Forget Australia and New Zealand, the Springboks are rugby union's greatest!

I'm South African, so supporting the Springboks has never been a doubt, a comfortable birthright I never consciously considered until, within our new global village, I had to 'convert' a newcomer to the game.

So here's a fella, new to rugby union and like me shopping for an IPL cricket team, he's searching for a rugby union team to call 'home'. Although I wasn't at home within South Africa, I was within the Southern Hemisphere and after explaining the North vs South divide in rugby union and because he was a South hemisphere lad, the teams left to pick narrowed to, realistically, three. (Yes, the Pumas got a mention, but that hook wasn't taken, the major drawback being their lack of consistent exposure).

Three prominent teams in the Southern Hemisphere are on offer for a new fan; the All Blacks, the Wallabies and the Springboks. Selecting one can be a very personal affair, I explained.

New Zealand's All Blacks are the most highly marketed rugby machine in the business. Truly the Ferraris of the sport. They have the most recognisable brand in rugby union and they wear a slick black kit and do a really funky war cry called the 'haka'. They are nicknamed the McBlacks (the McDonalds of rugby teams) or the ABs (All Blacks) and although they're accused of being 'chokers' because of their poor track record in the World Cups of the sport, their fans will very, very quickly tell you that they REALLY, honestly, truly have the best stats and record in rugby union (and they're not lying and only half whinging).