Dream Team: Aaron Mauger – Leicester head coach and former All Blacks and Crusaders centre

1. Greg Feek – My old Crusaders mate has the best laugh in world rugby. He’s now the scrum coach for Ireland.
2. Keven Mealamu – I played with him in his early days just after he moved from the back-row. Could have played in the midfield if he was just a little faster. Loved his attitude.
3. Greg Somerville – The most athletic tight-head prop I’ve ever played with. Scrummaged well, but he was very handy around the field, too. Carl Hayman came close on that one.
4. Todd Blackadder – Chris Jack was a very skilful lock but Toddy pips him because of the way he inspired the people around him.
5. Norm Maxwell – No respect for his body. So tough at the breakdown.
6. Jerry Collins – Close call with Reuben Thorne, but Jerry was so intimating. When we had to get tough up front, especially against a Northern Hemisphere side, he was the guy to go to.
7. Richie McCaw – He picks himself.
8. Mose Tuiali’i – Best ball-playing No.8 I’ve played with and created a lot of opportunities for the people around him. Won a couple of All Blacks caps in the mid-2000s.
9. Justin Marshall – Such a tough competitor and, when the going got tough, he got tougher. Created such a competitive environment at the Crusaders and with the All Blacks.
10. Dan Carter – Three-way battle with Andrew Mehrtens and Stephen Markham, but Dan gets it because he is the most rounded fly-half. At his best, he can control the game like no other. Andrew was the smartest and saw a gap before anybody else. Stephen was such a threat ball in hand and kept me on my toes.
11. Jonah Lomu – Unstoppable at his best. Hard to go past him on the left wing. Such a threat who gives a lot of presence to the left flank. I played my first Test next to him and he made me look good.
12. Tana Umaga – Played a lot with and against Tana, and he always had a physical presence on the field. A good leader as well.
13. Matt Burke – A full-back for a lot of his career, but I had some good tussles with him in midfield when we played the Wallabies. Lovely skill set and kicked goals too. Brian O’Driscoll deserves a mention as well.
14. Doug Howlett – A toss-up with Ricoh Gear, but Dougie gets the nod because of his consistency over a longer period. A great try-scoring record but his defence was very solid too. Great game awareness and very smart.
15. Leon MacDonald – Outstanding all-round game and rarely made a mistake. A guy you can trust and that gave the team a huge amount of confidence.