Guinness PRO14 Dream Team Revealed

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   The Guinness PRO14 Dream Team for the 2018/19 season was revealed on Premier Sports and eir sport after a media vote determined the best performing players from the current campaign.

In total, 11 clubs are represented in a XV where competition in the voting was incredibly close, and only a handful of positions were selected with a clear majority.

Edinburgh, Munster, Connacht and Ulster were the only teams with more than one player in the Dream Team which includes the Guinness Players’ Player of the Season – Bill Mata of Edinburgh.

Rabz Maxwane of the Toyota Cheetahs is another award winner included, the Toyota Cheetahs winger scored a record-equalling 14 tries in the Guinness PRO14 season – nine of them scored away from home – and was voted in as the left wing. 

Only three players from last season’s Guinness PRO14 Dream Team have been selected with the second row pairing of Tadhg Beirne (Munster) and Scott Vardy (Leinster) getting the nod while John Cooney’s impressive performances at Ulster have kept him in the No 9 shirt.

The team was revealed on a TV Special aired by Premier Sports and eir sport on Thursday night (May 23) where Rory Lawson, Sean Holley, Luke Fitzgerald and Murray Kinsella dissected and debated about who deserved their places and who was unlucky to miss out.

Guinness PRO14 Dream Team 2018/19

FORWARDS

1.     Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh)
2.     Ken Owens (Scarlets)
3.     Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors)
4.     Tadhg Beirne (Munster)
5.     Scott Fardy (Leinster)
6.     Peter O’Mahony (Munster)
7.     Colby Fainga'a (Connacht)
8.     Bill Mata (Edinburgh)

BACKS

9.     John Cooney (Ulster)
10.   Jack Carty (Connacht)
11.   Rabz Maxwane (Toyota Cheetahs)
12.   Stuart McCloskey (Ulster)
13.   Rey Lee-Lo (Cardiff Blues), 
14.   Monty Ioane (Benetton Rugby)
15.   Dan Evans (Ospreys)

Please note: To be eligible for selection players had to appear in a minimum of Guinness PRO14 games. A media panel of over 75 including former players and coaches from across Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa and Wales were invited to vote for the Dream Team.

Nominations (listed by alphabetical order):

Loosehead Prop
Dave Kilcoyne (Munster); Eric O’Sullivan (Ulster); Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh)

Hooker
Epalahame Faiva (Benetton Rugby); Rob Herring (Ulster); Ken Owens (Scarlets)

Tighthead Prop
Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), WP Nel (Edinburgh), Marco Riccioni (Benetton Rugby)

Second Row
Tadhg Beirne (Munster), Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors), Federico Ruzza (Benetton Rugby)

Second Row
Scott Fardy (Leinster); Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors); Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys)

Blindside Flanker
Max Deegan (Leinster); Peter O’Mahony (Munster); Josh Turnbull (Cardiff Blues)

Openside Flanker
Colby Fainga'a (Connacht), Braam Steyn (Benetton); Hamish Watson (Edinburgh) 

No 8 
Marcel Coetzee (Ulster), Bill Mata (Edinburgh), CJ Stander (Munster)

Scrum-Half
Caolin Blade (Connacht); John Cooney (Ulster); Dewaldt Duvenage (Benetton)

Out-half
Jack Carty (Connacht); Adam Hastings (Glasgow Warriors); Jaco van der Walt (Edinburgh)

Left Wing
Darcy Graham (Edinburgh); James Lowe (Leinster); Rabz Maxwane (Toyota Cheetahs)

Inside Centre
Bundee Aki (Connacht); Willis Halaholo (Cardiff Blues); Stuart McCloskey (Ulster)

Outside Centre
Tom Farrell (Connacht); Rey Lee-Lo (Cardiff Blues); Nick Grigg (Glasgow Warriors)

Right Wing
Monty Ioane (Benetton Rugby); Johnny McNicholl (Scarlets); Ratuva Tavuyara (Benetton Rugby)

Full Back
Dan Evans (Ospreys); Mike Haley (Munster); Matthew Morgan (Cardiff Blues)