As the 2023 Rugby World Cup draws near, Steve Borthwick’s England squad is eagerly working towards securing a spot in the team that will compete in France.
In the buildup to the ultimate international rugby event, England has two more matches in this year’s Six Nations tournament. Following that, they will engage in four Rugby World Cup warm-up matches to fine-tune their skills and readiness.
Nevertheless, it is unfortunate that a few prominent English stars have never had the opportunity to represent their country at the Rugby World Cup, despite their appearances in international matches.
Here, we highlight five exceptional players who fall into this category.
Best England Players to NEVER play at the Rugby World Cup
- Danny Cipriani
Narrowly missing out on three Rugby World Cups, Danny Cipriani is one player who England fans believed should have had many more caps for his country.
16 appearances whilst wearing the Red Rose is not a bad international record, yet Cipriani was overlooked throughout his career. The versatile back missed the grade for the 2007 Rugby World Cup, even after spending the previous Summer in the England training camp.
Predominantly a fly half, but able to excel at full back, Cipriani was unable to surpass Jonny Wilkinson for the 10 jersey, yet was not given the opportunity to play at 15.
Cipriani’s England debut was surrounded with off-field controversy, as he was photographed leaving a nightclub just two days prior to the match. Injury halted his momentum to build towards the 2011 Rugby World Cup, and Cipriani subsequently missed out on the 2015 squad.
An unbelievable talent on the pitch, Cipriani’s off-field controversies certainly halted his international career.