LAST UPDATE | 23 May 2019
THE DREAM TEAM for the Pro14′s 2018/19 season was unveiled this evening, with seven Irish-based players included in the top XV.
Three players make the side for a second year running: second row combination Scott Fardy and Tadhg Beirne with Ulster’s John Cooney earning himself the scrum-half slot again
Cooney’s former Connacht team-mate Jack Carty takes the number 10 role ahead of Glasgow’s Adam Hastings after a brilliant season which also featured his first international cap.
The Sportsground also provides the Dream Team openside with Colby Fainga’a named at 7 alongside Peter O’Mahony and Edinburgh’s Bill Mata.
Ulster centre Stuart McCloskey completes the Irish contingent, seeing off tough competition from nominees Bundee Aki and Willis Halaholo (see the full list of nominees here) after powering a resurgent season for Ulster under Dan McFarland.
With minimum-appearance considerations in play, Pro14 finalists Glasgow match Leinster’s single call-up to the Dream Team as tighthead prop Zander Fagerson gets the nod.
Pro14 2018/19 Dream Team
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)
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)
Gavan Casey is joined by Ryan Bailey and Andy Dunne to look ahead to Saturday’s Pro14 final, look at whether Joey Carbery’s move has paid off and Jack Conan talks about how his body is holding up.:
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There’s a long list of quality players absent too . It’s no pushover to make that team ! Well pleased for Carty
@Limón Madrugada: stupid selection – at the very least Munster, Leinster and Glasgow warriors would beat that team comfortably
@BMJF: okay, so a brief glance through the comments and you’ve made that point 3 times. (It’s a terrible point by the way). Any list compiling a ‘dream team’ of sorts is going to be beaten by a good team consisting of a well oiled set of players who train and play together week in week out.
Well deserved by Carty. Also great to see McCloskey get the nod in a tough position. He’s had a fantastic year
@Eddie Hekenui: hard to argue with anyone selected there. I’d have prob had tavuyara on but he was oddly nominated on the same wing as Ioane.
@Jim Demps: Yeah it’s pretty hard to split them. They’re stats are pretty identical too and they’ve both had a massive impact on the team. Ioane was very impressive early in the year while Tavuyara came on strong towards the end.
@Jim Demps: Tavuyara was excellent but even if put on the other wing Sibhale Maxwane had most tries and line breaks in the league. Hard to ignore him.
@Jim Demps: except that team wouldn’t beat the two finalists in PRO14 final!!!!
@BMJF: It’s not a team of the best players in the League. It’s the players who played best over the course of the full season.
@Eddie Hekenui: Glasgow , Leinster and Munster were the best sides of the season by a mile so the team should be stuffed with players from those sides
@Chris Mc: Name the players you would pick so
Only one Leinster player making that team?!
@Leo Erah: Only 1 glasgow player too.
@Leo Erah: What eligible Leinster players would you include?
@Leo Erah: Leinster have used 57 players on the way to the Pro14 final. With that much rotation it’s hard for individual players to get enough of a run to stand out for inclusion in this team.
@Darach Malone: how many have other teams used? Like is 57 a huge number compared to the others?
@Jim Demps: you know Munster have used a similar amount. Just say it instead of setting someone up
Haha classic Jim ‘setting traps’
@Jonny: yeah stupid when both Glasgow and Leinster would comfortably beat that selection
@BMJF: are u nine years old? It’s not the best players selection..its the best players who performed throughout the pro14. Can’t be naming Leinster and Glasgow players who only played half the games. Grow up
Jesus Christ the amount of comments saying Leinster or whoever would beat that team. Grow up will ye!! Leinster rotate a lot and hence why ye didn’t have as many nominees. The lads selected are deserved. Fair play to Jack and Colby, and all the Irish based players.
Leinster fans will still be mystified when Ross Byrne isnt on the plane to Japan
@Kazoochka: Ah
That will upset the Leonster boys
Roll on Jack to Japan
So either winner will have one person in the team??
@Bob Joe: What eligible Leinster/Glasgow players would you include?
@Bob Joe: It’s down to the nature of the Pro14. Leinster heavily rotate their team, so it’s hard for any one player to be outstanding. Fardy is one of the few players not subject to this and made the team, Lowe is another, and he was nominated. Similar story with Glasgow and their Scottish internationals.
I imagine if Leinster win the tournament but don’t get all the individual awards, they’ll be able to live with that.
Only one Leinster player and he’s not even from Leinster !
@A Person: Who would you pick ahead of the selections that’s eligible?
@Peter McCarthy: No problem with him being picked over Gray and Wyn Jones (who hasn’t even played for Ospreys at all), just pointing out there’s only one Leinster player there
@A Person: And water is wet. So what?
Does that make it not very good making this team ?? If a full PRO 14 team was picked it would have to include a lot of the finalists . What was the time restrictions set at ??
@Martin Quinn: Minimum 10 appearances to be considered. Rules out many international players, and with the amount of rotation we do at Leinster, it’s less likely players will get selected for a team like this.
Leinster would beat that team
@munsterman: comfortably!!
@BMJF: @munsterman. …… share accounts much? Sad
@RabidHorizon: stay off the weed lad
No Italians ? Thats surprising
@rugbyanbeer: oops my mistake
@rugbyanbeer: Not a mistake but perhaps undiplomatic as Monty Ioane representing Benetton (Treviso) is Australian.