Irish half-back combination, Welsh centres and Scottish scavengers – while waiting excitedly for the Rugby World Cup why not pick a Guinness PRO14 team from the host nations? Uniting the best of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy this is our XV (a non-host nations XV will follow tomorrow). We think our second row would take some stopping… Cian Healy – A shoe-in at loosehead, Leinster’s Healy has been back to his rampaging best over the last 12 months and has started a huge majority of Joe Schmidt’s games in charge. Perhaps the biggest competition for this shirt would come from Healy’s superbly in-form national rival – Munster’s Dave Kilcoyne. Stuart McInally – Captains everywhere rivalling for hooker, Ireland veteran Rory Best would bring the leadership while Scarlets skipper Ken Owens would bring the power – McInally has both in spades. Tadhg Furlong – WP Nel offers the strongest competition at tighthead but faces his own battle against Zander Fagerson, while Furlong is a class above almost every No.3 in the world. James Ryan – Benetton Rugby teammates Dean Budd and Federico Ruzza are good options while Scotland’s engine room is talented but impossible to predict. James Ryan’s all-round game continues to go from strength to strength and the 23-year-old is already one of Ireland’s three most-important players. Alun Wyn Jones – Absolute no-brainer.
