What happened? The 5 most exciting England youngsters in 2010

What were you doing back in 2010? And as we near the end of the decade, have things panned out the way you wanted them to?

For some rugby players, success seems to have come naturally.

Young players can often be tipped for the top from a very early age, and they ultimately get there through hard work and often a little bit of luck.

For others though, it ends up being a different story.

As we near the end of 2020, here's how they've got on with us grading whether they reached their potential.

What they said then: He has scored 67 in 62 games since moving to union from his native Wigan, for whom he scored 30 tries in 52 games. Jim Mallinder, Saints' director of rugby, reckons Ashton has developed substantially this season and rejects the notion that the ex-league winger's defence might be exposed at the highest level.

What he's done since: The quality speedster, who was top scorer at the 2011 World Cup, joined Saracens for the 2012/13 season and became an instant hit at his new club when he scored 2 tries on his debut. Ashton was a regular for a long period for England on the wing but fell out of favour with boss Stuart Lancaster before the 6 Nations in 2014 after the emergence of Jack Nowell and Jonny May.

A stint at Toulon followed before he moved back to the Premiership with Sale in a bid to revive his international career Ashon then joined Harlequins.. He's so far made 44 appearances for England, Scoring an impressive 20 tries.

Grade: B

What they said then: It is a question of when, not if, Goode plays for England. That, at least, is the firm view of Brendan Venter, his director of rugby at Saracens. As a schoolboy, the talented Goode competed in national schools athletics finals, played county tennis and was part of Ipswich Town's academy.

What they've done since: The full-back, who can also ply his trade at fly-half, earned international recognition with England in 2012, making his Test debut against South Africa and has gone on to earn 21 caps and represent the Barbarians.

Named Premiership Rugby Player of the Season in 2015/16, Goode excelled in 2018/19 as Saracens won the double and was recognised for his displays by being voted European Player of the Year. Still at Sarries, the only slight blot on his report card would be never really establishing himself with England despite his stellar career.

Grade: B+

What they said then: He may just be unmasked as the most promising English-born tighthead since Phil Vickery.

What they've done since: After an England Saxons debut against Portugal in February 2009, he went to the Churchill Cup in the USA and stepped up to make his Test debut in the 2010 Six Nations after just 21 senior starts for Leicester.

He was an ever-present in Six Nations fixtures for the next four seasons, as well as playing in his first World Cup in 2011. His 50^th cap came during the 2015 Six Nations before heading for his second Rugby World Cup. He shared in England’s Grand Slam of 2016 and was an ever-present in a record unbeaten run up to the final round of the 2017 Six Nations. He took his total number of caps to 94 by the end of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

What they said then:The story of Matt Mullan's rise is an inspiring one for any hard-working academy player struggling to make the grade. d the 22-year-old not suffered a nasty hamstring injury in the Amlin Challenge Cup in October he would almost certainly have played a Test already.

What they've done since: Went onto make 17 appearances for England while also making over 100 appearances for Wasps, cementing himself as a fan favourite with the black and gold faithful.

However, the 31-year-old had off-the-field matters that drained his motivation for rugby and to rehabilitate from knee surgery that had sidelined him since May 2018.

He's now a Rugby Coach, qualified Personal Trainer & providing online training plans.

Grade: C

What they said then:England are not exactly short of open-side flankers, with Steffon Armitage and the injured Tom Rees lying in wait if Lewis Moody's bravery rules him out at any stage. Surging up through the ranks, however, is a 21-year-old Saracen from suburban Essex with all the attributes to make a significant name for himself. 

What they've done since:The flanker continued to be on the cusp of the England set-up until he unfortunately dislocated his knee and missed the summer tour in 2011. Injury problems then prevented him from recapturing his fine form after joining Newcastle Falcons in 2013 and four frustrating years later he was hanging up his boots.

Saull now researches real estate at Oxford University as part of the Future of Real Estate Initiative after undertaking a Masters in Sustainable Urban Development.

Grade: D