Sonny Bill Williams’ dream team features some notable absentees.
The New Zealand legend was asked by Australian website Sporting News to pick a “Dream XIII“, of players he played alongside or against, that made the biggest impression on him during his career from either rugby league or union.
In addition to not selecting Ireland’s greatest living human being Paul O’Connell, Sonny Bill couldn’t find a place for former teammates Dan Carter and Richie McCaw, who played a combined 260 test matches for the All-Blacks.
However, it’s still a very impressive line-up, which Williams says is based not just on the players’ exploits on the field, but those he respected off the pitch too.
The XIII includes Jonah Lomu, who Williams called “The greatest All-Black ever”, England World Cup winning hero Jonny Wilkinson and Australian Quade Cooper.
Here’s the XIII he picked this time though, with one player being kept in reserve:
Keven Mealamu, Jerome Kaino, Aaron Cruden, Jonah Lomu, Nehe Milner-Skudder, Malakai Fekitoa, Thierry Dusautoir, Jonny Wilkinson, Kurtley Beale, Quade Cooper, Kieran Foran, Johnathan Thurston, and Anthony Mundine. With Mitchell Pearce on the bench.
