Final pairing dominate dream team

LEINSTER and the Ospreys have been given a pre-Magners League Grand final boost with seven of their players named in the League Dream Team of the season.

Selected by a panel of 16 media experts from the three Celtic nations, who have been following the Magners League all season, the ‘Dream Team’ features players from seven of the 10 clubs in the competition.

Scrum half Tomas O’Leary is the only Munster representative selected while his international team-mate Tommy Bowe, polled the most votes (12) on the wing and one at centre, while Edinburgh’s young flyer Tim Visser, who celebrates his 23rd birthday tomorrow, received eight votes in both wing positions.

There are no fewer than three players from the Grand Finalists behind the scrum – Ospreys duo Bowe and centre James Hook are joined by Leinster centre Brian O’Driscoll. Up front, Ospreys prop Adam Jones and flanker Jerry Collins join Leinster No 8 Jamie Heaslip and lock Leo Cullen in the pack.

Newly crowned Amlin European Challenge Cup Champions Cardiff Blues have Kiwi full back Ben Blair and loose head prop Gethin Jenkins in the line-up, although No 8 Xavier Rush was pipped by one vote in his position by the outstanding Heaslip.

This is the fourth season the Dream Team has been selected, with Heaslip the only player to appear every year.

Magners League dream team: B Blair (Cardiff Blues), T Bowe (Ospreys), B O’Driscoll (Leinster), J Hook (Ospreys), T Visser (Edinburgh), D Parks (Glasgow), T O’Leary (Munster); G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), K Owens (Scarlets), A Jones (Ospreys), L Cullen (Leinster), A Kellock (Glasgow), J Collins (Ospreys), J Barclay (Glasgow), J Heaslip (Leinster)