players / high Five / Martin Johnson

He was simply an inspirational leader and was arguably the only northern hemisphere forward of his generation who could match the physicality and aggression of his southern hemisphere counterparts despite his gentle manner off the pitch.

 

There were some calls about him being ‘over the hill’ but he proved all his critics wrong by becoming the first guy to win a test series in South Africa with the British Lions in 1974.

 

It was the most successful Lions side ever and won the Test series with 3 wins and a draw. He simply took no prisoners and with his famous 99 call, he commanded huge respect in the dressing room.

He helped the All Blacks take the game to new levels and led the team to win everything but the World Cup. He played for the All Blacks for ten years, and was just a fantastic competitor.

 

Sean played something like 63 consecutive tests over eight years, which is some achievement, and alongside Colin Meads he would be one of he greatest ever All-Blacks.

 

New Zealand had a lot of ups and downs between World Cups such as the defeat against the British Lions in Wellington in 1993 and the World Cup final in 1995, but in 1996 that 43-6 hammering of the Wallabies and a few weeks later they beat the Springboks in their own back yard to win the series.

Even though his career was relatively short. He was chosen as captain in his very first test and led South Africa to win an amazing Rugby World Cup, beating Sean Fitzpatrick’s All Black team in the process.

 

He was more than just a captain, he was an ambassador for South Africa and he transferred it onto the pitch with fantastic leadership qualities.

 

He would always put his body on the line and was a world class flanker. If you ask anyone who epitomises South African rugby, few would argue against Francois as their choice.

He was the youngest ever English captain at 22 and took England to a World Cup Final and into modern era after a dismal 1987 World Cup.

 

Carling led England to back-to-back Five Nations grand slam victories (1991, 1992), and he also led them to a 1995 Grand Slam. Will was a bloody good centre, he led by example and was a great motivator of the team, which is why he was so instrumental in raising the profile of English rugby.

 

72 caps is no mean feat and his team laid the foundations for the modern game to progress in England.

Captained The British and Irish Lions 1971 side, who became the first and so far the only Lions team to win a test series in New Zealand, three to one.

 

He also led Wales to the grand slam in the same year, and just was a master tactician. He played in that great Welsh back-line alongside JPR Williams, Gerald Davies and Gareth Edwards, and as a centre, his decision making and variety of skills was a major reason behind why they were so good.

 

He didn’t do a bad job as coach of Wales either, so it just proves what a great rugby brain he has.