The final piece of the puzzle.
And so it is, the end of (voting) times.
You, dear reader, have helped us select 14 players for our Ireland’s Greatest XV of the Professional Era.
BOD, ROG, POC and other non ‘O’ surnames are all in there.
Our final jersey to hand out is No.8. Here are the three worthy candidates.
Although he played only half of his 48 caps at the back of the pack, Eric Miller was one of Ireland’s finest in the position. The versatile back row, who featured on the 1997 British & Irish Lions tour, played a key role in Ireland’s transformation from also-rans to Triple Crown winners.
Anthony Foley featured in the final World Cup (1995) of the amateur era but it was not until 2000 than he was a regular starter. As soon as Warren Gatland placed his faith in him, Foley shone. 53 Tests racked up over five years as Ireland claimed their first Triple Crown in two decades and started to turn southern hemisphere sides over.
80 Tests and still going strong for the workhorse that is Jamie Heaslip. Five of those are spread over two Lions tours but the other 75 have come in exemplary service for his country. A regular 80-minute man and a vital member of Irish Six Nations win in 2009, 2014 and 2015.
