6 Pieter Steph du Toit (South Africa): The double world champion made 28 tackles in the World Cup final that only had the ball in play for 39 minutes. Even so, it was a hair between him and France’s brilliant Charles Ollivon, with England’s veteran Courtney Lawes also a strong candidate on the blindside. Honourable mentions go to Marcos Kremer of Argentina, a focal point of every lineout, defensive line and maul for his country and All Black Shannon Frizzell, who had a monumental season, whilst Ireland’s Peter O’Mahony was a thorn in the side of every team he faced.
5 James Ryan (Ireland): The Irishman had another strong year in the second-row, showcasing his complete skill-set for his position. His consistent performances sneak him ahead of All Black Scott Barrett, who might have got in had it not been for his disciplinary issues, while mention must also go to the Springboks engine Franco Mostert, who made 49 tackles in the World Cup knockouts without missing one.
4 Eben Etzebeth (South Africa): The first name on our team sheet, it’s that simple. In a land of giant locks, he’s now thought of as arguably the greatest of all of them and his rugby IQ is absolutely sensational. A shout out for England’s Maro Itoje, back to his very best, Ireland’s Tadhg Beirne and the brilliant Kiwi, Brodie Retallick, all of whom enjoyed incredible years
3 Ben Tameifuna (Tonga): The 148 kg behemoth slides in to anchor the scrum on the tighthead after an absolutely stellar year. He scored Test tries against South Africa and Scotland and pulverised every loosehead he encountered. Our runners-up include the wonderful Springbok Frans Malherbe, the powerful Frenchman, Uini Atonio, and the ever-improving All Black Tyrel Lomax – any of whom would have done the jersey justice.
2 Peato Mauvaka (France): There’s so much depth at hooker around the world that this was an impossible task. Had Malcolm Marx stayed fit, there’s little doubt he’d be in our team, but injury robbed the Springboks of his service. Argentina’s Julian Montoya and Ireland’s Dan Sheehan also impressed our selectors, both having absolute crackerjack seasons.
1 Ox Nche (South Africa): Want to win a crucial Test by one point? Send on Ox! After all, salads don’t win scrums. He was the difference between the Springboks retaining the World Cup and not, it’s that simple, and he beats France’s mobile loosehead Cyril Baille for the slot. Shout outs for All Black Ethan de Groot, who was immense in black, and we’re going to throw England’s colourful Joe Marler in, who didn’t take a step back all year as he proved he’s just getting better with age.
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15 Beauden Barrett (New Zealand): An incredibly competitive position where any of France’s Thomas Ramos or Ireland’s Hugo Keenan might have made the cut, with an honourable mention for the thrilling Georgian, Davit Niniashvili. But Barrett has rugby vision that few others can come near to.
14 Will Jordan (New Zealand): There are few wingers with the unpredictability of Damian Penaud and he’s fast becoming a modern-day David Campese in terms of how he seeks work, but even he cannot usurp Jordan in the tightest of calls on the right wing. The credentials of Springbok Kurt-Lee Arendse and Os Lobos’ flyer Raffaele Storti are clear for all to see. A shout out to Ireland’s Mack Hansen, who simply gets the job done in any team he plays.
13 Jesse Kriel (South Africa): If the right wing slot was a shoo-in, this was the hardest pick of all with any of Ireland’s Garry Ringrose, Fiji’s Waisea Nayacalevu and France’s Gael Fickou having strong claims to the shirt. But when the Springboks lost the best 13 in the world in Lukhanyo Am, they needed someone to step up to the plate and Kriel did that admirably, defending brilliantly and adding a classy kicking game to his all-round skill set.
12 Bundee Aki (Ireland): The story of tight calls in the centre berth continues, with New Zealand’s Jordie Barrett, Springboks’ Damian de Allende and France’s Jonathan Danty unlucky to miss out on our selections. But when Jordie played 12, New Zealand fired – he has become absolutely crucial to their go-forward and he takes the shirt by a tight margin.
11 Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa): A genius in the Springbok green and gold and has taken his game to new heights, whilst Duhan van der Merwe created havoc in the blue of Scotland. A shout out, too, for Ireland’s James Lowe, who had another cracking season, and the All Blacks’ Mark Telea. If one moment defined Kolbe, it was the charge down of Ramos’ conversion in a match that South Africa won by a single point.
9 Antoine Dupont (France): For once, this was a lot closer than you might think with the evergreen brilliance and peerless passing of Aaron Smith pushing Dupont all the way and almost nicking the shirt due to his brilliance in the World Cup final. But the French half-back is something so special that we simply couldn’t leave him out. Ireland’s Jamison Gibson-Park also impressed us.
8 Ardie Savea (New Zealand): Who else? We simply asked Ardie where he fancied playing this weekend and picked him accordingly as the World Rugby Player of the Year completes our incredible back-row to add stardust to the pack. Caelan Doris was always on the money in an impressive Irish loose trio with his footwork shining, and Ben Earl may well have been the surprise package of the 2023 World Cup as he made the England eight shirt his own. A nod to two giants of the position in Springbok Duane Vermeulen and France’s Gregory Alldritt, who complete our nominations.
7 Levani Botia (Fiji): Botia was also something very special for Fiji and takes the position, with a nod to two Springboks, the great Siya Kolisi and the unsung ruck goblin Kwagga Smith. We also want to mention Wales’ skipper