In my opinion the greatest ever rugby union player is Sean Fitzpatrick - the hooker regarded as the finest player New Zealand has ever produced.

'Fitzy' started making his impact as one of the 'Baby Blacks' on the  tour of  France in 1986. He got his chance to establish himself as a regular when captain Andy Dalton was injured - and he made such an impact that when Dalton returned Sean retained his place and went on to be part of the New Zealand team that won the inaugural World Cup inb 1987.

He was made the captain of All Blacks in 1992 and kept this position until his retirement. A solid player, he was the backbone of  a world-class Kiwi team which also included Ian Jones, Jeff Wilson, Zinzan Brooke, Jonah Lomu and Andrew Mehrtens.

Fitzpatrick was a great hooker and he was recognised as a legend by many experts. He led his side to victory many times - and in 1996 also led New Zealand to their first success on South African soil, winning the first two of a three-match series.

 By 1997, his injuries were growing tiresome. But he was still considered so important to the team that he found himelf  in the squad just to increase the spirit of the players with his great leadership skills. However, when his injuries became much more difficult to overcome he retired in November that year.

Fitzpatrick was given many awards, both national and international, like the New Zealand Order of Merit. He remains a national hero in hs home country and is also highly repected in other parts of the world, especially South Africa, and has turned down many an offer to become a coach.