AI World XVs . . .

ChatGPT:

Pick an all time world rugby XV

Picking an all-time world rugby XV is a massive challenge—there’s so much talent across generations, and styles have evolved drastically. But here's a balanced team based on impact, longevity, versatility, and performance under pressure, blending eras and playing styles.

?? All-Time World Rugby XV

?? Honorable Mentions:

1. Tadhg Furlong, Jason Leonard, Sean Fitzpatrick, Colin Meads, Kieran Read
2. Michael Jones, George Gregan, Jonny Wilkinson, Stirling Mortlock
3. Shane Williams, Christian Cullen, Percy Montgomery, Leigh Halfpenny

Notes:

1. McCaw is captain, but Johnson could be too.
2. Blend of modern power and classic creativity.
3. Toughest omissions? Probably Wilkinson, Meads, and Kearns—all legends.

DeepSeek:

Here’s my All-Time World Rugby XV—a mix of legends, game-changers, and outright freaks of nature. I’ve balanced eras, styles, and impact to create a team that could dominate any opposition.

?? All-Time World Rugby Dream Team

1. Loosehead Prop – Os du Randt (South Africa)

1. Two-time World Cup winner (1995, 2007), unstoppable scrummager and workhorse.

2. Hooker – Sean Fitzpatrick (New Zealand)

1. The ultimate leader: 92 caps, 51 as All Blacks captain, ruthless in the set piece and open play.

3. Tighthead Prop – Tadhg Furlong (Ireland, modern era) / Jason Leonard (England, classic era)

1. Furlong for his all-court skills; Leonard for durability (114 caps) and scrum dominance.

4. Lock – Martin Johnson (England, captain)

1. The enforcer: Led England to 2003 WC glory, feared leader, and lineout king.

5. Lock – John Eales (Australia)

1. "Nobody" (as in "nobody’s perfect")—won two World Cups, could kick goals, and was athletic as hell.

6. Blindside Flanker – Richie McCaw (New Zealand)

1. Yes, he’s an openside, but I’m cheating to fit him in. The GOAT (148 caps, 2 World Cups).

7. Openside Flanker – Michael Jones (New Zealand)

1. The "Ice Man": Revolutionary speed, tackling machine, and the original fetcher.

8. No. 8 – Zinzan Brooke (New Zealand)

1. Unmatched skills (drop goals from 40m?), brutal carries, and rugby IQ.

9. Scrum-Half – Joost van der Westhuizen (South Africa)

1. Physical, quick, and clutch—the complete 9. 1995 WC hero who shut down Jonah Lomu.

10. Fly-Half – Dan Carter (New Zealand)

1. 1,598 Test points, 112 caps, and the smoothest playmaker ever.

11. Left Wing – Jonah Lomu (New Zealand)

1. The most unstoppable force in rugby history. Scored 4 tries vs. England in 1995 WC.

12. Inside Centre – Tim Horan (Australia)

1. Two-time World Cup winner (1991, 1999), genius distributor, and defensive rock.

13. Outside Centre – Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland)

1. The ultimate 13: Tackling, leadership, and try-scoring brilliance (141 caps).

14. Right Wing – Bryan Habana (South Africa)

1. 67 tries (tied-most in RWC history), blistering pace, and work rate.

15. Fullback – Serge Blanco (France)

1. The artist: Unpredictable, daring, and the greatest counter-attacker ever.

Bench (Impact & Versatility):

1. Keith Wood (Ireland) – Dynamic hooker.
2. Gethin Jenkins (Wales) – Mobile prop.
3. Brodie Retallick (NZ) – Modern lock beast.
4. Francois Pienaar (SA) – Leadership & flanker cover.
5. Gareth Edwards (Wales) – Best pre-1980s player (could slot in at 9 or 10).
6. Jonny Wilkinson (England) – Ice-veined goal-kicker.
7. David Campese (Australia) – X-factor wizard.

Controversial Omissions:

1. Jonah Lomu’s fitness? Could he defend in the modern game?
2. No Frik du Preez (SA legend)? Eales and Johnson were more complete.
3. McCaw at 6? Sacrilege to some, but he’d thrive anywhere.

Team Style:

1. Forward Dominance: Du Randt + Johnson + Eales = set-piece tyranny.
2. Backline Magic: Carter + O’Driscoll + Blanco = flair for days.
3. Leadership: Johnson (c), McCaw, and Fitzpatrick—no weak minds here.

Pretty good Chat team. I prefer the front row to Deepseek. Horan had a great game against the Boks in the 99 WC semi and I’m not sure who the iconic 12 would be. I like Zinzan Brooke over Parisse and Habana over Campese. So on balance I’d take the Deepseek team.

Martin Johnson and Richie McCaw would not smell my side nor would there be honourable mentions of Leonard, Pienaar, Halfpenny, Shane Williams and Percy

Etzebeth is the best lock to ever play - streets ahead of at best solid Johnson - Bakkkes and Retallick were far better locks as well.

Now Dave is smarter than AI …Dave if I could buy you at my price and sell you at your price, I’d make a bundle. But I would also have chosen Eben

Well I’d have to say I’m smarter than AI if they select Johnson over Eben, Bakkies or Retallick and I’m sure there are a good few more locks I could think of

As for McCaw he has to be the most hyped rugby player ever

No that’s Dud Toit….McCaw was a consistent performer and an excellent fetcher.

Bullshit one only needs to watch McCaws best of moments on YouTube to realise how little there was - to think so many rate him the best player ever - it’s a rugby insult

PSDT is a far far better player than McCaw was

He is easily up there with the best blindsides ever , certainly the best blindside the Boks have ever had

But what does he do except tackle….still waiting to hear what exactly makes him great.

"Now Dave is smarter than AI …Dave if I could buy you at my price and sell you at your price, I’d make a bundle. But I would also have chosen Eben"

Everyone capable of thinking is smater than AI...collective reasoning is nonsense.

He is a dominant carrier of the ball, no more or less than Eben, is a dominant defender, ask Jordie, has a huge engine - very effective in disrupting play, given his size, he adds physical value in rucks, mauls, clean outs. Great line out option and his size adds value in the scrum

In short he is the perfect blindside adding playing out wide in recent tests which is a sight to behold

He is a wonderful player - a credit to the Boks

A Bok great - and to think you don’t rate him - you are literally a rugby fool

I knew the mentions of Johnson and Leonard would annoy Saffolk !!

Both such average rugby players

No he is a poor ball carrier, hardly ever beats a tackle. Eben might run twice a game…..Dud runs 10 or more times. He is the forward ball carrier and toothless.

Average at lineouts, average at distributing, poor on the deck.

The hype is completely routine now….first tackle he makes the commentators tell us what a great engine he has, what a great defender he is. Except when he isn’t in the mood, like England where Mostert made 18 tackles to his 9, or against France where the Frogs beat him 5 times vs 9 tackles made.

Now let’s get to how many turnovers he made in the WC knockouts….zero I’m guessing.

Bullshit is he a poor carrier - geez Moz you literally don’t get the basics of rugby

There is no way Eben has only 2 runs a game - bullshit

Of course PSDT does not beat defenders fuck me he is not a centre - he his a big hefty guy who operates in traffic very effectively

He takes contact, breaches the advantage line setting up phase play - that’s his job. He gains all of 1m in the process - the norm in traffic

How do you expect him to beat defenders? With speed and a side step. It’s on par with you wanting him to compete on the ground all 2m of him. You just don’t understand the role of a big blindside, just like you don’t a physical 12 like DA

It’s like debating rugby with someone who has never watched a game - you just don’t get it and nothing changes

In a months time you will tell us that PSDT is a poor ball carrier because he does not beat defenders - wow

Average at lineouts - bullshit - he is no better or worse than Mostert, Eben or Lood and that’s a fact

That’s the point…..he shouldn’t be running the ball, he is useless…..he doesn’t compete for the ball on the deck…..he is a lock. As a lock he could still do the only thing he does effectively, make a lot of tackles and he could use his height to compete in lineouts. He is a toothless loosie and leaves us without an effective ball carrier….which is why a player like Kwagga makes such a difference when he comes on, a natural ball carrier.

There is no benefit to a ball carrier who makes a meter and resets the ball….turn it over once and all those meters are lost. NZ have Savea, Ireland have Doris, France has Ollivon who made 54 meters against us…. all much more effective all carriers.

Fuck me you are utterly clueless

His running the ball is on par with the likes of Eben, Lood and RG and that’s a fact

A blindside does not compete on the ground for fuck sake - how many more times do you need to be told this

He is 2m tall - they don’t get down and compete for the ball that regularly for if they did they would have no back left

Geez I thought you were meant to be a bright man Moz - so you think a big bruiser of a blindside should be effecting turnovers?

Wow

Savea and Doris play it wide and narrow hence more metres - just like Hanekom, Roos, Kwagga etc would do - none are blindsides

Eben is a lock, Snyman is a lock but a better runner and a creative offloader. Ollivon is a blindsider almost as tall as Dud who competes for the ball on the deck all the time…..Lawes does as well. More complete unsubstantiated bs. As for Savea he breaks tackles in traffic all the time.

Lawes competed on the ground bullshit you are lying

Ollivon has failed to make any impression for some time now - a one off does not define him as a turnover king

He is far more athletic than PSDT who you know too well is a lock turned 7 so is different to other 7’s out there of which none run around beating defenders and effecting turnovers - you have to be pretty fucking stupid to expect a 2m and 120kg player to be doing that

RG is no better than PSDT operating in traffic. His offloads are unique to him so that’s a piss poor example

Lots of blather Arse…I don’t care if Dud Toit is a lock…..when he plays at flank he has to be judged as a flank. In that sense he is mediocre in everything except process tackling.. and hilariously in executing the pick and go you were just running down on another thread.

Both Lawes and Ollivon are tall chaps who are competent fetchers….Dud Toit, like Kolisi, simply isn’t comfortable committing to the fetch.

"That’s the point…..he shouldn’t be running the ball, he is useless…..he doesn’t compete for the ball on the deck…..he is a lock. As a lock he could still do the only thing he does effectively, make a lot of tackles and he could use his height to compete in lineouts. He is a toothless loosie and leaves us without an effective ball carrier….which is why a player like Kwagga makes such a difference when he comes on, a natural ball carrier."

Utterly delusional to say this about a 2 x WPOTY and MOTM in the RWC final...telling everyone it's all hype...best of all you managed to convince a few people that this is in fact so....this takes perseverance to a whole new level...it's a pity you chose to focus so much on some of the negatives, you can't see a lot of the positive stuff...

Moffie is past being delusional he is just plain stupid

Lawes competes on the ground - stop making shit up

But best of all the old man thinks PSDT as a blindside should be beating defenders - I guess through pace and a step bwhaaaahaaaa but best of all he should be effecting turnovers

The old fart has no idea what a blindside flanker does on the park - mind boggling after watching the game for so long

Yep Draad the old man spends his whole time on here bashing our players - sad excuse for a SA rugby supporter. Imagine watching a game in his company - it would be torture

Draadtjie. I don’t just say it….I prove it by giving you meters per run and tackles broken….for Dud and for like players. I do it over and over again.

Your response…..’experts, slim manne say he is great and have given him awards’….you hand over your judgement to a bunch of journalists and old Jocks who are just relying on their impressions. There are almost no journalists who quote second level stats….eg tackle success percentage vs tackles made.

Rugby is the stupidest sport in terms of coverage. In tennis the commentators weave an incredible amount of analysis into their commentary_ the NFL and NHL are brilliantly analysed. Rugby is in the dark ages.

i don’t say Dud Toit is useless …..in big tight games that body of heavy tackling makes a difference. He did that in the final. But in the other big games he simply couldn’t sustain that effort….tackled poorly in the French match actually.

Then you get to ball protection, turnovers, lineouts, ball carrying, handling and he is no better than ordinary. Nobody has ever proved me wrong.

So what you have is an unusual balance. Dud in his most productive games is actually duplicating Erasmus’ targeting of Larkham which resulted in Finnegan literally punching him out. It was especially evident in his nullifying of George Ford in the first WC.

Reporters should be seeing these things, creating the links which explain what’s happening on the field….weighing the pluses and the minuses of such an unusual contribution set. They just bullshit and you insist on believing them.

Dud Toit lost us the Irish series, he was right over the ball one phase before the Irish winning drop. He bottled out giving Ireland perfect uncontested ball. Most other loosies would instinctively competed for the ball.

Why did he do that….because he is still wired like a lock. Did any reporter notice why that kick was even possible? Nope. So I do, like it or not.

Saffex, Moffie's biased and jaundiced views on the great Pieter-Steph du Toit have about as much value as ou Maaik's views on Andre Esterhuizen.

Why do you bother?

The barber is about to appear . . .

Snip #7

Bingo!

LMAO!

Now here we have a classic……Vaccine posted his ‘why do you bother’ string twice. I overlooked his mistake, and posted my snip posting.

Then Vaccine goes back and edits his second post pretending he predicted my post in a forlorn attempt to finally win one off me after 20 years. But all he proved is he is willing to dishonestly change prior posts to portray himself in a better light.

So we now know this dishonest fellow can’t be trusted to debate with any integrity. Just another floor in the elevator going down.

ROFL!

I love how nobody counters any of these arguments with numbers.

It basically boils down to, that was my impression and thus it must be true.

It does make it almost impossible to engage in an intelligent conversation because one is arguing against emotion.

Dave will tell you that you are lying and then deliver his opinion like it is fact and as though there are a plethora of stats to back up his opinions. And then when he gets asked to at least show some numbers, you are told that those numbers are hidden beneath the fog of rugby war...and that if you were some rugby oracle then you'd understand. I call mega BS on that. A great player is a great player and their effect is seen on the field. There is never any searching required where exceptional players are concerned.

It's actually very bloody easy...what is on the field will be backed up by the numbers. If it's not in the numbers then its very likely not happening on the field. Sure there are moments that catch the eye, like any number of Hanekom's runs this season, but the difference is that you don't have to go searching for Hanekom, he impresses you to your face...and when you look at the numbers they back up what you are seeing.

Look at DDA's numbers...he will do something good like once or twice a season, and then punctuate that with occasion after occasion where he just kills all momentum and does braindead stuff. Then go and look at his numbers and you realise, yep, his numbers match up to what I'm seeing. But then somebody will post a clip of the rare occasion where he makes a try...and suddenly that one incident apparently proves that he's got the goods.

...and then Dave will come along and tell you that despite the actual numbers proving what your impression is, you are apparently lying and clueless.

When you have to rely on the invisible to prove your point, then your point is likely a bunch of hot air.

Old Rooi is just a bitter tool that has been so badly butthurt over the years, and is so riddled with jealousy, that 90% of what he does on here is simply an exercise in searching for a strafing vector.

What a loser.

"Draadtjie. I don’t just say it….I prove it by giving you meters per run and tackles broken..,,,for Dud and for like players. I do it over and over again." A game of rugby is more than just some of the published stats.

Your response…..’experts, slim manner say he is great and have given him awards’….you hand over your judgement to a bunch of journalists and old Jocks who are just relying on their impressions. There are almost no journalists who quote second level stats….eg tackle success percentage vs tackles made. No, I'm saying you are cheapening these awards by saying it's based on media hype.

Rugby is the stupidest sport in terms of coverage. In tennis the commentators weave an incredible amount of analysis into their commentary_ the NFL and NHL are brilliantly analysed. Rugby is in the dark ages. If it's so stupid, why are you still watching?

i don’t say Dud Toit is useless …..in big tight games that body of heavy tackling makes a difference. He did that in the final. But in the other big games he simply couldn’t sustain that effort….tackled poorly in the French match actually. You actually did say he is useless at a bunch of things...you've been saying it for years...he has big matches when it really counts and his influence on the team goes beyond what's happening on the field and is measured in the published stats...have you ever seen the stats for the GPS trackers in the jerseys? You know, the stuff the couches get and analyze...etc? You are actively rubishing Bok greats regularly.

Then you get to ball protection, turnovers, lineouts, ball carrying, handling and he is no better than ordinary. Nobody has ever proved me wrong. Because you are too stubborn to accept when you are wrong...unless I count the times you result to insults...

So what you have is an unusual balance. Dud in his most productive games is actually duplicating Erasmus’ targeting of Larkham which resulted in Finnegan literally punching him out. It was especially evident in his nullifying of George Ford in the first WC.... WTH has that to do with anything?

Reporters should be seeing these things, creating the links which explain what’s happening on the field….weighing the pluses and the minuses of such an unusual contribution set. They just bullshit and you insist on believing them. I believe I rarely read rugby articles...I believe what I see watching games...

Dud Toit lost us the Irish series, he was right over the ball one phase before the Irish winning drop. He bottled out giving Ireland perfect uncontested ball. Most other loosies would instinctively competed for the ball. 1 insident in an 80 min match....there were lots of those moments, you just miss them cause of your bias.

Why did he do that….because he is still wired like a lock. Did any reporter notice why that kick was even possible? Nope. So I do, like it or not.:

I don't know why I even bothered wasting the time responding to you...you've been the Bok contrarian for decades...thank God the internet wasn't invented in the 80s already!

Are you drunk again so early in the day, Moffie?

Cry me a river Draad ….I’m tempted to tell you to take a hike, but I’ll answer you rebuttals.

A game of rugby is more than just some of the published stats.

True but there are some undeniable truths in the stats and if you literally can’t see the contribution in the stats it wasn’t there. Defenders beaten, tackle success, passes made are basic facts

No, I'm saying you are cheapening these awards by saying it's based on media hype.

I disagree. Why has Etzebeth never received the award, whereas Josh van der Flier has. Because Eben isn’t liked…he’s too aggressive. The award goes to the dominant team of the year’s most talked about player.

y. You actually did say he is useless at a bunch of things...you've been saying it for years...he has big matches when it really counts and his influence on the team goes beyond what's happening on the field and is measured in the published stats...have you ever seen the stats for the GPS trackers in the jerseys? You know, the stuff the couches get and analyze...etc? You are actively rubishing Bok greats regularly.

I say he is ordinary at many of the tasks typically performed by loosies….which doesn’t mean he makes no contribution in the kind of game that suits him. One which requires a lot of tackling.

Then you get to ball protection, turnovers, lineouts, ball carrying, handling and he is no better than ordinary. Nobody has ever proved me wrong. Because you are too stubborn to accept when you are wrong...unless I count the times you result to insults...

So prove me wrong but please don’t cite the popularity award as proof….give me examples or numbers.

It was especially evident in his nullifying of George Ford in the first WC.... WTH has that to do with anything?

What has the fact that he bullied Ford like Erasmus nullified Larkham have to do with it? Well I think it’s a fair assumption that Erasmus groomed him for this very role and that being human Erasmus thought it was an important contribution. Which it was in that particular match against that particular player.

I rarely read rugby articles...I believe what I see watching games...

And you listen to commentators who are hype machines …how often is a rugby commentator critical. Hell the guy who was commentating on the Sharks match last weekend couldn’t distinguish between the African players on the Sharks team. Well past his sell-by date, which many of the commentators are.

. Most other loosies would instinctively competed for the ball. 1 insident in an 80 min match....there were lots of those moments, you just miss them cause of your bias.

No there weren’t there was one moment the game was in balance, because time was almost done,

…..

You want to be a cheerleader, I want to be an analyst. Criticism annoys you….hype annoys me.

No Vaccine substance abuse is your thing not mine….but this is more about desperate dishonesty on your part. Admit what you did and I’ll call it a joke.

"Why has Etzebeth never received the award, whereas Josh van der Flier has. Because Eben isn’t liked…he’s too aggressive. The award goes to the dominant team of the year’s most talked about player."

LMAO!

Eben hasn't received the award because - while he's an undeniably good player - he's never had the impact PSdT has . . . not just on a game but an entire tournament.

Rugby people recognise this. Noobs just squeal and whine about their favourite player being overlooked.

Pieter-Steph du Toit - twice winner of the World Player of the Year award - will go down as the greatest Springbok of his generation. Eben will be remembered as a good player. There's the difference.

Moffie, for the last few weeks I've been using a new mouse that drives me crazy. If you click the left button on the far left, it behaves normally. If you click the left button anywhere near the centre or the right, it double clicks.

I hate double posts. You can go back on my history - even on match commentary threads - and I correct double posts by saying something else. This was no different. I corrected my double click and I did it before I saw your pathetic little snip whine. My edit was before that. I don't really care if you believe me or not, I've never really cared what a drunken and self-important old fool thinks about anything.

You’re right….I don’t believe you. Here’s the thing. When I posted Snip#7 at 7.15 I was looking at your double post, posted at 16.37.

And when I looked at my post after I posted it the double post was still up there.

So after a gap 38 minutes….in the instant of me posting ‘Snip #7’, you made the edit and that took long enough for me to finish, so I still saw the double post?

ROFL!…..it’s not nice to lie Johnny.

Wehe . . . Moffie wishing there werer timestamps to prove he's not a stinking liar . . .. or a hopeless drunkard.

It's one of the two.

So let’s provide the time stamps:

16.37 …..Snip#7 produces a double post.

17.15 I have noticed the double post and choose to ignore it focusing instead on the usual pit bull content. I post Snip#7. Clearly the time to do that is seconds. Also clearly I haven’t seen Snip#7’s post about the barber shop….why would I give him a win?

17.15 I finish the post check it out and see the double post is still up there

17.?? Snip#7 alters his duplicate post to make the barber shop prediction. But it has to have been done before I posted Snip#7, to have any validity. It wasn’t. But he could still claim he was working on it at the same time and just posted it seconds later. Hard to believe it takes that long to post ‘The barber shop is about to appear’

Snip#7 is relying on maybe 15 seconds in 45 minutes …a one in 180 probability.

But there’s more…..when he posted the Barber Shop Snip#7 was already up. I saw it together with the original double post. So the moment ‘the barbershop posted’ he would have seen Snip#7.

Yet he claims he missed that and 28 minutes later he posts Bingo! Trying to imply he had predicted Snip#7. And how would the poor fellow have known I would take that approach vs mocking him for the double post as he does with others?

Mistakes, lies, lies to cover lies. Typical Rooinek but to commemorate this string I’ll go back to the TimeStamp handle. Hard to believe he could make the same mistake twice.

Game, set and waaaahahaha match!

Oh gawd!

Now a person has to believe that every single Bok on the field is a superhero and never to be analysed or spoken of in terms other than those that flatter.

I honestly think the WCs went people's heads.

Like, we won three games in a row by a single point. A great story, one for the ages, but by no means a confirmation that our superhero's are somehow the best rugby players to ever play the game.

FFS, it's everybody should come on here and sing their daily Bok praises. It's not enough that everybody appreciates the vast majority of the Boks. No, one has to bow down and offer your first born to God Rassie or else you're a naysaying heathen.

It's always much easier to sit back and simply say how wonderful everyone is. It's much harder to give one's actual opinion.

For me, DDA raises my blood pressure. I'd drop him instantly if I were the coach. I don't like how he plays and I think there are numerous guys that could do better.

Tell us, Draad...is every Bok and superhero in your Bok and do you agree that Rassie picks the best possible players ALL the time and always puts his faith in the correct players? Cos, I can tell you right now that not even Rassie believes that.

Dave thinks Mostert is shit.

Mike hates AE so much that he'll bend every conversation into something relating to how bad AE is.

Maybe we are all better of being like Dave and simply believing that almost every professional player in SA is test quality.

Ah...but PSDT is a WP boytjie.

...I get it now.

"Ah...but PSDT is a WP boytjie.

...I get it now."

Really? Ag nee man!...

"

Tell us, Draad...is every Bok and superhero in your Bok and do you agree that Rassie picks the best possible players ALL the time and always puts his faith in the correct players? Cos, I can tell you right now that not even Rassie believes that.

Where have I ever alluded to anything of the kind?...I don’t mind analyzing players...I just don't have time digging into nubber just to try and prove silly points...yes, I have a soft spot for WP players...as you have for your Lions, but I'm not blinded by it...but the constant barrage on the pet hates p!$$3$ me off no end...and I don’t have an Erasmus hate boner like some on here.