Serge Blanco, full-back 1980-91
France: caps: 93, points 233
Probably the best attacking full-back of all time, the Caracas-born Blanco scored a record 38 tries for his country.
Blanco helped France to Grand Slams in 1981 and 1987 and won a further four Five Nations titles with Les Bleus.
His finest moment was probably in Sydney in 1987 as his late try earned France a 30-24 victory over Australia and a place in the World Cup final.
Blanco's game was all about pace and vision and he used both to electrifying effect.
In his final Five Nations match at Twickenham in 1991 he collected the ball under his own posts and, refusing to kick clear, he launched France on one of the best tries of all time, finally finished off by Philippe Saint Andre.
That daring summed up the man and his attacking flair is sorely missed in the often overly-pragmatic modern game.
Philippe Sella, centre 1982-95
France: 111 caps, 125 points
The world's most capped player when he retired in 1995, Sella was the lynchpin of France's midfield for more than a decade.
During that time he won six Five Nations titles and played in three World Cups.
Sella was a fine defender but it is for his attacking skills that he will always be remembered.
His style is perhaps best summed up by former France coach Jacques Fouroux, who described Sella as having "the strength of a bull but the touch of a piano player".
Equally adept with the crash-ball or the sidestep, he terrorised defences as part of a vibrant French attacking force.
After retiring from international rugby he enjoyed a succesful two-year swansong with the newly-professional Saracens club.
Jean-Pierre Rives, flanker 1975-84
France: 59 caps, 20 points
The flanker with the stream of blond hair captained France to the 1981 Grand Slam after playing a key role in their Slam of four years earlier.
A true leader on the pitch, Rives was renowned for his mobility and attacking flair, overcoming a perceived lack of size for his position.
He was the ultimate risk-taker, setting the tone for a side which played the game in a way that would be almost unrecognisable today.
In addition to his Five Nations successes, Rives will always be remembered for leading France to a 1979 Bastille Day victory over the All Blacks at Eden Park in Auckland.
France ran in four tries to win 24-19 in a display that summed up their Devil-may-card approach epitomised by the 'Golden Helmet' at their helm.
Gerard Cholley, prop 1975-9
France: 31 caps, 12 points
A genuine hard man in an era when hard men ruled up front.
To describe Cholley as aggressive would be a understatement - he bristled with aggression, combativeness etc...
The former paratrooper would not have lasted long in the video age but these were more innnocent (ie. violent) times.
In the 1977 Five Nations match against Scotland he landed at least four concussive blows on four different Scotsmen - a fairly normal afternoon's work for the Castres forward.
Cholley was also a very decent player and a top scrummager but it will be for his unquenchable fighting spirit - okay, just his fighting - that he will be remembered.
Jo Maso, centre 1966-73
France: 25 caps, 15 points
The former league player began his rugby career with XIII Catalan but switched codes and enjoyed a successful club career with Narbonne and Perpignan.
He was a member of the World XV that beat England at Twickenham in 1971 but his finest hour arrived in 1972 when he produced a brilliant performance as part of the France team that beat England by a record 37-12 at Stade Colombes.
He was renowned for his flamboyant attacking play and set the tone for the likes of Blanco and Sella who were to come after him.
Also a fine defender, as you would expect with his rugby league roots.
Maso was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 2003 and is currently manager of the France national team.Italy
Diego Dominguez, fly-half 1991-2003
Italy: 74 caps, 983 points
Dominguez won two caps for his native Argentina before switching allegiance to the Azzurri, qualifying through an Italian grandmother.
He played in three World Cups and was the lynchpin of the Italian side for more than a decade.
A superb kicker, Dominguez frequently kept a very ordinary Italian side competitive with his accuracy off the tee.
Despite being often starved of quality possession, Dominguez was also a quality ball-player and never allowed adversity to affect his individual game.
Inevitably, he enjoyed his most success at club level in France, helping Stade Francais to the national championship in 1998 and the Heineken Cup final in 2000, where he scored 30 points against Leicester but still ended up on the losing side.
Massimo Cuttitta, prop 1990-2000
Italy: 69 caps, 29 points
Cuttitta captained Italy 16 times, including leading his national side to the 1995 World Cup in South Africa.
The tighthead was an excellent exponent of the art of scrummaging and led the Italian pack with bravery and passion. He has since become an admired scrum and forwards coach
Although he did not enjoy a great deal of success with Italy, he had a long and diverse club career that took in stints at Harlequins and Edinburgh.
His twin brother Marcello won 54 caps on the wing between 1987 and 1999.
Alessandro Troncon
Andrea lo Cicero
Paolo Vaccari
