RugbyRebels

I was thinking about how great it would be if Tuilagi could stay fit for more than 5 games and I got curious -

What the's the best team you can make out of players who should have been great for England but kept getting injured?

I've got as far as

7. Rees
8. Forrester

11. JSD
13. Tuilagi

I don't know if Wilko counts given how many games he played, but if he does, he's surely the captain of this team.

Woodman
LCD
Corbs
Lawes
?
Hill
Rees
Forrster
Bracken
Wilkinson
JSD
Farrell (Andy)
Tuilagi
Rees
Morgan (Olly)

Melville over Bracken, and Hall in the backrow 6 or 8.

Corbs
Taylor
Brookes
Attwood
Croft
Underhill
Rees/Fourie
Ward-Smith/Clifford

Ellis
Wilkinson
JSD
Tuilagi
Smith
Trinder
Morgan

It depends on the criteria ... I think the OP was really referring to players who should have had 50+ caps but had to retire early through injury etc.

Corbisiero, Rees and Forrester are all excellent shouts.

Wilkinson had an amazing career but it’s crazy to think how much better it could have been.

Croft’s wasn’t quite as stellar but he’s another who had a very good career that could have been great.

As a more current shout, I think Sam Jones could have established himself in the England side by now but for the judo bullshit.

Not the same thing either, but imagine how good Nick Duncombe could have been.

Vunipola is slowly starting to creep into this discussion unfortunately.

Tigersman wrote:Vunipola is slowly starting to creep into this discussion unfortunately.

Give him a break He can't quickly run in to it as he's injured.

Tait would go into my 15.

Throw any suggestions out and we'll see what fits. I was thinking guys who should have had 50 instead of getting 10, but anything works.

Corbs is a really good shout though.

Stuart Abbott was a terrific player who never got the breaks.

Didnt Ian Hunter have to retire early?

Think Henry Thomas would have more caps but for injury.