Selecting the best and debating the rest

THE BRIEF from the top at ERC was straightforward: “your mission, should you choose to accept, is to select the best European side of the last 15 years comprised of players who played in either the Heineken or Challenge Cup competitions”.

Ah yes, in addition you might also nominate your best player and best coach from the same period in addition to a fair play award to a player that in your estimation deserves that distinction for whatever reason you deem appropriate.

I have selected a lot of teams in my time from club sides in UCC and Cork Constitution to several Munster and Irish combinations, in addition to the Barbarians and Lions tour squads to South Africa in 1997 and Australia in 2001. Never before was I faced with such an array of talent, making the task both challenging and rewarding. The biggest plus with a combination like this is they don’t have to play against anyone and consequently no one disappoints or fails to match pre-conceived notions.