Now they are a much maligned bunch, not often getting the credit when due for a powerful scrum, with all the kudos there going to the front row, but I have no problems with that, so will edit this out later.  About the only time they get any credit is when they look like kangaroos at lineout time, stretching for the ball and looking like champions at the top of their assisted leap.

They then get slated all the time for when they miss a lineout ball (which unless it hits the locks hands and bounces out, could be missed for a myriad of reasons), too loose in open play, does not defend well enough, does not get stuck into the tight (that last one is something that a certain All Black lock who was left behind for the end of year tour needs to address, apparently), and of course, they always get slated for looking like big tall gangly geeks all the time, on and off the field...

Anyway, locks, the engine room.  We've had some pretty good locks over the last decade, the second and third highest capped locks in All Black history have plyed their trade over this period in fact - both wallowing in the wake of Ian Jones and his 79 test matches - although Ali Williams with 61 caps, and perhaps Chris Jack, with 67 will both be looking to be topping that mark come the 2011 Rugby World Cup, form, selection and injuries permitting.  Both players more than worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Jonesy too.

So what locks have we plucked out of the woodwork from the 2000-2009 decade?  Well, the two above mentioned, obviously, and the league / union / league / union convert big bad Brad Thorn too - a real engine room lock, maybe not the tallest, but probably the hardest working!

Norm Maxwell also gets a look in here - still only 33, in the modern day and age he could be still playing, and almost should be, although the way he played the game almost forced him into retirement, his body battered to pieces by himself!

Finally,  the original loose unit, Troy Flavell.  He is a real 'could have been'.  As in, could have been as good as Brad Thorn, if he wasn't such am idiot!  Physically very similar to the robust Thorn, but just too prone too indiscretions.  Suffered a lot from being shuffled around between lock and flanker too, but when he was good, he was pretty handy, but when he was an idiot, well, he was superbly good at that too...

A couple of  'big' names to miss out.  Keith Robinson the first, just not enough time on the field to be rated for the team of the decade.  If he's managed another season or two of games, not just the 12 matches, then he would have been a shoe in (in my book anyway).  Imagine Robinson and Thorn locking an All Black scrum.  Would not be lacking in power and aggression, that is for sure!  Blackadder with just one season in the decade also does not qualify, and like Robinson, just 12 tests is not enough to make the short list.

There is a plethora of locks that pulled on the black over the era, but who are either plain 'not good enough', did not play enough, or are just starting their careers - they may end in the next decades team though.  You have Donnelly, Ross, Eaton and Boric in that second category.  Then the plain not good enough's come along - Cooklsey, Maling, Ryan (injury induced), Filipo, Mika and Rawlinson.  I am not saying that they were bad All Blacks, not at all, just that they are not as good as the few candidates lining up there for the team of the decade.  So maybe they should be called the 'not as goods' as opposed to the 'not good enoughs'!  Or would that be pandering to the PC brigade.

Anyway, so before I get into the candidates - a quick career view of the 'also-rans'.

Todd Julian Blackadder  :  b 1971  :  1.90m, 100kg  :  12 tests - Rugby Museum Profile
Mark Stephen Bill Cooksley  :  b 1971  :  2.05m, 125kg  :  11 tests - Rugby Museum Profile
Thomas Simon Maling  :  b 1976  :  1.97m, 110kg  :  11 tests - Rugby Museum Profile
Keith John Robinson  :  b 1976  :  1.98m, 115kg  :  12 tests - Rugby Museum Profile (bloody  good read)!
James Andrew Cheyne Ryan  :  b 1983  :  2.00m, 114kg  :  9 tests - Rugby Museum Profile
Gregory Paul Rawlinson  :  b 1978  :  2.00m, 114kg  :  4 tests - Rugby Museum Profile
Jason John Eaton  :  b 1982  :  2.02m, 107kg  :  15 tests - Rugby Museum Profile
Anthony Frank Boric  :  b 1983  :  2.00m, 110kg  :  13 tests - Rugby Museum Profile
Issac Ross  :  b 1984  :  2.01m, 115kg  :  9 tests - Rugby Museum Profile
Thomas Joshua Sebastian Donnelly  :  b 1981  :  2.00m, 113kg  :  6 tests - Rugby Museum Profile
Ross Ami Filipo  :  b 1979  :  1.98m, 115kg  :  4 tests - Rugby Museum Profile
Bradley Moni Mika  :  b 1981  :  1.98m  :  123kg  :  3 tests - Rugby Museum Profile

Now for the five nominees.

Christopher Raymond Jack
Tasman, Canterbury, Crusaders
Lock; 2.02m; 115kg; b 5 September 1978, Christchurch, New Zealand
67 caps (57 wins, 10 losses); 25 test points (5 tries).
All Black debut: 2001 v Argentina at Christchurch (won67-19. Last test: 2007 v France at Cardiff (lost 18-20).
A has been, or a will be again?  The jury is out, and the debate will rage over the coming months of Super rugby I am sure.  My feet are firmly (pre seeing anything) in the 'will be again' camp.  I think once you have that All Black ability, that never goes.  It's just the top two inches that does, and Jack is not back in New Zealand on holiday, as he was in England post RWC 2007.  There's a black jersey with his number on it, and he wants it.  He has an advantage of a 67 test career over all other potential locks, and a certain 'been there, done that' about him, so he knows what is required to get back into the top echelon of New Zealand locks..  Would be a good foil for Williams, having either one of them on the field with a tight 'strong man' lock - Thorn or Donnelly.  Will certainly be wanting to round out his career with a World Cup winners medal after two dud campaigns already...
Strengths:  A genuine lineout forward, and a top set piece forward, strong at scrum and lineout time.  Very mobile for a big man, he was played in 6 at times during his recent retirement in England.  Weaknesses:  Too loose at times, although with modern game plans, it may have been 'to instruction', but I like my locks in the rucks and the mauls, not in the backline pissing about!
Bart Ratings (out of ten) - Mobility: 8  Ball Skills: 7  Scrummaging: 8  Lineouts: 9  Defence:  7.5
Rugby Museum Profile:  Click here

Norman Michael Clifford Maxwell
Northland, Canterbury, Crusaders
Lock; 1.98m; 106kg; b 5 March 1976, Rawene, New Zealand
36 caps (28 wins, 8 losses); 25 test points (5 tries).
All Black debut: 1999 v Samoa at Albany (won 71-13). Last test: 2004 v France at Paris (won 45-6).
This bloke is only 33 - what a loss to New Zealand rugby, and come back soon!  I am sure the million broken bits on his body will have healed by now after 6 years retirement!  Never your typical All Black lock forward, Maxwell was always a bit of a unique character to say the least, and his retirement at the age of 27 just continued with him dancing to his own beat.  Never the biggest lock, Maxwell never shirked his duties even though.  If you had put his head on Mark Cooksley's shoulders, he might have killed people, as opposed to smashing himself to bits over his test, NPC and Super rugby careers.  A crowd favourite for his fearless play.  Must be one of the most 'titled' players in NZ rugby, winning a 2nd division NPC with Northland, the 2001 and 2004 1st division titles with Canterbury, and Super titles in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2005.  Eight championship seasons for the Northland berserker, not a bad effort when you look at other great players - Tana Umaga or Christain Cullen for example, with perhaps one NPC between them!
Strengths:  Fearless.  Great lineout forward, able to be thrown into the air with ease by his supporters.  Good wide ranging lock with some pretty good ball skills too.  Would probably have been an ideal blindside flanker in the modern game - an aggressive defender and genuine lineout option.  Weaknesses:  Not the biggest man in the world for a second rower, the scrum at times seemed to falter with him in the engine room.  I am sure his programme weight of 106kg may be a little generous...
Bart Ratings (out of ten) - Mobility: 9  Ball Skills: 6.5  Scrummaging: 6.5  Lineouts: 9  Defence:  8
Rugby Museum Profile:  Click here (another bloody good read)!!

Troy Vandem Flavell
North Harbour, Auckland, Blues, Chiefs
Lock; 1.95m; 111kg; b 4 November 1976, Otahuhu, New Zealand
22 caps (17 wins, 5 losses); 30 test points (6 tries).
All Black debut: 2000 v Tonga at Albany (won 102-0). Last test: 2007 v Australia at Melbourne (lost 15-20).
When Flavell burst onto the scene in 2000, scoring three tries on debut from lock (only Tonga, to be sure), it looked like the start of a long test career.  However, the fact that he was sawn off (a short lock), and not used enough as a six, and had a fuse shorter than a gnats pecker, it was not to be.  Which was a great pity, as he was a brute of a man, a strong bastard, more than able to lock a scrum despite being a short arse (no shorter than Brad Thorn, who is the first name on the team list today), and had all the skills.  Perhaps used wrongly by the coaches of the time, but  with that gnats pecker fuse, I don't think there is any way he would have elongated his test career short of a frontal lobotomy.  A great pity though, as he is definitely another of the 'could have been a footy greats'.  All the physical attributes anyway, just lacking the vital self control when provoked.
Strengths:  Powerful ball carrier, brutal defender, 7 feet of aggression packed into a 6 foot 4 frame.  Weaknesses:  7 feet of aggression packed into a 6 foot 4 frame - too many brain explosions over his career.  Not tall enough for a lock, not used enough as a flanker.
Bart Ratings (out of ten) - Mobility: 9.5  Ball Skills: 9  Scrummaging: 7.5  Lineouts: 7.5  Defence:  8.5
Rugby Museum Profile:  Click here

Alexander James Williams
Tasman, Auckland, Blues, Crusaders
Lock; 2.02m; 111kg; b 13 September 1978, Dunedin, New Zealand
61 caps (51 wins, 9 losses, 1 draw); 35 test points (7 tries).
All Black debut: 2002 v England at London (lost 28-31). Last test: 2008 v England at London (won 32-6.
Another lock that is not cut from the usual lock forward material.  Ali is a 'bit out there', and many a gruff old traditionalist (my Father), just can't fathom the man.  But then, supporters from that era are still waiting for Colin Meads to come back on board to lock that All Black scrum, and "no comment" is two words too many when a newspaperman asks them a question, as a grunt would suffice, or two grunts for no, and a knuckle sandwich for sod off...  Williams though has grown into, and will continue to be, once back from injury, an integral part of the All Black tight five, despite his verbosity and a skill range that belongs more with a first five than a traditional All Black lock forward.  Was the dominant forward in the 2005 Lions series, showing up the great ginger hopes of the Lions!
Strengths:  A genuine lineout option lock forward.  Gets up and into opposing throws too.  Greatly skilled player - typified when he took a quick tap penalty and cross kicked to Doug Howlett for a test match try - what other lock, or player damn near, would have the balls to try that!   Weaknesses:  Injury prone - or seems to be, but that really can't count as a weakness, that is just bad luck.  Perhaps a little too loose at times, and prone to trying to be a tough guy.  Small quibbles really, he is pretty bloody good really!
Bart Ratings (out of ten) - Mobility: 8.5  Ball Skills: 9.5  Scrummaging: 8  Lineouts: 8.5  Defence:  8
Rugby Museum Profile:  Click here

Brad Carnegie Thorn
Canterbury, Tasman, Crusaders
Lock; 1.95m; 113kg; b 3 February 1975, Mosgiel, New Zealand
37 caps (31 wins, 6 losses); 15 test points (3 tries).
All Black debut: 2003 v Wales at Hamilton (won 55-3). Last test: 2009 v France at Marseilles (won 39-12).
No matter if you think Thorn is a rugby great or not, or a league great or not, there is no denying he is a sporting great.  Making it to the top of the tree in both union, for the best team in the world, and in league, also for the best team in the world (Australia), is nothing to be sneezed at!  A Wildman to start his league career (I thought that was mandatory if you read all the idiocy that the NRL gets up to), before settling down now and being the consummate pro.  Was superb this last season for the All Blacks, the heart of the tight five, leading from the front, making the tackles or the hits that needed to be made to life the team.  His brain explosions of the previous season seemingly a thing of the past. 
Strengths:  His heart, he is all heart.  How many times this season on defence, out of the blue, where no self respecting lock should be, wham, a tackle is made.  Often on cover defence even, the big man breaks every fibre in his being to get back and make the tackle that is needed.  Lives for scrums too, which you would not really expect from a former state house rugby man, but there you go.  Think that epitomises him to a 't' though, be the best you can be at whatever it is - from scrumming to tiddly winks, I am sure he tries to be the best there ever was!  Strong ball carrier, strong defender.  Weaknesses:  Ball winning 'aerial' capability, although he has improved no end over his career - but not his fault half the time I expect, you have to be called at the lineout to be used, and when the ball goes to him, the big man usually wins it.
Bart Ratings (out of ten) - Mobility: 9  Ball Skills: 8  Scrummaging: 9  Lineouts: 7  Defence:  9.5
Rugby Museum Profile:  Click here

So there you go, get voting - three votes, your two starters and a bench option please.  Click here to vote.