Some athletes simply have “it.” A bit more time on the ball, the ability to discover space when there appears to be none, and a willingness to perform tasks in a slightly different manner. There is only one obstacle. Not every coach enjoys unique or surprising players. For this reason, some very exceptional creative minds have never received the absolute trust or volume of accolades that their talent merited.
This week has shed light on a few exemplary cases. The first is Finn Russell, who has over fifty caps for Scotland and began a Test for the British and Irish Lions just last year. He earned a spot in the Top 14 team of the week with another outstanding performance for his club Racing 92 last weekend. The fly-half was removed from Scotland’s team for the fall internationals due to Gregor Townsend’s skepticism.
You could play devil’s advocate at this point and question how many other home unions would remove their present 10s and start Russell if he suddenly became available. The fact that the answer is not all of them just serves to emphasize the point. Occasionally, it appears that subtle game-breakers must be twice as good as the alternative to be regularly favored.
Thus, we reach our second case study. On Saturday, when Saracens were awarded a last-ditch penalty at Exeter and Alex Goode snatched the ball, the outcome was never in doubt. It did not matter that it was Goode’s first kick of the season or that the home crowd was attempting to intimidate him. It soared directly past the goal posts because, when the pressure is on, classy players prefer to perform in this manner.
Okay, Goode is now 34 years old, but how many Six Nations Tests has the generation’s most deceptively talented English back started since March 2013? The response is one. One! As with Russell, it often appears that international coaches only begin to evaluate potential when it is presented in a suitably large package. Or rarely deviates from the path of righteousness.
What a loss! Goode will soon gain the distinction of having played more games for Saracens than anybody else in history. And yet, even if Eddie Jones had ten fullbacks hurt, you have the impression that he would not consider calling Saracens a Goode idea.
Which causes you to start wondering. Who has been the unluckiest performer in rugby, someone who should have amassed a multitude of caps but never did? Perhaps we should name it the Marshall Award in honor of England’s Howard Marshall, who, while playing fly-half against Wales in Cardiff in 1893, scored a hat-trick on a pitch covered in black circles after hundreds of braziers were left burning overnight to defrost it, but never represented his country again.
There are numerous candidates. Stuart Barnes started just six Tests for England over the course of nine years, despite being the undisputed boss at Bath. Colin Stephens, a pale will-o’-the-wisp who played at the Rosslyn Park Sevens, was the most extraordinarily gifted schoolboy outside back I’ve ever seen in person. However, he won only four caps for Wales. I also used to like watching the small Arwel Thomas, but his 11 tries in 19 appearances for Wales did not do justice to his skill.
And what about notable “short stayers” such as Ray “Chico” Hopkins? Before fading back into Sir Gareth Edwards’ shadow, he earned a solitary Wales cap as a substitute and scored his first try to assist Wales to defeat England in 1970. England would have wanted to have seen more of Prince Alexander Obolensky even further in the past. Four caps and early death at the age of 24 when his Hurricane crashed in Suffolk in 1940 deprived rugby of one of its most colorful characters, as demonstrated by Hugh Godwin’s excellent recent history.
Rupeni Caucaunibuca, the most explosive oval-ball comet in recent memory, was as unstoppable as any winger ever could have been at his peak. Between 2003 and 2010, he participated in only eight Tests for Fiji, scoring ten tries.
Or you could split the vote for the most underutilized English talent between Danny Cipriani and James Simpson-Daniel, both of whom possessed more potential in their little fingers than the majority of international backs. However, Cipriani only began five Tests whereas Simpson-Daniel began six. True, there were mitigating circumstances for both, but it is a heartbreaking shame nonetheless.
Jones and his colleague master coach Warren Gatland can claim to be even unluckier, having neither earned a cap despite Gatland’s frequent appearances behind Sean Fitzpatrick on the All-Black bench. For this exercise, however, we are discussing unrequited genius, which places an Englishman and a Welshman atop the pedestal.
Was there ever a Wasp who buzzed more excitingly than Christian Wade, whose lone cap came in Argentina in 2013? 1984 saw the end of David Bishop’s international career, which was a disgrace given the enormous all-around potential held by the former Pontypool and Wales scrum-half. Russell and Goode are both unfortunate, but the hard-done-by club has a large membership.
