4. Alex Lozowski (5 England Caps)
One of the most under-utilised England talents, Saracens centre Alex Lozowski has all the attributes of a playmaking midfielder, that could have shined for the national team under Eddie Jones. After narrowly missing out on the 2017 Six Nations squad, Lozowski was called-up for his England debut on the following Summer’s Tour to Argentina and started his first cap at inside centre.
An additional replacement appearence on the tour then followed, before yet another run-out against Los Pumas in the following Autumn Nations Series. Competition was rife in the England midfield in the late 2010’s, with Owen Farrell often utilised outside of George Ford, leaving no space for Lozowski in the 12 channel. The likes of Henry Slade, Jonathan Joseph and Ben Te’o were all vying for the 13 spot, with Manu Tuilagi also waiting in the wings to re-claim the jersey after an injury break.
5. Denny Solomona (5 England Caps)
Another dual-code player who never played in the Six Nations, former rugby league wing Denny Solomona first made a name for himself with London Broncos and Castleford Tigers in the Super League. Solomona broke the record for most tries in a single season, as he scored a staggering 37 tries for the Tigers, in the 2015/16 campaign. With his stakes sky-rocketing, Solomona’s 2016 code-switch to rugby union soon followed, with plentiful excitement backing his arrival at Sale Sharks.
The former Samoan international quickly made a name for himself at the AJ Bell, and garnered the attention for an England call-up in his second Premiership season. In a running theme for Six Nations omissions, Solomona went on to make his England debut against Argentina, when Eddie Jones’ side toured the South American country back in the Summer of 2017. He scored a try in England’s victory in San Juan, but was then dropped for the following year’s Six Nations. Solomona closed out his England run against the Springboks on the 2018 Summer tour, before moving on to the Highlanders in 2022.
6. Jacob Umaga (1 England Cap)
There was a time when Jacob Umaga was firmly in the spotlight, and billed as England’s next big thing for the number 10 jersey. The former Wasps man had a stunning break-through in the 2019/20 Premiership season, and held a similar standing within England contention that Northampton Saints’ Fin Smith does today. England fans were crying out for the young half to make an international break-out, and got their wish in England’s win over the United States in the Summer of 2021.
However, what followed was out of Umaga’s control. The halfback continued to excel with Wasps, before the Coventry club announced their financial administration in October 2022. It was a brutal blow, as along with Worcester Warriors (and later London Irish and Jersey Reds), top English talents were left treading the waters of free agency, with Umaga snapped up by Italian club Benetton in the United Rugby Championship. Due to signing a contract extension overseas, Umaga is out of England contention for now but could well get a long awaited Six Nations run, should he return to the Premiership and continue his fine form.