The third article in our four part series is from Uni legend and TV star Phil Waugh. Phil is one of the most recognisable players from recent years, having played 124 games for the Tahs and 79 test matches. The highlight of career was winning the John Eales Medal for the Best and Fairest Player in 2003.
Phil’s team will resonate with many as it contains predominantly players from the modern era. What has made it interesting is the mix of nationalities. Phil has not shied away from picking a mainly Southern Hemisphere team has these have been the strongest rugby nations over the past decade.
Fullback – Matt Burke. “He is my goal kicker and a point scoring machine”. Phil went on to praise Burke for rarely making an error – an attractive trait from the last line of defence.
Wing – Jason Robinson. “Robinson could sidestep you in a telephone box” – a comment that will resonate with anyone who watched the explosive World cup winning Englishman. Phil followed this with a wry smile and “not that he ever got past me…..”
Wing – Jonah Lomu. Watching the ‘95 World Cup was a seminal moment for Phil. He recalls the game against England and being amazed how it was like “men vs boys”. Jonah had everything power, size, speed – the complete wing.
Centre – Tana Umaga. Like Jonah, Tana was the complete package. Fast, skillful, a great leader and a menacing defender. “He was like a 4th backrower on the field – always a threat at the breakdown.”
Centre – Tim Horan. Arguably the greatest inside centre of all time. An outstanding attacking and defensive player who won a World Cup and represented his country 80 times.
5/8th – Dan Carter. A recent blip in form aside, Carter is a quadriple threat. He can kick, pass, run and is also an excellent defender. It was Carter’s running ability that gave him the edge over Johnny Wilkinson in Phil’s mind.
Halfback – Joost Van der Westhuizen (pictured above). Seeing photos and watching interviews of Joost now is extremely difficult. He was an excellent athlete and one of the first big halfbacks. A World Cup winner in 1995, Joost announced in 2011 that he had a form of motor neurone disease and had between two and five years to live.
No. 8 – Zinzan Brooke. A common theme in Phil’s team is players who break the mould of their position. Zinzan is another of those players. Who can forget his 50 metre dropgoal in the ’95 World Cup. He was described by Will Carling “his skills were outrageous. As comfortable playing sevens as 15s, he had better kicking and handling skills than some fly-halves playing international rugby. You align that with his strength and ability as a forward to read the game – he was unique”
Flanker – Michael Jones (pictured below). Otherwise known as the “Iceman” was voted the 3rd best All Black of all time (behind Colin Meads and Sean Fitzpatrick). He only played 55 tests due to injuries and his strong Christian beliefs.
Flanker – Richie McCaw. I didn’t bother asking Phil for any more detail about Richie. No more talking about Richie……it is starting to get tiring. Can we talk about the cricket instead?
Lock – Martin Johnson. Mostly known for captaining England to a World Cup victory in 2003. He is regarded as one of the greatest locks of all time, touring three times with the Lions and becoming the only man to have captained them on two separate tours. He also led the Leicester Tigers to consecutive Heineken Cup victories and won the league six times.
Lock – Victor Matfield. Still going……. And still going well.
Tight Head Prop – Cobus Visagie. An outstanding rugby player, Cobus’s career after rugby is even more interesting. A chartered accountant, a qualified European Private Pilot and focused on Real Estate & Infrastructure, Renewable Energy and Private Equity. He has also co-founded Africa Merchant Capital – a boutique investment management and corporate finance advisory firm dedicated to the high growth markets of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Loosehead – Os du Randt. One of only 6 players to win 2 world cups – the difference between the 5 other Australian’s is that his World Cups were 12 years apart – not 8. “The Ox” represented the Springboks 80 times between 1994 and 2007.
Hooker – Keith Gerard Mallinson Wood, also known as “Uncle Fester” or “the Raging Potato” played on the 1997 and 2001 Lions tours, and was the inaugural winner of the IRB World Player of the Year award in 2001. He scored 15 tries for Ireland.
Summary…
Fullback – Matt Burke (Australia)
Right wing – Jason Robinson (England)
Left wing – Jonah Lomu (New Zealand)
Centre – Tana Umaga (New Zealand)
2nd Five-eighths – Tim Horan (Australia)
1st Five-eighths – Dan Carter (New Zealand)
Halfback – Joost Van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
No.8 – Zinzan Brooke (New Zealand
Flanker – Michael Jones (New Zealand)
Flanker – Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
Lock – Martin Johnson (England)
Lock – Victor Matfield (South Africa)
Tight-head prop – Cobus Visagie (South Africa)
Loose-head prop – Os du Randt (South Africa)
Hooker – Keith Wood (Ireland)
Phil Waugh
National representation: New Zealand (6), South Africa (4), Australia (2), England (2), Ireland (1)
David Kirk
National representation: New Zealand (6), Australia (2), France (2), Ireland (2), Wales (2), England (1)
Rupert Rosenblum
National representation: Australia (6), South Africa (3), New Zealand (3), France (2), England (1)
Total Representation so far;
• New Zealand (15)
• Australia (10)
• South Africa (7)
• England (4)
• France (4)
• Ireland (3)
• Wales (2)