'I didn't believe it at first when I got the call': 'New' England cap John Wells

On a joyous occasion for former England players, the only shadow cast inside the World Rugby Museum on Monday was that caused by the huge frame of Bob Kimmins.

Kimmins was part of a 21-strong contingent, plus family members, who gathered at Allianz Stadium to attend a retrospective caps ceremony, hosted by former RFU Presidents Rob Udwin and Jason Leonard and the museum’s curator Phil McGowan.

Selected post-WW2 matches that had previously been uncapped have now been officially recognised as full-fledged internationals, and the smiles of those in attendance were understandably as broad as the 6 foot 10 inch, Orrell man-mountain.

Shoulders may have stooped and, in some cases, some cauliflower ears now have hearing aids tucked behind them, but for the players the memories immediately came flooding back as they shared stories from yesteryear.

Big blokes and equally big personalities regaled in the chance to wind the clock back and see their names now displayed on the wall listing all England internationals inside the home dressing room at Allianz Stadium, and RugbyPass was fortunate to be there to share the occasion.

Former Leicester flanker and England forwards coach John Wells, who hadn’t been back to Twickenham since he left the employment of the RFU in 2011, had travelled down from Newcastle with his wife.

“I didn’t believe it at first when I got the call. I had to do a few online checks to make sure it wasn’t a prank call. But once I found out it was true, I was very, very emotional,” Wells said.

“For all of us here today, it was something that had passed us by, and we all thought we’d missed our chances for whatever reason. But then, all of a sudden, 36 years later, here we are, at Twickenham, with a bunch of guys in the same boat, who are all ‘Happy as Larry’ at being here.”

Whenever anyone is asked who was the best player of his generation never to be capped by England, John Wells is normally the answer. It’s a status he’s happy to lose.

“I’m sure every club has this kind of guy in their books, an outstanding club player in their time but, for whatever reason, didn’t go on and get an international cap.

“A good friend of mine, John Morrison (the former Bath lock) had just congratulated me on getting my cap, and then he made the comment about the fact that it leaves him as the outstanding English forward that never got a cap.”

Wells and Kimmins received their caps for playing in an England B clash against Italy in 1990, but the biggest contingent of newly-capped players came from the match between the same teams in Rome four years earlier.

Former Richmond fly-half Simon Smith, Bath prop Richard Lee, Wasps hooker Andy Simpson, Orrell flanker Peter Buckton, Nottingham flanker Peter Cook and Moseley wing John Goodwin all made it to English Rugby’s HQ – the latter on crutches after a double knee op – for their special day.

Each has their own story and no one can deny that Simpson, in particular, wasn’t deserving of his new-found status, having sat on the England bench no fewer than 21 matches without actually taking to the field.

“I should have got on the pitch twice,” Simpson said in an interview with The Guardian. “Once in New Zealand, in the second Test in 1985, someone gave Steve Brain a good shoeing and he was staggering around for 90% of the game. They should have taken him off and shoved me on.

“The other time was up in Scotland in 1986 when I was covering hooker and back row. Jon Hall came off and they put on a lock, Nigel Redman, instead of me. You’re waiting for someone to say: ‘You’re on,’ but it never came.”

Disbelief was a common thread amongst all the players. “Ironically, my name didn’t actually appear in the programme for the Italian game,” said Cook, who has now joined the celebrated list of former England internationals to have played for Nottingham, such as Gary Rees, hooker Brian Moore, fly-half Rob Andrew, wing Chris Oti and full-back Simon Hodgkinson.

“I had a call from the Director of Rugby at Nottingham, Simon Beatham, and he said, ‘have you changed your phone number, the RFU are trying to get in touch with you’, and I said, ‘why, are they after money?!’

“The following day the call came through, I was on the golf course and they left a message. So I rang back, to check it was an RFU number, and then suddenly it all starts.”

England’s two games against Japan in 1971, which were part of a six-match tour to the Far East and included fixtures against Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon) and Singapore, have also been upgraded to capped status.

It is a fitting tribute for the career of the late Bath and Bristol prop, Mike Hannell, who shared the same front row as a fast-emerging Fran Cotton.

Hannell, a modern languages master at Marlborough College, sadly died of a rare form of cancer, aged just 29, but his son, Tom, and widow Caroline were at Twickenham to receive the cap on his behalf.

Tom was only two when his Dad died but has heard some tales of a tour, which is perhaps best known for full-back Peter Rossborough falling into a coma after being kicked in the head during one of the Japan games.

“My Dad didn’t play in the first Test, but I know that Fran Cotton said they lost a stone in weight because of the conditions and the fact that the Japanese were totally up for it,” said Tom.

“He had a late call-up for Stack Stevens and we’ve got his signed shirt at home. Both me and Mum are totally proud of him and we’re delighted to be here today.”

Caroline Hannell added: “It’s lovely that he’s now been awarded his cap, and we are very proud of what he did for rugby back in the day. He loved his rugby and was very modest about it.”

The following players attended in person: Peter Hendy (Fiji, 1973), David Carfoot, Gary Cox (USA, 1977), Billy Bushell (Argentina, 1978), Ian Peck, Nigel Pomphrey (Fiji/Japan, 1979), Neil McDowell (Canada, USA, Fiji, 1982), John Gadd (Fiji, 1982), Eddie Bell, Stuart Redfern (President’s XV, 1984), John Goodwin, Simon Smith, Richard Lee, Andrew Simpson, Peter Buckton, Peter Cook (Italy, 1986), Robert Kimmins, John Wells (Italy, 1990), Alan Buzza, Paul Challinor, John Fletcher (Canada, 1993).

David Robinson, Michael Hannell (Japan, 1971), John Butler, Alan McMillan, John Doubleday and Toby Allchurch (Japan, 1979) were represented by family members.