LIST | Four young players the BBC tipped to be superstars in 2002 - Page 2 of 4 - Ruck

LIST | Four young players the BBC tipped to be superstars in 2002

Ben Gollings (England)

What they said: At 5ft 6ins, he is the small man of the England side but arguably the most improved player in Joe Lydon’s squad. For club side Harlequins, he has been a regular feature at wing and full-back in the XVs game.But he really made a name for himself at the Hong Kong Sevens, where, along with Henry Paul, he was the creative force in everything the English did.He will be one of the major figures targeted by opposition defences.

What happened next? After a fantastic start to his career, he became a sevens specialist. Collings was the first rugby sevens player to score over 2,000 points in 2009, and finished his career with 2,652 points. On 21 June 2011, it was announced that Gollings’ contract with the RFU would not be renewed, ending his international sevens career after 70 tournaments. He never found the same form in XV’s rugby with short stints with Worcester and Newcastle following his exit from Quins.

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