The greatest galaxy of rugby stars ever seen in Henley gather at Dry Leas on Sunday for the Willie Phillips Testimonial match, when his Invitation XV take on the International Classics XV (2.30 pm), writes Michael Knox.
Heading the cast, in honour of the long-serving New Zealand Maoris and Henley forward, are seven British Lions with the back row all of that ilk in the shape of Mike Teague, Peter Winterbottom and Rob Wainwright.
Starring in the second row will be Wade Dooley, who still turns out for his original club, Preston Grasshoppers.
The front row is graced with the presence of the two props who anchored one of the best packs that England ever produced, Paul Rendell and Jeff Probyn.
And when they get tired there is Gary Pearce ready to step in as he still appears regularly for Aylesbury.
The seventh Lion, Scotland flanker John Jeffrey, is a replacement !
The two Lions behind the pack are the the Hastings brothers, Gavin and Scott. Scott is the most capped Scottish international, while Gavin captained the British Lions in New Zealand in 1993.
The Scottish influence is strong with Craig Chalmers, currently playing with Harlequins, at fly half, and Sean Lineen at centre.
Not surprisingly there is an All Black flavour about Willie's Invitation XV with John Gallagher at No15 and Zinzan Brooke at the other end of the team at No 8.
Darrell Shelford, the brother of Willie's pal Buck, the man who never lost an international as captain of the Blacks and who is currently helping Bradford Bulls in the rugby league Super League, plays in the centre alongside Henley's other own New Zealander, Derek Oswald.
Indeed, Willie has drawn heavily on his Dry Leas pals with current players Jerry Sampson and Rob Heginbotham, who has put in a lot of hard work to bring so many stars to this match, in his side.
Willie Phillips Invitation XV: J Gallagher (New Zealand), S Hearn (Henley), D Oswald (Henley & Bay of Plenty), D Shelford (Bradford Bulls & North Harbour), J Warish (Northland & NZ Wekas), M Poulson (Henley & Leicester), B Davidson (Henley), R Heginbotham (Henley & Cambridge U), M Duffelen (Henley & Leicester), P New (Henley & West Hartlepool), S O'Leary (England A, Wasps & Henley), J Sampson (Henley & Blackheath), S Berryman (Comb Servs, Henley, Penzance), J Phillips (North Auckland & Henley) capt.
International Classics XV: G Hastings (Scotland & Lions), T Smith (England A), S Hastings (Scotland & Lions), S Lineen (Scotland), R Lozowski (England), C Chalmers (Scotland), R Moon (England A), P Rendell (England), G Dawe (England), J Probyn (England), C Gray (Scotland), W Dooley (England & Lions), M Teague (England & Lions), P Winterbottom (England & Lions), R Wainwright (Scotland & Lions). Reps: E Davies (England A), S Hunter (Harlequins), K Dunn (England A), G Pearce (England), R Kinsey (Wasps), D Ryan (England), B White (England A), J Jeffrey (Scotland & Lions).
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