The 5 Best Rugby Union Players to play for England
5 Of The Best England Rugby Union Players of All Time
Selecting just five of England’s top Rugby Union players is a tough job and subject to much debate. Daniel Cullinane takes on the impossible task of choosing the 5 greatest players to have played Rugby for England.
The Most Famous moment in English Rugby’s long history
You could argue that, as the only team from the northern hemisphere to win the Rugby World Cup, the whole of the 2003 squad could be worthy of a mention here. Players like Lawrence Dallaglio, Jason Leonard and Jason Robinson immediately spring to mind.
And what of the other notable players that came before them like Jeremy Guscott, Brian Moore, and Rob Andrew? They could all have made the list.
England have a long history and played the first-ever International rugby match against Scotland in Edinburgh in 1871. With this in mind, it is right to go back beyond the modern game and include players like Wavell Wakefield who helped to shape the game in the early 20th century. Below are five players who have worn the red rose with pride and commitment.
Jonny Wilkinson
Position: Fly half
Caps: England 91, British lions 6 (1998 – 2011)
Tries: England 6, British Lions 1
Jonny Wilkinson is, without doubt, the most famous English rugby player of all time and will always be remembered for the drop goal that propelled England to world cup glory in 2003.
In Wilkinson, England had the best kicker and distributing fly-half in world rugby. He also broke the mould of the traditional fly half by being one of the most destructive tacklers in the game.
He gathered 91 caps for England and 6 for the British and Irish Lions. It could be argued that he would have had more but he was plagued by injury due to his fearless tackling. He wasn’t blessed with searing pace, but his passing and tactical kicking was second to none. His final points tally for England and the Lions was 1246.
Martin Johnson
Position: Lock
Caps: England 84, British and Irish Lions 8 (1993-2003)
Tries: England 2
With a Six Nations Grand slam and a Rugby World Cup winners medal in 2003 there was little more Martin Johnson had left to achieve in the sport.
He was also the triumphant captain of the British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa in 1997.
He captained both sides to huge success and established himself as one of the all-time greats. He was a traditional second row, tough, uncompromising, and viewed as an enforcer in the team. As a captain, he always led by example.
He later became the England manager between 2008 and 2011. As a player, he epitomised English rugby, aggressive, physical and direct.
Rory Underwood
Position: Wing
Caps: England 85, British Lions 6 (1984-1996)
Tries: England 49, British Lions 1
The flying wing Rory Underwood is still England’s record try scorer with 49 to his name and 1 for the British Lions.
The RAF pilot played for Leicester 236 times and was awarded 85 caps by England and played 6 tests for the British Lions.
He is, without a doubt, one of the greatest English wingers of all time. He was small for a wing but was deceptively strong and had blistering pace. His strength and ability to beat defenders helped to establish him as one of the finest finishers in the game.
David Duckham
Position: Wing
Caps: England 36, British Lions 3 (1969 – 1976)
Tries: England 10
Between 1969 and 1976 David Duckham earned 36 caps for England and scored 10 tries.
He was a highly elusive runner and possessed a magical sidestep that bewildered defences. His skill in attack earned him a call-up to the British Lions in 1971 for the tour to New Zealand.
During that tour, he scored 11 tries including six in one match, a record that still stands. He was also one of the few Englishmen in the Barbarians side that recorded the famous victory over the New Zealand All Blacks in 1973.
Wavell Wakefield
Position: Flanker
Caps: England 31 (1920-1927)
Tries: 6
Wavell Wakefield played his club rugby for Harlequins and Leicester and began his England career in 1920.
He scored 6 England tries and won 3 grand slams. During his 7 years with England, he captained them 13 times. As a loose forward he was fast, could handle the ball well and was defensively strong and aggressive.
He played as a flanker and number eight but could also play in the centre. He changed the way back row forwards played and in doing so changed the game as a whole. Following his playing career, he continued to move the game forward as chairman for Harlequins, President of the England RFU, and member of the International Rugby Board.
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