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20. The 2005 All Blacks
You could pick countless All Blacks teams from countless eras, but this one sticks in the mind for the way they absolutely destroyed Clive Woodward’s Lions.
They racked up 107 points in the three Tests, hitting their peak in a 48-18 Dan Carter-inspired romp in Wellington. They went on to win the Tri-Nations later that summer, the first of four successive title triumphs.
19. France in New Zealand, 1994
Precious few sides have won a Test series in New Zealand and no team has done it in such dramatic fashion.
Having triumphed 22-8 in Christchurch, Philippe Saint-Andre’s men were trailing going into the final minute of the Auckland rematch.
But they then produced what has become known as “the try from the end of the worldâ€, with full-back Jean-Luc Sadourny rounding off a sensational movement to secure a 23-20 victory. It remains the last time New Zealand lost at Eden Park.
18. Francois Pienaar’s Springboks, 1995
Although they won the tournament, few would claim they were the best team at the 1995 World Cup, but some sides are great for reasons other than just the rugby they played.
And Pienaar’s South Africa achieved something extraordinary in the way they united a nation at such a delicate time in the country’s history.
They also showed huge resolve as they defied the odds to beat huge favourites New Zealand in extra time of the final.
17. Warren’s Wales, 2008-13
Sometimes we probably don’t fully appreciate just what a golden era we have been living through under the reign of Warren Gatland.
But the records really do speak for themselves. Since the Kiwi took the helm in 2008, Wales have won two Grand Slams and three Six Nations titles, with assistant Rob Howley in charge for the last of those in 2013, which culminated in the 30-3 rout of England.
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16. Ian McGeechan’s Lions, 1997
For many British and Irish rugby fans, this was the tour that rekindled the love affair with the Lions.
This was partly down to the memorable fly-on-the-wall Living with Lions tour video, but also down to the guts and determination McGeechan’s men showed in defeating the world champion Springboks, with Welshmen Neil Jenkins and Scott Gibbs playing key roles.
Everyone remembers the series clincher in Durban, but for me it was the 25-16 first Test triumph at Newlands that really stands out.
15. Australia, 1999-2001
Incredibly, the Wallabies team that won the 1999 World Cup conceded just one try during their six matches in the tournament, securing the Webb Ellis trophy with a resounding 35-12 victory over France in the final.
That was the start of a golden period for a side coached by Rod Macqueen and skippered by John Eales who went on to win back-to-back Tri Nations titles and beat Graham Henry’s 2001 Lions.
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14. Wales of the 1950s
Between 1950 and 1956, Wales won the Five Nations outright three times, twice completing the Grand Slam, and shared the title on two further occasions.
They also beat the All Blacks, triumphing 13-8 at Cardiff Arms Park in December 1953. No-one could have imagined at the time just what a landmark result that would prove to be.
Captained by the Prince of Centres, Bleddyn Williams, that side featured some of the true greats of the Welsh game in Cliff Morgan, Ken Jones, Courtney Meredith, Roy John, Rees Stephens and Clem Thomas.
13. Australia, 1984
The Wallabies arrived on these shores somewhat unheralded in the autumn of 1984 with a young side and new coach Alan Jones.
But they went on to make history by became the first team from Down Under to achieve a Grand Slam, defeating all four Home Nations and a strong Barbarians side.
It was a tour that signalled the emergence of Australia as a serious force on the world stage and the emergence of some true legends in David Campese, Michael Lynagh, Nick Farr-Jones, Tommy Lawton, Simon Poidevin and fly-half Mark Ella, who scoring a try in each Test match.
12. New Zealand, 1967
I never saw this team in action at the time, I’m not that old!
But they have become a bit of an obsession for me over the years. I’ve heard so much about them from people who did see them and the clips I have managed to watch explain why they were so revered.
Captained by Brian Lochore and featuring the likes of Colin Meads, Sid Going, Ian Kirkpatrick and Waka Nathan, they went through their 17 match tour of Great Britain, France and Canada undefeated, winning all four Tests, with only East Wales managing a draw against them.
But it was the attacking style of rugby they played that really left an indelible mark.
11. Will Carling’s England, 1990-1992
He might not have been the most popular figure in Wales, but you can’t argue with Will Carling’s record as England captain.
There were three Grand Slams and a World Cup final under the Harlequins centre.
He was skipper from 1988 to 1996, but it was in the early 1990s that his Red Rose brigade were probably at their most potent, with the likes of Brian Moore, Mike Teague, Dean Richards, Peter Winterbottom, Rory Underwood and Jeremy Guscott on board.
Based around immense forward power, they should really have won the 1991 World Cup, but fatally adopted a more open approach in the final against the Wallabies.
10. Australia, 1991
The year Campo ruled the world.
The most gifted player of his generation, David Campese reached his peak during the World Cup campaign of 1991.
His defining moments came in the semi-final victory over New Zealand at Lansdowne Road, when he weaved his magic to score one try and set up another.
The Wallabies – coached by Bob Dwyer and led by Nick Farr-Jones – had reached that stage with a last-gasp victory over Ireland in the quarters, when they showed their self-belief and attacking ambition by running the ball at the death.
And then in the final, they showed the other side to their game, grafting their way to victory over hosts England.
9. The 1971 Lions
The only Lions team to have returned triumphant from New Zealand.
Coached by the visionary Carwyn James and captained by John Dawes, this was a team with Welshmen at its core.
There was JPR Williams, Gerald Davies, Gareth Edwards, Mervyn Davies and, above all, Barry John, who remains an icon among Kiwis for the rugby he played on that tour.
But there were also greats from the other home nations in Mike Gibson, Gordon Brown, Willie John McBride, David Duckham and Fergus Slattery.
 Going into the final Test in Auckland 2-1 up, the Lions clinched the series victory with a 14-14 draw, courtesy of the only drop goal of JPR’s career.
8. The current All Blacks, 2013-14
Steve Hansen’s New Zealand are on the verge of making history. In thumping England 36-13 in Hamilton last Saturday, Richie McCaw’s men equalled the world record of 17 consecutive Test victories.
It was a winning streak that began when they beat France 23-13 in Auckland last June on the way to becoming the first team in the professional era to go through a calendar year unbeaten.
They are now equal with the winning runs of the 1965-69 All Blacks and 1997-98 Springboks, and will claim the record as their own if they beat Australia in their next Test in Sydney on August 16.
And they’ve done it despite being without Dan Carter for 11 of those 17 matches!
7. Wales in the 1970s
It’s hard to know which particular Welsh side of this golden era to pick out as the greatest because it was a run of success that lasted for a decade, taking in three Grand Slams – in 1971, 1976 and 1978 – and six outright Five Nations titles.
But I would edge towards the team that won nine successive championship matches between 1970 and 1973 and came tantalisingly close to beating the All Black in December 1972.
The 9-5 win over France at the Stade Colombes which clinched the 1971 Grand Slam, thanks to tries from Gareth Edwards and Barry John, is for me the golden memory of a truly golden period in Welsh rugby.
6. The All Blacks, 1995-96
They might not have won the 1995 World Cup, losing the final to hosts South Africa, but this was a team that lit up the tournament with a breathtaking brand of rugby and gave the sport a new global profile.
Much of this was down to Jonah Lomu, who burst onto the scene in unforgettable fashion during the competition, reaching a personal peak with his four-try demolition of England in the semi-final at Newlands.
No man has done more to popularise the game of rugby.
But he was far from the only Kiwi great in that team, with the likes of Zinzan Brooke, Jeff Wilson, Ian Jones, Andrew Mehrtens, Josh Kronfeld and skipper Sean Fitzpatrick alongside him.
They were to get even better, gaining revenge over the Springboks a year later by becoming the first All Blacks team to win a Test series in South Africa.
5. The Springboks, 1997-98
Between August 1997 and December 1998, the Springboks went on a record winning streak of 17 consecutive Test victories under the coaching of Nick Mallet and the captaincy of Gary Teichmann.
As part of that run, they clinched the Tri Nations Series and beat several teams by record margins, including a 52-10 win over France in Paris, a 68-10 romp against Scotland in Edinburgh, a 33-0 defeat of Ireland and, of course, a 96–13 demolition of Wales.
Superbly led by inspirational No 8 Teichmann, they had mighty forwards in Mark Andrews, Ollie le Roux, Andre Venter, Rassie Erasmus and James Dalton, plus game-breaking backs in Percy Montgomery, Pieter Muller, Stefan Terblanche, Pieter Rossouw, Henry Honiball and, above all, Joost van der Westhuizen.
4. Woodward’s England, 2002-03
Everyone remembers Jonny’s drop goal which kicked England to World Cup glory in Sydney in 2003 and it was a huge achievement by history-making Clive Woodward’s side to become the first – and still only – northern hemisphere team to lift the Webb Ellis trophy.
But if anything, they were even better in the build-up to that tournament.
In the autumn of 2002, they beat all three southern hemisphere giants, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, ahead of completing the Six Nations Grand Slam in the spring.
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Then in June 2003 came arguably the greatest triumph of the lot, as they beat the All Blacks 15-13 at Wellington.
Despite being reduced to 13 men by yellow cards for Neil Back and Lawrence Dallaglio, they didn’t concede a point in those 10 minutes, securing the spoils through the unerring boot of Wilkinson.
A week later, the Wallabies were defeated 25-14 in Melbourne. The seeds of the World Cup triumph were sown.
3. The 1973 Barbarians against the All Blacks
They only played one game together, but what a game and what a performance.
Billed as a rematch of the sides who contested the 1971 Lions Test series, the Barbarians had the core of the team that triumphed in New Zealand on duty with John Dawes again skippering the likes of JPR Williams, David Duckham, Mike Gibson, Gareth Edwards, Willie John McBride, Fergus Slattery, John Pullin and Derek Quinnell.
But there were also new faces in Phil Bennett, late call-up Tom David and the traditional uncapped player, English lock Bob Wilkinson.
Brought together under the coaching of Carwyn James, they produced a performance that has gone down in rugby legend, with scrum-half Edwards, flanker Slattery, wing John Bevan and JPR scoring tries in an unforgettable 23-11 victory at Cardiff Arms Park.
2. New Zealand, 1987-1990
A team ahead of its time.
The game was still amateur, but these All Blacks were professional in all but name in terms of their fitness levels, preparation and physicality.
They still hold the record for the longest unbeaten streak in international rugby – a 23 Test run from 1987 to 1990, when they won 22 matches, with one game being drawn.
That took in their triumph at the inaugural World Cup on home soil in 1987, when they scored a remarkable 298 points, including 43 tries, in their six tournament matches.
Captained by scrum-half David Kirk and then, after the World Cup, by Wayne “Buck†Shelford, they posed huge threats right across the park.
Up front there were the likes of Michael Jones, Steve McDowell, Sean Fitzpatrick, Richard Loe, Mike Brewer and the Whetton brothers, while there were the strike runners behind in John Kirwan, John Gallagher, Warwick Taylor, Joe Stanley and Terry Wright, with Grant Fox on hand to pull the strings and kick the goals. What a team.
1. The 1974 British Lions
The title of the recently published book on the 1974 Lions says it all: “Undefeatedâ€.
It was a tour of South Africa that began against Western Transvaal on May 15 in Potchefstroom and ended more than two months and 22 games later on July 27 with the final Test against the Springboks in Johannesburg.
Along the way, no-one but no-one was able to get the better of Willie John McBride’s men.
Coached by former Ireland prop Syd Millar, they were a team that had the lot – a mighty set-piece, dynamic breakaway forwards, magnificent half-backs and huge try-scoring threat behind.
They were also as hard as nails, men who refused to take a backward step in the face of any intimidation or violence, as they adopted a one-for-all, all-for-one approach summed up by the famous “99†call. We are not talking ice-cream cones here!
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An at-times brutal Test series brought victories in Cape Town, Pretoria and Port Elizabeth, with JJ Williams scoring four tries and Phil Bennett sparkling at outside-half.
They were denied a whitewash by some dubious refereeing in the final Test, but they were not to be beaten, with the Ellis Park encounter ending in a 14-14 draw.
It was a squad filled with Lions legends – JPR, Ian McGeechan, Mike Gibson, Gareth Edwards, Andy Irvine, Bobby Windsor, Ian “Mighty Mouse†McLauchlan, Sandy Carmichael, Fran Cotton, Gordon Brown, Roger Uttley, Fergus Slattery and Mervyn Davies.
But more than anything it was a true team, a united force who were prepared to give their all for each other and the cause.
Forty years on, the achievements of the Class of ‘74 more than stand the test of time and earn them top spot in my list of greatest international teams the game of rugby has seen.
Article source: http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/may/13/new-zealand-all-blacks-rugby-match-usa
The 20 best international rugby teams of all time
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