Here are five well known international rugby players who turned down an England call-up down the years.
Three of the players on the list turned down current boss Eddie Jones while the other two rejected his predecessors Stuart Lancaster and Martin Johnson.
Bloody treason if you ask us…
#1. Michael Hooper
- Major teams Australia Under-20s, Brumbies, New South Wales Waratahs, Australia
- Position Flanker
- Coach rejected Martin Johnson
Following a number of standout performances at the Junior U20 championship in 2010, there were reports that the standout back-rower was a transfer target for Leicester Tigers.
The RFU were reportedly involved in the bid as Hooper would have been eligible to play for England as his father, who played for Blackheath, is from England, Kent.
However, he’d end up signing a new deal and has since won 121 caps for the Wallabies. If only, eh?
Hooper said: “I’ve always considered myself a proud Australia. Even my Dad now supports the Wallabies now,”
DID YOU KNOW? His very rough playing style have led Hooper to collect eight yellow cards in his international career, matched in this unenviable record only by the georgian Viktor Kolelishvili