in the back three.

Ron, london,

that is a dud team
no campese
wilkinson is just a kicker not a rugby player
dan carter walks all over him as does stephen larkham, andrew mehrtens, mark ella etc
richard hill is a poor man's toutai kefu always has been

i love martin johnson but he's had a few too many head knocks

swifty, london,

Dear Dave from Rhondda, I am an Irishman and I am not laughing. What's wrong with it?

Timothy Kelly, Oxford,

To come from such a great inspirational leader as himself, Martin Johnson has picked a quality XV.
Just imagine if time could bring them together for one game, what opposition team would befit this selection?

Chas Chaston, Innisfil, Ontario, Canada

Johnson is very modest. He should be in this team without any question.

mike, Oldham,

A selection that would be laughed at over a pint in any rugby club in the world outside of England........

Dave, Rhondda, Wales

The only ones I'd change from that would be to have Os du Randt (3) John Kirwan (11) and Christian Cullen (15)

naresh, London,

Johnson can't pick himself but I would have him in the second row because he scared the hell out of everyone he played against. Him and John Eales (I didn't see Meads play so can't pick him). I'd want to enjoy watching my team so I'd have Jonathan Davies at 10, Jason Robinson at 11, Guscott at 12, O'Driscoll at 13 and Campese at 14, and would have to find room for Richie McCaw, even if I had to play Jones at 8. Hill, I agree with - he's been the biggest loss since the last WC. And I'd have Brian Moore on the bench just to wind up the opposition.

Ashley Slater, London,

I was also at that game at Leicester in 1986 when Shelford supposedly ran down the flank, chipped the winger and scored (and, as I remember it, all the crowd rose as one in applause the moment he touched down) but my recollection was that It was Michael Jones, playing no. 8 that day, and not Shelford, who performed this particular piece of magic; certainly, that's how I've been telling the story for the past 21 years. Michael Jones: the best player I ever saw (I think).

Tim, Manchester,