Rugby Shorts
Rory Underwood is considered one of the best wings in rugby union history and on this day in rugby history in 1996 he scored his record 49th try for England in their 21- 15 win over Wales at Twickenham. It was his last try for England playing only two more matches for his national side.
He added 1 try while representing the British and Irish Lions.
Underwood earned his first cap in February 1984 and earned 85 caps by the time he retired. The versatile wing, he played on both the left and right, scored in quantity and with style as many of his tries are classic.
--- Get in the Gear! The England national rugby team is always in the mix for titles. They won the 2003 Rugby World Cup and were runners-up in 2007. ---
“Well I scored 49, which one do you want?” Underwood said when ask about his ‘best try.’ “It depends what you mean by greatest. Your first try sticks in your mind, I scored the try that won us the Triple Crown in Ireland, and we went on to win the Grand Slam, my first and only Lions try. They're all up there.”
Underwood played in the 1987, 1991 and 1995 Rugby World Cups and scored 11 of his 49 tries in these tournaments. To add to his importance to the team, he was never substituted or replaced at the international level.
He had a great Rugby World Cup in 1995 including scoring two tries in the semifinal against the New Zealand All Blacks but unfortunately was up and against his match as Jonah Lomu scored 4 tries to dump England from the tournament.
Will Greenwood and Ben Cohen are tied for second on the all-time England try scoring charts with 31 each (as of Oct 2011).
