But it seems there were Iron Age settlements hundreds of years before the arrival of the Romans who, rather than being an aggressive conquering force, forged working relationships with the resident population.

BBC: Tyne & Wear

As one of the stars of an all-conquering All Blacks side, losing was a distinctly unfamilar experience for Kirwan.

BBC: Italy coach John Kirwan

But at the time the expression matched the widespread feeling about the British leader, pugnaciously leading a brave nation against an all-conquering foe.

ECONOMIST: Yousuf Karsh

The most dominant European club side of recent years has been Spanish giants Barcelona, whose players make up the nucleus of an all-conquering Spain team.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The current incumbent Kevin Pietersen enjoyed a spectacular start to his reign and some thought he was blessed with the Midas touch for the way he transformed a downtrodden team into an all-conquering side.

BBC: England's Indian challenge

It was properly sparked off in 2001, when an all-conquering Australian side under Steve Waugh suffered a rare reverse in a remarkable, topsy-turvy series in India, where they ran into a young Harbhajan Singh, who took 32 wickets in three matches, and were on the receiving end of a mammoth, series-turning 376 partnership between VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid at Kolkata.

WSJ: A Boxing Day Treat to Savor

Napoleon, ruler of France from 1803 to 1815, rose to power by conquering most of Europe, creating an imperial monarchy and fashioning a set of laws that for the most part still stands in force today.

FORBES: Google's Napoleonic Moment

He also had a good record against the all-conquering Australians, taking five wickets in an innings on three occasions.

BBC: Shoaib given five-year suspension