The 50-Cap Club

Five players from the Americas have joined the 50-cap club already in 2018, and there are more who should reach that career milestone later this year. It remains a laudable achievement though its weight has slipped somewhat in the professional era when 10+ caps a year have become the norm for Tier 2 sides and above. Indeed the 100-cap plateau was once unheard of but has now been reached by more than 50 men. Of those only two – Philippe Sella and David Campese – ended their careers in the 1990s.

Reaching 50 caps remains a challenge for Tier 2 nations nations whose best players are not always available for test matches due to professional commitments. Jamie Cudmore represented Canada from 2002 to 2016 yet only won 43 caps, while Rodrigo Capó Ortega won his 41st cap for Uruguay against Canada in January yet made his debut as a 19-year-old in 2000.

It should be noted that the awarding of caps remains an arbitrary decision by individual unions, there are no guidelines set forth from World Rugby. For example both Uruguay and Chile award caps for games against senior ‘A’ sides such as the Argentina XV. Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and the USA do not. That, however, has not always been the case.

Both Canada and the USA have previously awarded caps against ‘A’ sides. Canadian record-holder Aaron Carpenter won caps in Churchill Cup matches against both the England and Scotland ‘A’ sides while the USA’s most-capped player Todd Clever has seven caps to his name in matches that were not official tests, including one against the Māori in 2006. Both Canada and the USA have since changed that policy to award caps only for full tests.

Such decisions are not exclusive to Tier 2 sides. Argentina awarded caps against numerous non-test international sides up until 1980, including matches against the South Africa Gazelles, an u23 team, and the World XV. The Pumas also used to award caps for South American Championship matches but changed the policy in 2016, officially entering the second-string Argentina XV in both the Americas Rugby Championship and Sudamérica Rugby Cup competitions.

England did not award test caps for international matches played against Japan in both 1971 and 1979, while Japan did. Wales famously changed their policy for one match in 2012 against the Barbarians in order to award Martyn Williams his 100th Welsh cap, though he had already surpassed the century mark by virtue of his British & Irish Lions appearances.

To date three players from the Americas have achieved 100 test caps, though none for an actual Americas team. Sergio Parisse and Martín Castrogiovanni both grew up in Argentina but played their entire senior careers in Italy, whom they would represent. The third player is something of a dubious claim – Ireland great Ronan O’Gara was born in San Diego but moved to his father’s homeland aged six months.

 

THE 50-CAP CLUB

*remains an active international player

 

ARGENTINA (29)

Los Pumas have the most at this level which is unsurprising given their status as the only Tier 1 nation from the Americas. Many of their top cap-winners remain active, including Juan Manuel Leguizamón who is just five behind all-time leader and former teammate Felipe Contepomi.

Players set to join the club this year include Leonardo Senatore (49 caps, debut 2008) and Pablo Matera (46, 2013) while Matías Alemanno (41, 2014), Julián Montoya (41, 2014), Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro (41, 2010), and Javier Ortega Desio (40, 2012) are within reach depending on selections. Lucas Noguera Paz (43, 2014) might yet achieve the mark but for the moment remains in limbo thanks to the UAR’s policy of not selecting overseas professionals.

RANK	NAME	CAPS	DEBUT	LAST
1	Felipe Contepomi	87	1998	2013
2	Lisandro Arbizu	86	1990	2005
=	Rolando Martín	86	1994	2003
4	Mario Ledesma	84	1996	2011
5	Juan Manuel Leguizamón	82	2005	2017*
6	Martín Landajo	78	2008	2017*
=	Pedro Sporleder	78	1990	2003
8	Juan Martín Hernández	74	2003	2017*
9	Federico Méndez	73	1990	2004
10	Agustín Creevy	71	2005	2017*
=	Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe	71	2004	2015
=	Agustín Pichot	71	1995	2007
13	Marcos Ayerza	66	2004	2015
14	Ignacio Fernández Lobbe	65	1996	2008
=	Omar Hasan	65	1995	2007
16	Horacio Agulla	63	2005	2015
=	Tomás Cubelli	63	2010	2017*
=	Diego Cuesta Silva	63	1983	1995
19	Nicolás Sanchez	62	2010	2017*
20	Martín Durand	60	1997	2008
21	Martín Scelzo	59	1996	2011
22	Hugo Porta	58	1971	1990
23	Patricio Albacete	57	2003	2013
24	Diego Albanese	55	1995	2003
=	Rodrigo Roncero	55	1998	2012
26	Lucas González Amorosino	52	2007	2016
27	Gonzalo Longo	51	1999	2007
=	Joaquín Tuculet	51	2012	2017*
29	Mauricio Reggiardo	50	1996	2003

 

CANADA (17)

Next up is Canada, whose international calendar has increased dramatically with the addition of the ARC. Aaron Carpenter surpassed Al Charron’s cap record last year and it’s a mark that should stand for many years with the only players near or above 50 caps all in the twilight of their careers.

DTH van der Merwe and Ray Barkwill each hit the 50-cap mark in recent weeks while Phil Mack (49 caps, 2009 debut) and Nick Blevins (49, 2009) are just one short. Hubert Buydens (47, 2006) is next but will need to regain favor with the selectors after being left out of the last three tests.

RANK	NAME	CAPS	DEBUT	LAST
1	Aaron Carpenter	80	2005	2017
2	Al Charron	76	1990	2003
3	Winston Stanley	66	1994	2003
4	Scott Stewart	64	1989	2001
5	James Pritchard	62	2003	2015
=	Rod Snow	62	1995	2007
7	Ciaran Hearn	60	2008	2017*
8	Bob Ross	58	1989	2003
9	Ed Fairhurst	57	2001	2012
10	Mike James	56	1994	2007
=	Morgan Williams	56	1999	2008
12	Gareth Rees	55	1986	1999
=	Kevin Tkachuk	55	2000	2010
14	John Graf	54	1989	1999
15	Ryan Smith	51	2003	2011
=	DTH van der Merwe	51	2006	2018*
17	Ray Barkwill	50	2012	2018*

 

URUGUAY (14)

Los Teros have received the most significant boost to their schedule in recent years not only with the ARC but also with inclusion in the World Rugby Nations Cup and also regular end-of-year tests including a full European tour to end 2016. As a result a number of veterans have pushed past the 50-cap mark and beyond. Seven of their top 10 remain active.

The newest additions are current captain Juan Manuel Gaminara and, just this past weekend, Mateo Sanguinetti. At just 28 years old Diego Magno could yet become the first centurion for his country though he is no longer a first choice player. Certain to join the club this year is Rodrigo Silva (49 caps, 2012 debut) who will reach the mark in his next international.

RANK	NAME	CAPS	DEBUT	LAST
1	Diego Magno	82	2008	2018*
2	Mario Sagario	71	2006	2018*
3	Carlos Arboleya	68	2004	2018*
=	Leandro Leivas	68	2008	2018*
5	Rodrigo Sánchez	67	1996	2009
6	Gastón Mieres	59	2010	2018*
=	Alejandro Nieto	59	2012	2018*
8	Diego Aguirre	58	1992	2007
9	Juan Manuel Gaminara	54	2010	2018*
=	Nicolás Grille	54	1996	2007
=	Diego Ormaechea	54	1979	1999
12	Diego Lamelas	52	1992	2006
13	Alejo Corral	51	2009	2015
14	Mateo Sanguinetti	50	2014	2018*

 

USA (9)

The Eagles have not yet hit double-digits in their 50-cap club and it will be a couple years before they do with a young squad building towards RWC 2019. Eric Fry (41 caps, 2011 debut) is their most-capped active player with current captain Blaine Scully (37, 2011) the most experienced to take part in the ARC.

RANK	NAME	CAPS	DEBUT	LAST
1	Todd Clever	76	2003	2017
2	Mike MacDonald	67	2000	2012
3	Luke Gross	62	1996	2003
4	Alec Parker	58	1996	2009
5	Mike Petri	57	2007	2015
6	Louis Stanfill	56	2005	2015
7	Chris Wyles	54	2007	2015
8	Paul Emerick	53	2003	2012
=	Dave Hodges	53	1996	2004

 

BRAZIL (3)

It’s a very exclusive club for the Tupis, who rarely had more than six tests a year until 2016. Only 14 players to date have even reached the 30-cap mark. Their most experienced player, the great Ige da Ros, traveled with the team as a coach on their end-of-year tour in November and might well have played his last test though he has yet to officially declare his retirement.

It’s a similar situation for the next on the list, Lucas ‘Tanque’ Duque (47 caps, 2005 debut). He was the team doctor on the European tour and also the ARC and a week short of his 34th birthday is unlikely to see many more tests. His brother Moisés (46, 2008) remains an integral part of the team and has a good chance of breaking the record of Ige, while Lucas Piero (43, 2012) could hit the 50 mark in early 2019.

RANK	NAME	CAPS	DEBUT	LAST
1	João Luiz da Ros	65	2002	2017*
2	Daniel Danielewicz	64	2002	2017
3	Ramiro Mina	50	1995	2012

 

CHILE (1)

Finding complete test records beyond 2008 for the Cóndores is a challenge and any at all beyond 2002 incredibly difficult. As such coming up with historical cap numbers is a near-impossible task. Chile Rugby stated prior to the 2016 ARC that Cristián Onetto had 60 caps, and Sergio de la Fuente 48. If we take that as accurate Onetto would finish with 65 and de la Fuente 49.

As with Brazil reaching even 30 caps has proved a challenge for Chilean players and only three players in the current ARC squad have met that mark. Benjamín Soto (38 caps, 2012 debut) is the senior player in the group with Juan Pablo Perrotta (34, 2008) and Francisco de la Fuente (34, 2008) next on the list.

RANK	NAME	CAPS	DEBUT	LAST
1	Cristián Onetto	65	2002	2016