"Remember This Guy?" - 5 England Players You Forgot Played at the Rugby World Cup

Not every England player can have their 'Jonny Wilkinson moment' at the Rugby World Cup. England have participated in all nine Rugby World Cups since the inaugural competition in 1987, which means that some appearances are bound to fly under the radar.

Despite reaching the final on three occasions, there has only been one 'Golden Generation' for England so far. So, as the immortals of '03 are fondly remembered by fans, there are a handful of England players who's Rugby World Cup appearances have fallen to the wayside.

Sometimes the highlight of an England player's Rugby World Cup journey is stepping foot out on the pitch and making that appearance. Here are five England players you didn't know played at the Rugby World Cup

Breaking into the England squad right on cue for the 2007 Rugby World Cup, Leicester Tigers centre Dan Hipkiss had a fleeting appearance at the competition. The tournament in '07 marked his one and only Rugby World Cup campaign, despite being a Premiership carer-man and eligible to represent England until his retirement in 2013.

After four arduous seasons, Hipkiss broke into the Leicester Tigers first team and became a mainstay in the squad during the 2005/06 season. Hipkiss caught the attention of former Leicester lock and England Head Coach Martin Johnson, as Hipkiss showcased his talents under the bright lights of Twickenham for the 2006 Premiership Final.

Hipkiss made his England debut in a 2007 Rugby World Cup warm-up match against Wales, and was selected in the refined squad of 30 men. After missing the opening two pool stages matches against the USA and South Africa, Hipkiss came off the bench for cameo appearances against two Pacific Island sides. The centre played seven minutes against Samoa, and eleven minutes against Tonga, as England eased through to the knock-out stages.

Hipkiss was an unused replacement for the quarter-final victory against Australia, yet played all of the second half in the semi-final triumph over France. Hipkiss presented his versatility, as he replaced the match's sole try-scorer Josh Lewsey on the left wing, after an untimely injury. Hipkiss followed this up with an off-the-bench appearance in the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final defeat to the Springboks. He replaced Jason Robinson seven minutes into the second half.

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A player that is unfortunately considered amongst England fans as being a 'failed experiment'. There was palpable excitement when England Rugby League great Sam Burgess made the cross-code switch, and joined up with Stuart Lancaster's side for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Considered to be England's answer to Sonny Bill Williams, Burgess signed with Bath and made his Premiership debut in December 2014.

When the home-soil Rugby World Cup rolled around, England were excited to showcase their newest Northern toy that they just pinched from their League cousins. However, Burgess got off to a shaky international start, and underperformed in a warm-up match against France. The slow start was put down to a learning curve, yet Burgess flew under the radar with a forgettable 18 minute spell in the opening win against Fiji.

This underwhelming outing became Burgess' highlight, as England were then defeated 28-25 by Wales and 33-13 by Australia. Burgess played 70 minutes of the narrow defeat to Wales, and made a substitute showing in the heavier loss to the Wallabies. Burgess' performances were criticized, as England's 2015 Rugby World Cup campaign fell off the hinges, with Lancaster's side becoming the first Rugby World Cup host nation in history, to fail to progress out of the pool stages.

Burgess did not feature in the 60-3 dead-rubber victory over Uruguay, as the damage was already done to any hopes of England's pool stage progression. Lancaster instead trialled some hotly called-after young talents in the match, as the likes of Exeter Chiefs duo Jack Nowell and Henry Slade were played following popular demand from pundits and England supporters.

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One of the lesser-known members of the 2003 immortals, centre Stuart Abbott was amongst the squad that won England's one and only Rugby World Cup to date. The former Wasps centurion made three appearances at the 2003 Rugby World Cup, as he started in two pool stage matches and made an off-the-bench appearance on the way through to glory.

Born and raised in Cape Town, Abbot turned down the opportunity to play for the Springboks at the 2003 Rugby World Cup, after he was approached coach Rudolf Straeuli. Abbot opted to play for England as he qualified through his English mother, and marked his debut with a try against Wales in a Rugby World Cup warm-up fixture. After a rollercoaster two weeks, Abbot was then selected in the squad which would go on to make history.

Abbott travelled to Australia, yet was left out of England's opening Rugby World Cup match against Georgia. The London Wasps man had to watch on from the side-lines, as his side dispatched the Eastern Europeans 84-6. Abbott had to continue to wait for his World Cup debut, as he was left out on the squad for the triumphant clash against his homeland of South Africa. It's interesting to consider whether Abbott would have contested in this match, had he decided to take up the offer from the 'Boks.

Yet Abbott was low in the midfield pecking order, which included England legends Will Greenwood, Mike Catt and Mike Tindall. Abbott's opportunity arose in the third and fourth pool stage matches, with knock-out stage qualification all but secured for England. Abbott started in the centre for England's wins over Samoa and Uruguay, with the midfielder getting on the scoresheet in the 111-13 decimation of the South Americans.

Abbott's final action of the 2003 Rugby World Cup came in the quarter-finals, as he made an substitute appearance against Wales. He was unable to build upon his pool stage try, but had a decent performance in match's closing stages. Abbott was dropped by Brian Ashton for the semi-final and historic final, yet was bestowed an MBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, when England returned home with the Web Ellis Trophy.

Delon Armitage is best remembered as being one of England's most underutilised talents, as his services were let go following a high-profile move to France. Armitage walked away from English rugby in 2012, as he swapped his decade-long home of London Irish for a deal with Toulon.

However, Armitage was able to squeeze in a run at the Rugby World Cup before his highly publicised departure, as he was selected in the squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Armitage marked his debut at the competition in England's opening match, playing the full 80 minutes on the left wing in the nail-biting 13-9 win over Argentina.

The winger followed this up with another strong showing against Georgia, which saw him score England's third try just seven minutes into the second half. Armitage ran out for another 'full 80' in this game, in what was an impressive 41-10 win over the famously physical Georgian opposition. England's campaign continued with a 67-3 landslide win over Romania, with Armitage having a brief off-the-bench appearance in what was a foregone conclusion in favour of England.

The pool stages were wrapped up with an succinct 16-12 victory over Scotland, with Armitage once again showing great endurance to run out for an hour and 20 minutes. Armitage picked up a suspension in the final pool stage match against Scotland, after he was cited for a dangerous tackle. This saw Sale Sharks stalwart Mark Cueto take his spot, with England subsequently eliminated by eventual finalists France, after a 19-12 quarter-final defeat.

Armitage would soon head to the home of 'Les Bleus', and along with his brother Steffon, begin the conversation for England eligibility whilst based overseas. The debate has continued even after Delon's on-field retirement as he hung up his boots following four years with Toulon and three with Lyon. This proverbial torch has since been carried through the 2010s by the likes of Nick Abendanon and Chris Ashton, and into the 2020s by Jack Willis, Sam Simmonds and Henry Arundell.

Bath scrum half Ben Spencer had an unexpected yet unforgettable run out, at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Eddie Jones preferred the scrum half combination of Ben Youngs and Willi Heinz for the trip to Japan, which saw the then Saracen fail to make the cut. Spencer went about his time-off enjoying the Rugby World Cup from afar, as England performed exceptionally well and battled all past the All Blacks for a spot in the final.

However, in the semi-final clash with New Zealand, kiwi-born scrum half Willi Heinz suffered a torn hamstring against his home country. This opened up a vacancy at scrum-half cover, as England returned to the Rugby World Cup Final for the first time since 2007. Spencer got the call from Jones, and was on the plane to Japan a day after teaching a coaching session at his former school of Ivybridge Community College.

Spencer came off the bench with five minutes remaining, as Ben Youngs had an uncharacteristically under-par performance. However, it was too little too late for the replacement scrum half, as Spencer could not commandeer his country to a last-ditch triumph. South Africa had already established a 32-12 lead, with the latest conversion from the boot of Handre Pollard engraving the Springboks onto the Web Ellis trophy for a third time.

Spencer came away from the Rugby World Cup with a runners-up medal, which would have been the last thing he'd expected to receive after being initially let-go by the squad the previous Summer. An unexpected call-up, and a brief five minute cameo that many England fans could have forgotten all about, Ben Spencer's five minute stint in the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final is the ultimate 'blink and you miss it' performance, from an England player at the Rugby World Cup.

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