Right, not coming from a true rugby nation and not having any real ethnic connection to any of the big boys of the IRB - I usually have always based my decision on playing style of teams and the individuals that have graced rugby's cathedrals from Murrayfield to Dunedin. Personally, I've always enjoyed watching the latin sides out there, as well as those magnificent Springboks. So, here's the rundown of my favorite teams, not necessarily ranked in this order:

1) France - outrageous, unpredictable, pride in the pack, talented - creative backlines - flowing champagne rugby when it really clicks...oh and Chabaallllll!

2) Pumas - also outrageous, passionate - great in broken play, fantastic Argentinean "beef" in the scrum, tremendously over-achieving amateur rugby nation that plays the role of spoiler and frustrator to perfection, great defending as a team, usually anyways.

3) Springboks - power, speed and giant forwards - the past World Cup showed the clinical nature of the Boks in the way they play, this is a tough team that always seems to have plenty of talent on tap!

So, what's your favorite XV in world rugby? I'm sure there are plenty of folks out there with plenty of more reasons than me to stake their claim for their team!

It's always great timing for me to come down with Plague with rugby training starting already next Tuesday!

Any cures out there oh ye oval oracles - other than downing lots of Irish whiskey and nyquil hehe...not sure the pack will be too happy to have me drip all over them like some sort of biological weapon waging germ warfare.