Despite being built up to play starring roles for the British & Irish Lions, sometimes it simply doesn’t work out…
Here, RUCK feature writer Jon Henderson ranks his five ‘most disappointing’ England internationals who were selected for the Lions down the years.
#4. Will Carling (England) – 1993
- Major teams British and Irish Lions, Harlequins, England, England XV
- Position Centre
- Lions caps 1
The legendary England captain’s career included the 1993 British Lions tour to New Zealand.
He underachieved on that tour, a pattern attributed by coach Ian McGeechan and manager Geoff Cooke as at least partly due to his failing to secure the captaincy (this instead going to Gavin Hastings of Scotland) but also due in large part to the ascendency in the centre of both Jeremy Guscott and Scott Gibbs of Wales.
McGeechan and Cooke disclosed that Carling came close to voluntarily withdrawing from the squad; he did however recover his test place and played a notable role in the third test.
McGeechan commented in his autobiography that Carling’s failure to rise to the occasion as a Lion (in contrast to Guscott) may be seen by some as the difference between his legacy as a good player and a great player.
DID YOU KNOW? Prior to their divorce, he was romantically linked by some members of the press with Diana, Princess of Wales, the then-wife of Prince Charles