Gareth’s pick # 6: Keven Mealamu
I’ll be honest here (let’s step away from the gamesmanship for a second, shall we?) and admit that I was going to pick Paul O’Connell.
The difference is that I was going to pick him as my number 5 lock. My ‘loose’ lock as some like to call it. Dave has picked him - and he now faces Bakkies Botha and my other lock (I’m thinking of picking Vickerman to counter their lineouts) without a hard man in the second row. I’m fine with that.
When I look at the absolute beasts that I have been allowed to pick, well, it gives me the odd chill.
I now had to make the choice between loosehead prop, hooker, number eight and wing (the positions where neither of us have picked a player) and decide who to take. It was pretty tough.
In the end I opted for Keven Mealamu. The dynamic hooker from Auckland. It was a tough call with Mealamu not having played a whole lot of rugby this season, but that little cameo off the bench in Durban reminded me of just how good he is.
My team is starting to look very Black (which will keep old Butana Khomphela and the boys off my back) with four of my six picks coming from the best team in the world at the moment: the All Blacks! That’s also fine with me.
Gareth’s World XV
1.
2. Keven Mealamu (6)
3. Carl Hayman (3)
4. Bakkies Botha (4)
5.
6.
7. Jerry Collins (5)
8.
9.
10. Dan Carter (1)
11.
12.
13. Brian O’Driscoll (2)
14.
15.
