Four World Cup winning legends, now TV pundits for the 2011 Rugby World Cup

To help you through the 48 matches, ITV has put together a sensational line-up of former winners as part of their coverage team, which will be fronted by Steve Rider. So sit back and hear the views of a quartet who have won more than 250 caps between them. Over the World Cup, these four legends will share with you their views on the tournaments’ big topics…

Who is the greatest World Cup player?
Francois Pienaar: That’s impossible to answer! You can’t compare forwards with backs and anyway I believe that World Cups are won up front, and a lot of forwards don’t get the credit they deserve. It’s the pretty boys in the backs, particularly the No 10s, who get the headlines! But they can’t do anything if their forwards don’t supply them with good ball. Take England in 2003; yes, it was Jonny Wilkinson who dropped the goals but it was the leadership of Martin Johnson that drove the team on.

Sean Fitzpatrick: David Campese stands out in terms of 1991. He almost won that single-handedly for Australia. John Kirwan was also a great World Cup player, as was Jonah Lomu.

Michael Lynagh: It’s hard to go past Jonah Lomu, and what he did in 1995. That was his World Cup and the impact he had – not just in rugby but in sport generally – had never happened before and will probably never happen again.

Do you agree with their views? Go to our Facebook page and let us know what you think…

This article appeared in the October 2011 issue of Rugby World Magazine.

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