Guscott made his international bow against minnows Romania in 1989, announcing his arrival with a hat-trick of tries.
He made the Lions tour to Australia later that year, slotting into the team in the second and third Tests as the northern hemisphere side recorded a famous series victory.
The Bath-born centre’s World Cup highlight comes from the first of this three tournaments, where England reached the final.
Guscott started but England were edged out 12-6 by Australia, with Wallabies prop Tony Daly scoring the only try of the game.
A second Lions tour in 1993 was followed by a second World Cup in 1995 – with a year decimated by injury in 1994 in between – but England were bulldozed out in the semi-finals thanks to Jonah Lomu’s brilliance.
Guscott found himself out of favour with England following the tournament but still made a third Lions tour in 1997, where his drop goal in the second Test proved decisive in a fantastic series win over South Africa.
In 1999, he played in his final World Cup in a struggling England team that was going through a transitional phase.
His last appearance came against Tonga during the tournament, where he scored an interception try and received a standing ovation from an adoring crowd.
VITAL STATISTICS | |
---|---|
Country | England and British Lions |
Position | Outside centre |
Rugby World Cup campaigns | Three (1991, 1995, 1999) |
Rugby World Cup record | Finalist, 1991 |
International appearances | 65 for England, eight for British Lions |
International points | 143 for England, seven for British Lions |