There was always the danger when five rugby legends sat down to discuss their all-time World Cup greatest XV that reminiscing about their golden days would lead to one drink too many.

Their elbows obviously slipped when they announced England's Richard Hill and New Zealander Zinzan Brooke in their back row beside the phenomenal flanker Michael Jones.

Immortals of the game? Splendid internationals - both, two of the hardest, most unsparing of forwards. But the finest since 1987? They jest.

Surely Australia's superb back-rowers of the cup-winning combination from 1991, the powerhouse Willie Ofahengaue and his relentless bloodhound of a partner Simon Poidevin, had stronger claims for inclusion.

The miracle is that the panel - coincidentally Brooke, Australia's John Eales, England's Martin Johnson, France's Philippe Sella and South Africa's Joel Stransky - while turning the microscope on themselves, did not include former Test five-eighth Stransky.

It was Stransky, after all, who kicked the drop goal in the 12th minute of extra time for South Africa's 15-12 defeat of the All Blacks in the 1995 cup final.

Ultimately, they chose England's own matchwinner in the 2003 decider in Sydney, Johnson's five-eighth Jonny Wilkinson.

But it was at halfback that David Brockhoff, the only man to win the Bledisloe Cup as a player with New Zealand and then reclaim it as Australian coach, found fault.

The panel nominated South Africa's Joost vanderWesthuizen. Without hesitation, "Brock" preferred Nick Farr-Jones, Australia's 1991 cup-winning captain, one of the two greatest Wallabies he has seen along with the late Trevor Allan.

"I'm very strong on Farr-Jones ahead of vanderWesthuizen. The amount of ball Nick made available because of his bulldog vigour, his courage and strength was remarkable," he said.

"On wet days, hurricane days, with the crook ball a halfback receives from lineouts, you must have a No.9 who can virtually be a back-rower or a second-rower to clear the ball."

Of the three Australians chosen - lineout champion Eales, flying centre Tim Horan and try-scoring winger David Campese - Brockhoff voted for only two. "John Eales was a marvellous giant, an absolute freak, and Tim Horan walks in, walks in," he said. " … but I have a big problem with Campo, a big problem."

World Cup XV: Serge Blanco (Fra), David Campese (Aus), Philippe Sella (Fra), Tim Horan (Aus), Jonah Lomu (NZ), Jonny Wilkinson (Eng), Joost vanderWesthuizen (SA), Zinzan Brooke (NZ), Michael Jones (NZ), Richard Hill (Eng), John Eales (Aus), Martin Johnson (Eng), Phil Vickery (Eng), Sean Fitzpatrick (NZ), Os duRandt (SA).