Rugby: Best of North's battlers

The late great Stormin' Norman Berryman takes his place at centre in the Battler XV.

Three former Taniwha have made the starting line-up for a New Zealand representative XV.

However, this team won't be taking to the field anytime soon.

Facilitated by the New Zealand Rugby Battlers of the 90s and 2000s Facebook page, David Howell, Norm Berryman and Justin Collins have been inducted in a "Battler XV" - the result of an online poll which saw the Northland heavyweights go head-to-head with some of the country's greatest "battlers" of the past two decades in order to find a starting XV acknowledging New Zealand rugby's greatest unsung heroes and provincial workhorses.

David Holwell took 63 per cent of the first five-eighth votes, well ahead of Glen Jackson (11 per cent) and Jimmy Gopperth (9 per cent). Photo / John Stone

Posting his thoughts on the page after being named at blindside flanker, Justin "Gus" Collins said: "Great page team. It's because of battlers like all these roosters you have nominated (and a whole lot more) I enjoyed my career so much. Tough, hard, smart, focused, uncompromising, skilled and fit. Not to mention old school heart.

"Playing with and against them made it all worth while and so satisfying. If you haven't got 8-10 battlers in your squad you won't have the steel needed for consistent performances. Utmost respect for all of them."

The coinage of Waikato man Hayden Gutry - who created the concept with a former flatmate - the Facebook page has gone from strength-to-strength, and attracted more than 11,000 likes to date.

"It was one of those things that was literally just a laugh," Gutry said. "Within 24 hours it had about 3000 likes from memory."

Other Northlanders and former Taniwha who featured in the voting options for various positions in the Battler XV included: Nick White (loosehead prop), Tim Dow (hooker), Tone Kopelani (hooker), Con Barrell (tighthead prop), Glenn Taylor (lock), Orene Ai'i (first five-eighth), Jason Shoemark (second five-eighth), Jack McPhee (fullback), Hayden Taylor (fullback), Lachie Munro (fullback) and Todd Miller (fullback).

The Battler XV:

Ben Blair, Roger Randle, Norm Berryman, Rua Tipoki, Scott Hamilton, David Holwell, Jason Spice, Deon Muir, Scott Waldrom, Justin Collins, Craig Clarke, Paul Tito (C), Gordon Slater, Jason Rutledge, Jamie Mackintosh. Coach Colin Cooper.