#8. Olly Barkley
Barkley won 23 caps for England between 2001 and 2008, with an early reputation that saw him play for England before Bath. He was a graceful left-footer who could play fly-half or inside-centre. After the retirement of Will Greenwood and Jonny Wilkinson’s injury curse, Barkley should have been a mainstay in the England midfield. It’s unclear what went wrong, as he kicked well from the tee and out of hand, was a good distributor, and wasn’t a defensive liability.
#7. Darren Crompton
Bristol prop Crompton was a solid player who anchored the Bristol scrum during their 2006-07 season. He was called up to the England squad for their tour to South Africa, but he was never the most mobile and was practically stationary by the time he put on the England shirt, disappointing since he could have been called up earlier in his career.