World of Boxing and Rugby Union
Winger
7. Rory Underwood
Rory Underwood was as clinical a winger as they come, running in 49 tries for England which included 11 Rugby World Cup scores. He was never substituted or replaced at international level - underlining his importance to his country.
Rory Underwood was a lightning-quick and prolific winger for England between 1984 and 1996, during which time he amassed 85 caps for England and six for the British and Irish Lions.
His England career began against Ireland in the 1984 Five Nations. With his electric pace, Underwood found gaps to score tries that others simply couldn’t, notching his first score against France later in the tournament. He quickly pinned down a starting slot for his country, and was on hand for the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987.
Two years later Underwood made his debut for the Lions, playing in all three Tests as the Lions recorded a famous series victory. After glory in Australia he was part of the England side that won the Grand Slam in 1991 and also played in the 1991 World Cup final, losing out to the Wallabies at Twickenham.
His second Lions tour came in 1993, when he scored his only try in the famous red shirt in the defeat to New Zealand, before playing his third and final World Cup in South Africa in 1995. On a personal level it was a great tournament for Underwood as he scored five tries, including two in the semi-final against New Zealand. The only problem was that the All Blacks had a certain Jonah Lomu playing for them, who ran in a devastating four tries to dump England out.
Underwood retired from the game in 1996, his last Test coming against Ireland. From 1992 onwards Underwood often played on the opposite wing from his brother Tony. They were at the time the first set of brothers to represent England since 1937.