The five players Sir Clive Woodward CUT from his World Cup-winning squad - Ruck

The five players Sir Clive Woodward CUT from his World Cup-winning squad

The dreaded call sign flashed up on the mobile phones of five England players in 2003 as they were the final five players cut from Sir Clive Woodward’s 2003 Rugby World Cup squad.

The team famously went onto lift the Webb Ellis Cup after a drop-goal from Jonny Wilkinson deep into extra time saw off the tournament hosts Australia.

Here, we remember the unlucky group of player who only just missed out on England’s triumph down under. Some are still bitter to this day.

1. Austin Healey

The versatile back flew out to Australia as injury cover for the victorious 2003 Rugby World Cup, however he was never officially added to the squad after certain players recovered, meaning he was unable to pick up a medal for the success despite flying out to Australia. No wonder he’s still bitter.

Where is he now? Working as pundit/co-commentator for BT Sport’s excellent rugby coverage

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