Rugby Addict Law # 179 states that whenever a group of “Addicts” find themselves in a scenario that precludes their usual collective behaviour e.g. the wife’s in the other room, they shall pick fantasy teams.

Such a scenario existed on Boxing Day, during the lull between the live sport and the game of poker for those without babysitters to relieve. In a situation that surely played out throughout the land, we stood in my mate’s kitchen drinking his beer, picking his cold cuts and the best XV of the “noughties”.

Of course this was no “expert” panel, not a Barnes or a Butler in sight, but there was a journalist of questionable quality to record the opinion of an eclectic group whose “qualifications” were largely those of the former player, although there included a Man United fan who had heard of Jonny Wilkinson. Nor was the ethnicity representative of the globe we scoured, comprised as it was of 4 Welshmen and 2 Englishmen. Yet no one came to blows and the hour or so of entertainment it provided was priceless.

Therefore I present for your consideration, and probable frustration, the collective wisdom of the Penylan Massive...

15. Chris Latham.
With his socks around his ankles he often looked more Roath Park than Eden Park, yet his angles would bewilder Pythagoras and his ability to counter attack was unsurpassed.

14. Joe Rokocoko.
A good decade for wingers, not the sledgehammer of a Lomu but a fluid and athletic runner, what can you say about the Aucklander that wasn’t better said by former Wallaby full-back Greg Martin in his commentary “Joe Rokocoko, I couldn’t catch him in me car!!”

13. Brian O’Driscoll.
The spark of every team that he played in from Leinster to the Lions, a once in a generation player who has the lot, creates space for others with or without the ball, and if the space doesn’t exist for himself he might simply run over you.

12. Stirling Mortlock.
Play him anywhere, wing, full-back the result is the same. He scores tries and kicks goals, but it is as a hard-running centre that he is best deployed and as such the perfect foil to BOD.

11. Bryan Habana.
There was brief discord surrounding this pick, several felt that “Super Shane” should get the nod, (I refer you to the nationality of the panel) but in the end the World Cup-winner got it. He’s quicker than a cheetah for heaven’s sake.

10. Jonny Wilkinson.
As the pin-up of English rugby, almost by definition he alienates the rest of the rugby world. However, there is no ignoring the fact that he redefined the role of the outside-half, steered a powerful England side to a world title and then carried its ghost to a second final.

9. George Gregan.
A World Cup winner's medal was often the final arbiter in this list, but there was no way Dawson would win this vote and Du Preez has been up and down. Whilst it was acknowledged that Gregan rarely raised the pulse, his consistent efficiency was the key to every side that he played for and 139 caps made him impossible to ignore.

1. Gethin Jenkins.
You may think him the beneficiary of local bias but even the English boys agreed! With Jenkins there is little trade off between tight and loose duties, but it is his combatitive and indomitable character that is truly impressive. If he could bottle it and pass it around the changing room Wales might pose a greater threat on the big stage.

2. John Smit.
He may forever walk in the shadow of Francois Pienaar, but John Smit lifted South Africa’s second World Cup. Captain since 2004 he even moved over to the tight head for the greater national good, and made a decent fist of that too.

3. Carl Hayman.
That the All Blacks so often imploded when the chips were down had nothing to do with this guy, there is such desperation to get the Bearded Behemoth back to NZ for 2011, the folk of Taranaki are rumoured to have clubbed together to get him a farm as an inducement!

4. Martin Johnson.
Might well have only played for 3 of the 10 years, but raised the Webb Ellis Trophy and struck a blow for the northern hemisphere. A peerless leader of men, we are told, craggy, uncompromising, an old-school forward who was greater than the sum of his parts.

5. Victor Matfield.
Dynamic and athletic, everything that Johnson wasn’t, and therefore the perfect partner in the engine room. Supreme on his own ball, a menace on yours, and man of the match in 2007 RWC final, is more than enough to get the nod.

6. Richard Hill.
Quite simply the player that many would like to be, the first hand the opposition look for at the final whistle. He did not radiate starlight rather “he came from the shadows, the darkness.” As Serge Betsen put it. Celts take note whilst it is possible to query Jonny or undermine Johnson, we must respect Hill.

7. Richie McCaw.
Borrowing heavily, well lifting directly in truth, from The Alternative Rugby Commentator Jed Thian, before Schalk Burger goes to sleep he checks under the bed for Richie McCaw. In truth you could toss a coin between these two, Burger is a world champ and although McCaw walks the line, Burger crossed it when he gouged Luke Fitzgerald. Booooooo!!!

8. Sergio Parisse.
Just to prove that like all selectors we are guilty of inconsistency, Parisse, also a convicted “gouger”, takes his place in our team of the decade, possibly because we couldn’t bring ourselves to pick Dallaglio and felt guilty that there was no one from continental Europe in the team. Seriously, though, Parisse has shone in a consistently poor side and for that he deserves recognition.

So there it is as ever I await your derision. Happy New Year!!!!!