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The best players never to have made a World Cup

psychic duck

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This is just taking into account players from the World Cup era, i.e. since 1987, also excluding Portuguese, Spanish, Russian players from nations who have just appeared at one World Cup

The most capped players never to have played in a World Cup

would be interesting to know who people think is the best players never to make a World Cup (don't say players like Gareth Edwards pre 1987), and which players were the most unlucky to miss out and which players still have a chance to play in 2015 or 2019

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Benn-Robinson.jpg

Gary Teichmann and Benn Robinson

 
Think a certain Saints fan we know may have a teeny quibble over #23
 
Stan McKeen was a solid player for Canada and was even in the disscussion for a roster spot on the 2011 team, he just missed out on the 2003 World Cup and than in 2007 was unavailable due to injury after that he went on to pursue his educational interests while playing for Oxford including some great Varsity match performances.
 
he was a certainty for the 07 World Cup but got injured and missed out, the England scrum halves for that RWC were Gomarsall, Perry :)lol:) and Peter Richards

Ellis is a Lions international though so he can be retired happy he achieved that despite being a pretty crappy player

I'll stand by Perry, at that time he was our player and captained our win over SF at the Mem (best recent Bristol moment), didn't have the best of RWC's but certainly a good 9
 
HOSEA GEAR (unless you count the fact that he was called into the squad but didn't play).
 
Care was very unlucky to have his injury in the run up to the WC, he was easily the form English #9. We were stuck with Wigglesworth, who is decent but not really first-choice-for-a-world-cup level, Youngs who was still injured, and Simpson who was uncapped.
He's still young enough to feature in the next one, if he keeps out of the papers, though.
 
Benn Robinson is surely 2006- present? (Yes, I know he's not been capped since Nov 2010 but thats down to injury.)

For me for Wales, I'd say Barry Williams. Class hooker who was overlooked.
 
Didn't Kuli Faletau (Toby's dad) go to the 99 rwc but didn't play?
 
Not on the list, but Tom Rees should have captained England in the last World Cup.
 
Dwane Monkley - maybe one f the best waikato players ever to not make the All Blacks, a brilliant player in the shadow of Michael Jones
 
The answer to any question statrting by "best player to..." is either Sean O'Brien or Stephen Ferris. If you don't think so, this forum is not for you.
 
Liam Messam :(

Really? he's always looked average for the allblacks, Picamoles running over him in the 09 summer series comes to mind... I think he's just one of those players who can't translate club form over to the international stage, not quite big enough for an 8 and not good enough in defence to be a 6.
 
The unfortunate thing for Messam is that he's never played a game with McCaw and Read (that I can recall). He's always got Thomson partnering him, which doesn't help.
 
The unfortunate thing for Messam is that he's never played a game with McCaw and Read (that I can recall). He's always got Thomson partnering him, which doesn't help.

yeah, as a messam supporter it's been frustrating watching his test carrier. I don't believe he's been given the chances he should have been given and the game he's been asked to play has not suited him and yes he's never been given a shot along side McCaw and Read.

I look at 2011 he played every minute of every game for the chiefs and obviously needed a break after super rugby. Like many players he only went at 50% against fiji and did a good job against South Africa but got dropped even thiough Thomson almost single handedly lost the game for the All Blacks (he gave away 4 silly penalties 3 were kicked for points and 1 cost the AB's prime attacking field position) then Thomson went on and pretty much lost the Aussie test too (with a weak arsed tackle on Samo which ended in an aussie try) which cost NZ the tri nations. The frustrating thing was that Thomson was kept to cover 7 when Messam would have been the better option but never got the chance. Messam's best game of the season was playing at 7 for the chiefs - Thomson somehow never looks as good at 7 as he does at 6 and he's well below average cover for #8.

The most frustration thing was the All Blacks Tactics... Messam topped the entire super Rugby comp for pick and go by a large margin - no one else was even close to him - yet in the early tests that messam was involved in and also the early part of the world cup the AB's didn't use pick and go at all. Then when the must win games came along pick and go became a critical part of the AB's gameplan.

I also dont think he gets enough credit for his ability at lineout time, no he doesn't take a huge amout of lineout ball like Vito or Thomson but when Messam is called for lineouts he nails them. And the chiefs often save messam for when they have critical must win lineout ball on defense and he always nails it. One also has to ask why the hell are Vito and Thomson taking so much lineout ball? is there something wrong with the Canes or Highlanders locks? Do any of their locks expect to make the All Blacks when Vito/Thomson are taking sometimes over 50% of their teams lineout ball??? I look at Josh Bekhuis and wonder if he may have made the All Blacks already if he did his fair share of work at lineout. Is he bad at it? How do you know if the #6 is taking so much lineout ball, heck Thomson sometimes gets 8+ lineout takes a game... What's wrong with the locks?

/rant over :)
 
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2010 Scotland test Messam played really well, and it just so happened to be with Read and McCaw next to him. So I stand corrected on that point... Of course Scotland were pretty poor that day, so it's isn't a fair measure.
 
Geez PsychicDuck... As I go through that list of the South African players, I'm glad some of them never went to a world cup TBH... Eddie Andrews and Adi Jacobs were never great in a Bok Jersey...

But Brent Russel and Gary Teichman, those 2 deserved a spot, but the whole Gary Teichman episode is a story very few Saffas would like to be reminded of...
 

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