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There are a number of players approaching the mark of 50 test rugby caps. This is true worldwide, while in the Americas there are some players very close and others who could earn their 50th cap by having a very busy 2022. Who are the players? How many caps short of 50 are they?
The current article has two purposes. First, it identifies which players from the six countries of Canada, USA, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina can reach 50 test caps in 2022. Second, it documents which active players from these countries already has 50 or more test caps. They are shown in tables.
It is hoped that the data may provide the reader with comparative insight into the players across the teams and to the teams themselves.
CANADA
A lingering question following Canada’s RWC qualifiers elimination is what is install for the test team in 2022? Will Canada host touring teams in July? Will Canada play home-and-away tests against the USA? Will Canada tour Europe for three tests in November? The answers remains unknown.
2022 truly is uncharted waters for Canada; the team is in no man’s land. On the one hand, early elimination may bring with it less opportunities. On the other hand, perhaps there will be a similar number of test matches, just not against the traditional rivals.
Djustice Sears-Duru is Canada’s most capped active player. His 60 test caps are far more than the second-most capped player with 43. Lucas Rumball may well reach 50 caps in 2021; he earned 7 caps in 2021. Jake Ilnicki is just one lower with 42 caps.
Six other Canadian players have between 30 and 40 caps. They are Tyler Ardron, Kyle Baillie, Matt Heaton, Eric Howard, Evan Olmstead, and Patrick Parfrey. Ardron has the most of the six players with 38 caps.
Click here to access the Canada player pool.
| PLAYER | POS | TEST DEBUT | CAPS |
| Djustice Sears-Duru | LH | 2013-11-23 Portugal 08, Canada 52 (Lisbon, PT) | 60 |
USA
As a minimum, the USA will play test rugby in July and November 2022. The Eagles are to face Chile home-and-away in July and possibly have additional internationals against Canada or teams from other regions. In short, three test matches are probable in July and a further three in November.
With an estimated six test matches for the year 2022, the chances of a USA player reaching the mark of 50 caps is non-existent. Cam Dolan is the only 2021 Eagle with more than 50 caps. Nine other players have 30 or more caps: Nate Brakeley, Bryce Campbell, Nick Civetta, AJ MacGinty, Will Magie, Greg Peterson, Joe Taufete’e, Titi Lamositele, and Mike Te’o. Campbell is second to Dolan with 39 caps.
Click here to access the USA player pool.
| PLAYER | POS | TEST DEBUT | CAPS |
| Cam Dolan | N8 | 2013-06-13 Fiji 35, USA 10 (Nagoya, JP) | 58 |
BRAZIL
Brazil enjoyed unprecedented opportunities in the RWC 2015-2019 cycle. Os Tupis competed in the Americas Rugby Championship in February and March for five matches. Brazil also had regular home and away matches.
In 2020 and 2021 opportunities were limited and this is to be the case again in 2022. To illustrate the difference consider the career of Moisés Duque. He is the most capped Brazilian with 61 caps. He earned 12 caps in 2017 compared to 2 in 2020 and 3 in 2021.
Moisés Duque is alone in having 50 or more caps. Seven of his teammates are closing in on the mark of 50 caps. They are Lucas Abud, Yan Rosetti, Cléber Dias, André Arruda, Felipe Sancery, Daniel Sancery, and Lucas Tranquez. Abud (45 caps), Rosetti, (41 caps), F Sancery (41 caps), and Tranquez (42 caps) have 40 or more caps with Abud being the one player on track to reach 50 caps in 2022.
Click here to access the Brazil player pool.
| PLAYER | POS | TEST DEBUT | CAPS |
| Moisés Duque | FH/CE | 2008-06-19 Brazil 34, Colombia 06 (Asunción, PY) | 61 |
URUGUAY
Uruguay’s early qualification for RWC 2023 had brought intrigue over the test match fixtures for Los Teros in 2022 and 2023. Will Uruguay have a home test match against Argentina? Will Uruguay replace Canada to tour Six Nations teams? Will Uruguay have a home test match against Scotland in July 2022?
The expectation that exists is based on a number of factors. Recognizing Uruguay’s success is certainly a large part as is a desire to see rugby have new fixtures; to have less familiarity in who plays who. It will not be a while yet until Uruguay’s 2022 fixtures are confirmed.
There are nine active players with 50 or more caps on the roster. This is a striking comparison to that of Canada and the USA. Uruguay’s roster underwent little change from RWC 2019 to the RWC 2023 qualifiers played in 2021.
Franco Lamanna is the most recent player to earn 50 caps. He will potentially be joined by two others in 2022. Nicolas Freitas and Santiago Arata have 44 and 45 test caps respectively. Three others are in the high 30s: Matías Benítez has 38, Felipe Berchesi has 39 and Federico Favaro has 38 caps.
Uruguay’s most capped player is Diego Magno. The veteran of RWCs 2015 and 2019 is just three caps away from becoming the first player to earn 100 caps while representing a team from the Americas.
Click here to access the Uruguay player pool.
| PLAYER | POS | TEST DEBUT | CAPS |
| Mateo Sanguinetti | LH | 2014-04-26 Paraguay 10, Uruguay 34 (Asunción, PY) | 72 |
| Germán Kessler | HO | 2015-04-11 Uruguay 77, Paraguay 03 (Montevideo, UY) | 55 |
| Ignacio Dotti | LO | 2015-04-11 Uruguay 77, Paraguay 03 (Montevideo, UY) | 54 |
| Diego Magno | LO/FL | 2008-06-20 Russia 19, Uruguay 23 (Bucharest, RO) | 97 |
| Franco Lamanna | LO/FL | 2012-06-08 Romania 29, Uruguay 09 (Bucharest, RO) | 50 |
| Agustín Ormaechea | SH | 2011-11-13 Portugal 09, Uruguay 16 (Lisbon, PT) | 52 |
| Andrés Vilaseca | CE | 2013-04-27 Uruguay 18, Argentina 29 (Montevideo, UY) | 66 |
| Gastón Mieres | WI/FB | 2010-05-13 Uruguay 26, Brazil 10 (Santiago, CL) | 78 |
| Rodrigo Silva | FB/FH | 2012-11-11 Uruguay 25, Portugal 32 (Montevideo, UY) | 69 |
CHILE
One of the talking points of Chile’s performances in the RWC 2023 qualifiers is the age of the players; the majority of whom are aged below 25. This relates to the relatively low number of test caps in the team that faced Brazil, Uruguay, Canada and Russia in 2021.
None of Los Cóndores 2021 players have 50 caps. José Ignacio Larenas is the most capped current Chilean test player with 43 caps. His pathway to 50 caps in 2021 would require more tests than Chile play in most years.
Chile’s 2021 remains unknown. Los Cóndores will face the USA home-and-away in July with the loser, on aggregate, playing three test matches as part of the repechage qualifying for RWC 2023. It remains to be seen whether there will also be matches against South American teams such as Brazil, Colombia, Parguay and Uruguay.
Click here to access the Chile player pool.
ARGENTINA
Los Pumas will play 12 test matches in 2021. The busy year will see three home matches in July against Scotland followed by six test matches in the Rugby Championship and finishing with three test matches in the UK in November.
Eleven Argentines active in Europe have 50 or more caps for Los Pumas. They are Matías Alemanno, Agustin Creevy, Tomás Cubelli, Jerónimo de la Fuente, Tomás Lavanini, Pablo Matera, Julián Montoya, Matías Moroni, Guido Petti, Nicolás Sánchez, Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro. Creevy is the most capped forward with 89 and is second only to Sánchez with 93 caps.
Five players could reach 50 caps for Los Pumas in 2022. The most likely to do so is Marcos Kremer who has 47 caps for his country. Matías Orlando has 47. His last cap was in 2020. Santiago Cordero needs to play nine tests in 2022 to reach 50 while Emiliano Boffelli and Juan Imhoff are both on 38, meaning they both need to play in every test in 2022 to reach 50 caps.
Click here to access the Argentina player pool.
| PLAYER | POS | TEST DEBUT | CAPS |
| Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro | LH | 2010-05-23 Chile 9, Argentina 48 (Santiago, CL) | 67 |
| Agustín Creevy | HK/FL | 2005-04-23 Argentina 68, Japan 36 (Buenos Aires, AR) | 89 |
| Julián Montoya | HK | 2014-05-17 Uruguay 09, Argentina 65 (Paysandu, UY) | 75 |
| Matías Alemanno | LO | 2014-05-17 Uruguay 09, Argentina 65 (Paysandu, UY) | 73 |
| Tomás Lavanini | LO | 2013-04-27 Uruguay 18, Argentina 29 (Montevideo, UY) | 69 |
| Guido Petti | LO | 2014-11-14 Italy 18, Argentina 20 (Genoa, IT) | 66 |
| Pablo Matera | FL | 2013-05-01 Argentina 85, Chile 10 (Montevideo, UY) | 80 |
| Tomás Cubelli | SH | 2010-05-21 Argentina 38, Uruguay 0 (Santiago, CL) | 82 |
| Nicolás Sánchez | FH | 2010-05-21 Argentina 38, Uruguay 0 (Santiago, CL) | 93 |
| Jerónimo de la Fuente | CE | 2004-05-17 Uruguay 09, Argentina 65 (Paysandu, UY) | 65 |
| Matías Moroni | CE/WI | 2014-06-20 Argentina 19, Scotland 21 (Córdoba, AR) | 57 |
