Anybody unlucky to miss out?
Seven players from the Irish provinces have been selected to this season’s Guinness Pro12 Dream Team, with three Ulster, two Munster and two Connacht players making the side.
Champions Leinster will relinquish their title this season after missing out on the top four, and this combined with a season of injuries and international absentees means none of their players have made the side which was selected by 11 journalists from the four nations.
Ulster’s Craig Gilroy is the top try scorer in this year’s league with 11, and he naturally takes his place on the left wing, while captain Rory Best is named at hooker. The third Ulster man in the side is South African lock Franco van der Merwe, who has played in all but one of his side’s matches this season.
Both selections from Munster have come in the back row, with their Player of the Season CJ Stander picked at 6, and Irish International Tommy O’Donnell on the other flank.
Connacht’s form may have dipped late in the season, but they’ve also received two selections on the team. Denis Buckley, who has been a revelation at loose-head for the province, is selected after being ever-present this season, while Robbie Henshaw gets the nod at outside centre.
The half-backs are both Ospreys, with Rhys Webb and Dan Biggar selected, while Alun Wyn Jones is picked to captain the team from second-row.
Glasgow Warriors also have three representatives, with number 8 Josh Strauss, winger Tommy Seymour and centre Peter Horne included, while there is one each for Edinburgh (WP Nel) and the Scarlets (Liam Williams).
Dream Team: L Williams (Scarlets), T Seymour (Glasgow), R Henshaw (Connacht), P Horne (Glasgow), C Gilroy (Ulster), D Biggar (Ospreys), R Webb (Ospreys); D Buckley (Connacht), R Best (Ulster), WP Neil (Edinburgh), AW Jones (Ospreys), F van der Merwe (Ulster), CJ Stander (Munster), T O’Donnell (Munster), J Strauss (Glasgow)
