This for me was the most difficult position to fill.  Indeed my top player was masterful on both flanks and the guy who just slipped to second played open for his club side and blind for his country.  It also irritates me that websites the world over use the generic 'flanker' next to all time greats rather than honing down to 'open' and 'blind.'  How on earth are the next generation meant to know where the greats expertise lay?  

 

Many modern blindsides are able to cover a number of positions including lock, openside flanker and number 8 depending on their exact physical attributes.  Despite this versatility the position of blindside flanker is still very specialist in it’s own right. A modern blindside flanker will need to be tall and strong but must also be one of the fittest players on the field as he will be expected to play a key role in both attack and defence.   The blindsides huge engine will see him making tackles all over the field, attempting to win turnovers and gaining hard yards when in position of the ball.  He will however usually be slightly lighter than his second row counterparts as he will usually be amongst the top tacklers in a team.

 

In open play the blindside flanker will have a key role to play both in attack and defence.  When his team have the ball he will be expected to slip seamlessly into the back line and act as a third centre.  He will therefore be required to have good ball handling skills and the vision to be able to off load or take contact dependant upon the situation facing him.

 

In defence the blindside flanker will be expected to be a key defensive lynchpin, not just putting in tackle after tackle, but also getting back to his feet to attempt to win turnovers for his team.  At the breakdown the blindside will also be expected to patrol one side of the ruck where he will attempt to stop and opposition player from running through and gaining ground.

 

Another role of the blindside flanker is defending around the fringes of the scrum. He will have to observe the oppositions play off the back of the scrum ready to detach as soon as the ball is loose and make a tackle if necessary.  Quite often the ball will be fired out into the opposition backs in which case the blindside should join into their teams defensive line.  However, should the number 8 or scrum half attempt to run the ball down the short side of the pitch the blindside will often be the first or second tackler.

 

Every rugby fan has his own idea of what greatness is and more often than not the list will feature an inordinate number of his contemporaries because those are the players he knows best; I make no apology for doing likewise.  So without further adieu, here is one man’s opinion of who occupies Rugby Union's Mount Olympus. Here are my top 5 Blindside Flankers in the history of the sport.  Let the arguing begin.