5 England Rugby Players Who Never Reached Their Potential

England rugby’s recent past is full of young bright lights expected to develop into star players but who never reached their potential.

All five England players included in this list are backs who should have shone for the Red Rose in the late 2000s and this decade, but who, for a variety of reasons, became nearly-men of English rugby.

In compiling this list Steffon Armitage has been excluded because the back-rower is unquestionably world class and he has reached his potential, albeit with Toulon, not England. Of those included, some have themselves to blame, while others simply did not suit England's playing style. 

Mathew Tait

BBC Sport’s James Standley captured the mood of the English public days before Mathew Tait’s infamous debut against Wales, when the then-18-year-old was repeatedly dumped (see video above) by Welsh centre Gavin Henson:

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Less than a year after leaving school the Newcastle centre is already being talked about as the most exciting youngster to emerge since a certain Jonny Wilkinson.

Tait turns 19 the day after England face Wales, by which time he may already have made the wider rugby world aware of his burgeoning talent.

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Cardiff in February 2005 set back Tait’s development significantly, but he still played in the Rugby World Cup in 2007. After a quiet tournament, Tait lit up the final against South Africa with a dashing break that led to Mark Cueto’s infamously disallowed try.

But if Tait’s footwork in the final demonstrated his talent, then he is still to realise his potential. Shifts from outside centre, to wing and then to full-back stunted his progress and were indicative of a possible star who didn’t quite fit the mould in any rugby union position. Perhaps he should have stayed with rugby sevens.

Amazingly, Tait is still only 29, but with his last England cap in 2010 and England strong at full-back, surely Tait won’t play for England again.

Olly Barkley

Olly Barkley won 23 caps for England between 2001 and 2008, and such was his early reputation that he featured for England before his club debut with Bath.

A graceful left-footer able to play at fly-half or inside-centre, Barkley should have been a mainstay in the England midfield after the retirement of Will Greenwood and due to Jonny Wilkinson’s injury curse.

The strange thing about Barkley is that it is hard to say where it went wrong. He is not blessed with great pace, but kicked well from the tee and out of hand, is a fine distributor and hardly a defensive weakness. He remains one of the biggest mysteries of English rugby from the 2000s.

Nick Abendanon

Nick Abendanon, the current European Rugby Player of the Year after his superb season at Clermont Auvergne last year, is another enigma. At Bath, Abendanon played with languid excellence, almost with a nod to the bygone amateur era.

He was a fan’s player, born 20 years too late to justify his mercurial talent in professional rugby.

Abendanon rarely featured on the England radar. Concerns about his defence, kicking and ability under the high ball all outweighed his ability to glide through defences in a broken field.

The full-back, despite being the best player in Europe, missed out on selection for the 2015 Rugby World Cup due to playing overseas, but even if he had been eligible, it is still hard to see the England management dispensing with the tenacious and reliable Mike Brown.

Abendanon, then, is a player who England never trusted to reach his potential.

Delon Armitage

Delon Armitage, the Toulon full-back, is another English talent who went overseas after being frustrated by his lack of opportunity with England.

Armitage, however, does not endear himself to the England hierarchy and although his playing ability was rarely in doubt, he was not regarded as a good fit for the group.

With his big boot, aerial prowess and ability to break tackles, Armitage is another who never reached his potential with England.

Ben Foden

Ben Foden was highlighted early on as a talented player earmarked for England. The problem that set him back initially was what position he was going to play.

Sale, his first club, regarded Foden as an international class full-back, but the man himself had a burning desire to play at scrum-half.

Sale’s director of rugby, Phillipe Saint-Andre, remarked of the then-22-year-old in 2008, as per the Daily Mail: “If he is not a full-back I will eat my French beret!”

Foden nonetheless left Sale that year to pursue his dream of playing scrum-half with Northampton Saints, who also signed Newcastle Falcons No. 9 Lee Dickson. Foden lost the battle with Dickson and so was moved to full-back again. Despite this, in 2009 he won his first England cap, coming on for Harry Ellis at scrum-half.

With so much confusion and debate around his position, is it any wonder that Foden hasn’t made best use of his talents?