RHYS CRANE, THE FORMER ENGLAND SEVENS INTERNATIONAL AND BATH, SALE, NOTTINGHAM, LONDON WELSH & EALING WINGER, CHOOSES THE BEST XV HE HAS PLAYED WITH OR AGAINST...
1. David Flatman – I don’t know much about the dark arts, but by all accounts Flats was up there as one of the best. Now ripping up trees in the punditry world with his refreshingly honest insights and quick wit which is just Flats being Flats.
2. Joe Duffy – A human wrecking ball, and I’m glad he was on my side during my Nottingham days. In today’s game he would be an elite club player or even higher.
3. Pete Edwards – “Pete the Meat”, to give him his nickname at London Welsh. Having the biggest calves in world rugby were the only thing stopping him from becoming a world-class fly-half, that and a Kit Kat addiction. For a big guy he could seriously play.
4. Danny Grewcock – Exists in a state of either “on” or “off” mode. Mostly operating at “on”, he was/is a true professional, but you didn’t want to meet him at the bottom of a ruck, even at training. Lovely man when in “off” mode.
5. Nic Rouse – Workmanlike second row with a great love and understanding of the lineout. Master of the cheap shot, both giving and receiving. Also a very good friend from our time together at Nottingham.
6. Sione Kalamafoni – Entire training sessions were spent trying to either tackle Sione or designing intricate plays to get him the ball. He would quite often score a length of the field try having run through most of the opposition.
7. Arthur Ellis – Ealing team-mate and better than his brother, Hugo. Arthur is genuinely one of the best all-round rugby players I have played with. Playing from hooker to centre he’s found his place in the back row and he is the full package. A man of few words but a leader by example. Still yet to see him smile.
8. Guy Thompson – Played with him at UWIC (now Cardiff Met). The energiser bunny –nicknamed “skittles”. One of the most annoying charactersacters to ever grace a rugby field, but so good you couldn’t leave him out. On balance, he’d end up annoying the opposition more. Could play anywhere across the back row. 9. Dwayne Peel – Probably one of the best readers of the game I was fortunate enough to play with. Could see things on the pitch no one else c
