Dream Team: Warren Spragg – Fylde and former Italy, Sale and Calvisano full-back

1. Ali McKenzie – He came over to Calvisano after spending the majority of his career at Wasps. He injected intensity straight away – sometimes by having a scrap in training if need be.
2. Andy Kyriacou – I grew up with Andy and played together at Sale in the early years. He was so honest,  worked hard and never let anyone down.
3. Lorenzo Cittadini – When he turned up at Calvisano, I thought he was an Italian farmer. He was so raw but has evolved into a fantastic ball-carrier and is a massive unit as well.
4. Dean Schofield – We went to the same school and played for Aldwinians. When I arrived at Sale, my Tuesdays and Wednesdays consisted of holding a tackle-bag up as Dean charged at me. That wasn’t fun.
5. Justin Purll – Was told while he was playing for Australia U21s that he would never make it as a professional because his knees were too weak. Josh didn’t listen and he was a star player for Calvisano.
6. Alessandro Zanni – An incredibly hard grafter who makes 30 tackles a game, no problem. Has got 66 Test caps and is an exceptional professional.
7. Magnus Lund – Really classy. Magnus realised he was getting messed around by England and headed out to France to enjoy life. I like versatile players who are skilful enough to play any type of game.
8. Sergio Parisse – When I played for Italy, his leadership abilities shone through in every way and, obviously, his carrying and distribution are superb.
9. Richard Wigglesworth – Throughout our youth rugby, we were a half-back combination and remain close mates. He is really intelligent and so mature in his game management.
10. Nicky Little – The hardest hitting 10 I’ve seen. I played with him at Padova and no one went near his channel. He’d be my social organiser – he could bring his guitar on away trips.
11. Joe Rokocoko – The first time I faced him was for England U18s when he absolutely schooled us. He scored a hat-trick and carved us to pieces. He was already world-class at 17.
12. Silao Leaeaga – He used to line up alongside Nicky in midfield for Padova and was even scarier. His international days were behind him, but that never seemed to matter.
13. Mark Bartholomeusz – I could relate to him because he got moved around a lot and was pigeonholed as a utility player. But he could sustain that consistently at a very high level.
14. Ludovico Nitoglia – This guy should have 70 caps for Italy. He broke into the national side at 19 but never clicked with their style so concentrated on club stuff. Athletically, he is a freak – so explosive.
15. Jason Robinson – Training with him at Sale was special and his natural talent defied belief. But he also applied himself so hard when moving to full-back, learning how to kick out of hand which he had never done before.