Will Carling
England
player portrait
Full name William David Charles Carling
Born December 12, 1965, Bradford-on-Avon
Current age 58 years 98 days
Major teams British and Irish Lions, Harlequins, England, England XV
Position Centre
Height 5 ft 11 in
Weight 198 lb

Test career
Span Mat Start Sub Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop Won Lost Draw %
All Tests 1988-1997 73 73 0 54 12 0 0 0 53 19 1 73.28
England 1988-1997 72 72 0 54 12 0 0 0 53 18 1 74.3
British and Irish Lions 1993-1993 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Five/Six Nations 1988-1997 40 40 0 26 6 0 0 0 30 9 1 76.25
IRB Rugby World Cup 1991-1995 11 11 0 18 4 0 0 0 7 4 0 63.63

Career statistics
Test debut France v England at Parc des Princes, Jan 16, 1988 match details
Last Test Wales v England at Cardiff, Mar 15, 1997 match details
Test Statsguru Main menu | Career summary | Match list | Most points | Most tries | Tournament list

English Premiership
Team Span Mat Start Sub Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop Won Lost Draw %
All matches 1997-2000 21 18 3 5 1 0 0 0 13 7 1 64.28
Harlequins 1997-2000 21 18 3 5 1 0 0 0 13 7 1 64.28
Profile

Imagine being given the captaincy of your country aged only 22, in the process becoming the youngest man ever to hold the position. Well, this is what happened to Will Carling, who was entrusted by the then England manager Geoff Cooke to lead his country into a new era of success. Carling might not have been everybody's cup of tea but in the early 1990s the side he led was one of the most successful in English rugby history.

They achieved the rare feat of back-to-back Grand Slams in 1991 and 1992 and reached the 1991 World Cup final at Twickenham, beating France in Paris and Scotland in Edinburgh en route to the clash against Australia. Carling also led England to a third Grand Slam in 1995. Carling's team were often described as "boring" for their approach in 1991. But this is a narrow view of a team that cut opposition to shreds in the early years of the decade.

Carling attended Sedburgh School on an army scholarship and joined up after graduating from Durham University. However he never rose above the rank of Second Lieutenant and his commission was ended in 1988, at which point he concentrated on his rugby, despite it still being an amateur sport. Like many of his England team-mates, Carling was a member of the Harlequins club. But while he tasted cup success regularly, league consistency evaded the team.

On the field, Carling was a fleet-footed centre who formed a memorable partnership with Jeremy Guscott. Off the field, he will perhaps be most remembered for the comments that led to his sacking as England captain, when he described the RFU committee as "57 old farts". However after a public outcry he was reinstated and went to the 1995 World Cup in South Africa. Scrum staff

Latest Articles
Carling tips Wallabies to progress at Cup (Aug 31, 2015) 'I was bored so I kicked him up the arse' (Jan 23, 2014) Woodward questions Gatland's choice of words (Feb 14, 2013) O Captain! My Captain? (Jan 12, 2012) Woodward leads Wilkinson tributes (Dec 13, 2011) Will Carling news and articles (33) »
Latest Photos
Mar 21, 2011
Former England captain Will Carling performs an Irish jig
Former England captain Will Carling performs an Irish jig
©  PA Photos
May 13, 1995
Will Carling relaxes
Will Carling relaxes
©  PA Photos
Mar 18, 1995
Will Carling savours England's Grand Slam triumph in 1995
Will Carling savours England's Grand Slam triumph in 1995
©  Getty Images
May 26, 1993
Will Carling of the Lions is tackled
Will Carling of the Lions is tackled
©  Getty Images
Will Carling rugby photos (6) »

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