5 Great players who NEVER played at a Rugby World Cup

The all-time greats who achieved that goal like Jonny Wilkinson, Dan Carter, Francois Pienaar, Brian O'Driscoll, David Campese and Jonah Lomu are easily remembered.

But there is an impressive list of great players who for one reason or another did not make it to the quadrennial tournament.

And RUCK.co.uk gives our list of the Top 5 Players Never to Play in a Rugby World Cup.

Whenever southern hemisphere sides toured England in the 1980s and early '90s, they could never understand why the 'Bath Barrel' was passed over for the patient and reliable Rob Andrew. Can now be heared enjoying the sound of his own voice on Sky Sports' rugby coverage.

There are great centres and then there's Gerber, the man with the physique of a flanker and the pace of a piqued white rhino. Like fellow Springbok legend Naas Botha, Gerber missed out on the 1987 and 1991 tournaments on account of South Africa's apartheid blacklisting.

For some, a serious rival to Sean Fitzpatrick as the greatest ever All Black hooker, Dalton was due to captain New Zealand in the inaugural Rugby World Cup but had to withdraw through injury. Spent the whole tournament sat on the bench sporting his head-guard and a sour expression.null

One of the world's greatest sevens player, the appropriately named Rush started out as a flanker before switching to the wing at the behest of the North Harbour coaching staff. Won just nine, non-World Cup caps for New Zealand before making way for someone called Jonah Lomu.null

The unlikely star of the 1997 Lions tour, the barnstorming winger was a league player in 1995 and out in the cold come 1999. Still, you can’t help thinking his big personality might have galvanized an England team still getting used to professionalism and Clive Woodward.