1995 Boks only ‘14th best’

Cape Town - A well-known UK rugby scribe rates the 1995 Springbok World Cup winning side as only the 14th best team he's ever witnessed playing.

Stephen Jones has worked for the Sunday Times for 30 years and gave his list of the top 20 best-ever rugby teams.

In fact, Jones rates the All Black team of 1995/96 as the best bunch he's ever seen. The Springboks won the 1995 Rugby World Cup when they beat New Zealand 15-12 in the final at Ellis Park.

Jones does, however, pit Gary Teichmann's Springboks of 1997-1998 at No 5, but there is no place for John Smit's 2007 World Cup-winning side.

Jones' top 20 greatest teams of all time:

1. Sean Fitzpatrick’s All Blacks, 1995-96
2. Clive Woodward’s England, 2002-03
3. Richie McCaw’s All Blacks, 2011-present
4. Ian McGeechan’s British and Irish Lions, 1997
5. Gary Teichmann’s Springboks, 1997-98
6. Will Carling’s England, 1988-1995
7. Lawrence Dallaglio’s London Wasps (English club side), 2003-05
8. John Eales’s Wallabies, 1999-2001
9. Wayne "Buck" Shelford's All Blacks, 1987-1990
10. Warren Gatland's Wales, 2008-13
11. Robbie Deans's Crusaders, 1998-2000
12. Jack Rowell’s Bath (English club side), 1989-1994
13. Jean-Luc Sadourny's France, 1994
14. Francois Pienaar’s Springboks, 1995
15. Martin Johnson’s Leicester Tigers (English club side), 2001
16. Agustin Pichot's Argentina, 2007
17. Brian O’Driscoll's Leinster (Irish club side), 2009-2012
18. Brian Price’s Newport (Welsh club side), 1963-70
19. Farah Palmer’s Black Ferns (New Zealand women's team), 1998
20. Des Seabrook’s Orrell (English club side), 1991-92

CLICK HERE to see the list with full explanations on the Sunday Times website.