22 Facts About Will Carling

Will Carling was England's youngest captain, aged 22, and won 72 caps from 1988 to 1996, captaining England 59 times.

Will Carling played for Rosslyn Park and Harlequins at club level.

Since retiring, Carling has pursued interests including corporate speaking and punditry.

Son of Lieutenant Colonel Bill Will Carling, an officer in the Royal Regiment of Wales, Will Carling was born in Bradford-on-Avon and educated at Terra Nova School in Cheshire and then Sedbergh School, on an army scholarship.

Will Carling disliked being sent to prep school but showed an aptitude for rugby and played above his age group, arriving at Sedbergh – a "big rugby school" – with a reputation as a serious talent.

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Will Carling was an undergraduate student at Hatfield College, Durham, and was reunited with Mullins.

Will Carling did not enjoy the transition from school to university rugby, and claimed to have "stagnated" in terms of development.

Will Carling strongly considered giving up rugby after failing to enjoy his first year on the pitch at Durham, but found himself rejuvenated during an old boys' match at Sedbergh; and this reignited a desire to succeed in the sport.

However, Will Carling did not follow up the invitation, because he did not feel he would have got in on merit.

In February 1987 Will Carling made his debut for Harlequins against Metropolitan Police.

Around Christmas 1987 Will Carling took part in an England trial for the upcoming Five Nations Championship.

Will Carling started the remaining games against Wales, Scotland and Ireland, with England winning the latter two to finish third in that years Five Nations Championship.

Will Carling has stated that, contrary to media suggestions, he was never "fully commissioned".

Under Will Carling England started to challenge and beat the established rugby union powers such as New Zealand and Australia, and their success helped to make rugby union a more popular sport in England.

Will Carling's career included the 1993 British Lions tour to New Zealand.

McGeechan and Cooke disclosed that Will Carling came close to voluntarily withdrawing from the squad; he did however recover his test place and played a notable role in the third test.

Will Carling had earlier led England to wins against Australia in November 1988, and South Africa in November 1992.

Will Carling was however quickly reinstated due to public pressure and following a public apology was able to go to the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

Will Carling has worked as a motivational speaker and in 2001 founded Will Carling Management Ltd, a corporate hospitality company which is involved in the rugby social networking website 'Rucku'.

Will Carling is married to his second wife Lisa, the ex-wife of David Cooke.

Will Carling was previously married to the television presenter Julia Will Carling from 1994 to 1996.

Will Carling, whose mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when he was an infant and later died from the disease, is a patron of the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer.