That omission in a 10-year international career was rectified at Twickenham last night.
This was the flanker's 74th international appearance, one more than Jonny Wilkinson. Five of them have come against the All Blacks, but each of them on tour.
However, if Worsley, 32, has played more than three hours of rugby against New Zealand, it would be a surprise because his only start came in the second of the two internationals of 2004, in Auckland.
Yet if this has been any England player's year, it has been Worsley's, although the irony of displacing Tom Croft will not escape him.
Blindside flanker Croft was England's only representative in the short list for the IRB player of the year award that was published on Monday; two days later, Croft was relegated to the replacements for the final game of the Challenge Series.
There were those who thought that Worsley's day was done last season, before his recall to start against Wales at open-side flanker and his success in nullifying the physical threats presented by Andy Powell, the opposing No8, and Jamie Roberts, the powerful centre.
England did not win the match, but it was the start of Worsley's run towards the honour that had previously eluded him - selection for the Lions to tour South Africa and, then, for the final international that the Lions won.
A neck injury suffered playing for London Wasps in Europe removed him from contention for the opening match of the autumn series, against Australia.
But he came off the bench against Argentina (replacing Croft) and has the air of a man at peace with himself.
Earlier versions of Worsley smacked of a player trying to escape the aura cast by the legendary back row of Richard Hill, Neil Back and Lawrence Dallaglio. Now there is an inner tranquillity.
Not that Worsley, an accomplished piano player, was expected to create mood music with the England squad's two guitarists, Wilkinson and Dan Hipkiss, although it all helps.
"Three or four days before a game you need to switch off, not caring less about the game to come but caring at the right time," Worsley said.
"You go to the game in a much better physical and mental position."
His selection, though, is a reflection of England's failure to extract the best of Croft.
The Lions achieved that during the European summer, eager to exploit the Leicester flanker's startling pace by bringing him through in centre-field as a support runner.
This month Croft has been a valuable lineout operator and has worked hard at close quarters, but the talents that make him different have been underused.
Worsley brings a more muscular, confrontational game that is reflected elsewhere in England's selection, simpler no doubt, but that may be required at a time when so much in Martin Johnson's planning has been compromised by injury.
"The people who are coming in now have been relatively inexperienced, so it's difficult to get the cohesion," Worsley said.
"Last week we put some of the things right during the second half against Argentina."
New Zealand's open-side flanker Richie McCaw is, by general consensus, the best in the world. Worsley was looking forward to that.
He is famed for his high tackle count, but Worsley learnt in South Africa that it is not so much the quantity as the quality that matters.
"You don't necessarily play much rugby against the Springboks, so you have fewer opportunities to make your mark," he said. - ©The Times, London
Report on the England v New Zealand game in later editions
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