SEVEN IRISH BASED players have played their way onto the Guinness Pro12 Dream Team for the 2014/15 season but, perhaps unsurprisingly, no Leinster player makes the grade.
Ulster’s Rory Best, Franco van der Merwe and Craig Gilroy are all included, the latter’s 11 tries the most of any player in this year’s competition.
Gilroy is joined in the backs by fellow Ireland international Robbie Henshaw who is one of two representatives from Connacht, the other being Denis Buckley at loosehead.
The two Munster representatives are CJ Stander and Tommy O’Donnell who is rewarded for a fine year in both the red of the southern province and the green of Ireland.
The Dream Team was selected by a media panel made up of 4 Irish, 3 Welsh, 2 Scottish and 2 Italian Rugby writers.
Guinness Pro12 Dream Team
15 – Liam Williams – Scarlets
14 – Tommy Seymour – Glasgow Warriors
13 – Robbie Henshaw – Connacht
12 – Peter Horne – Glasgow Warriors
11 – Craig Gilroy – Ulster
10 – Dan Biggar – Ospreys
9 – Rhys Webb – Ospreys
1 – Denis Buckley – Connacht
2 – Rory Best – Ulster
3 – WP Nel – Edinburgh
4 – Alun Wyn Jones – Ospreys
5 – Franco van der Merwe – Ulster
6 – CJ Stander – Munster
7 – Tommy O’Donnell – Munster
8 – Josh Strauss – Glasgow Warriors
The red card Sergio Parisse picked up last weekend highlights one of rugby’s daftest lawsStander excels again as Ireland qualification grows ever closer