List of rugby union test caps leaders

Men's rugby test caps leaders

Alun Wyn Jones of Wales has the most international appearances for any male rugby player.

This is a list of the appearance leaders in men's rugby union test matches, listing the 92 players with over one hundred test caps. Rugby union requires only one nation to recognise a match as a test in order for it to be included in test statistics for that nation.[citation needed] The British and Irish Lions and Pacific Islanders do not represent a single country, but they are selected by a group of national unions and are recognised as test teams. Some national teams have sometimes granted test caps for matches against teams such as the invitational Barbarians side; these are included only if the union granted test caps for a particular match.

List

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As of 30 November 2024[1]
Bold Player is still active at international level.
Italics Player is still active at club level but has either retired from international rugby or has not been selected for their national team over a year.
Player has the record number of caps for their national team.
Rank Caps Player International team First/Latest
appearance
Primary
position
Ref(s)
1 171 Alun Wyn Jones   Wales (158)
  British and Irish Lions (13)
2006–2023 Lock [2]
2 153 Sam Whitelock   New Zealand 2010–2023 Lock [3]
3 148 Richie McCaw   New Zealand 2001–2015 Flanker [3]
4 143 James Slipper   Australia 2010–present Prop [4]
5 142 Sergio Parisse   Italy 2002–2019 Number 8 [3]
6 141 Brian O'Driscoll   Ireland (133)
  British and Irish Lions (8)
1999–2014 Centre [5][6]
7 139 George Gregan   Australia 1994–2007 Scrum-half [7][8]
8 134 Beauden Barrett   New Zealand 2012–present Fly-half [9]
Cian Healy   Ireland 2009–present Prop [10]
Gethin Jenkins   Wales (129)
  British and Irish Lions (5)
2002–2018 Prop [11]
11 132 Keven Mealamu   New Zealand 2002–2015 Hooker [12]
12 131 Eben Etzebeth   South Africa 2012–present Lock [13]
13 130 Ronan O'Gara   Ireland (128)
  British and Irish Lions (2)
2000–2013 Fly-half [14]
14 129 Stephen Moore   Australia 2005–2017 Hooker [15]
Conor Murray   Ireland (120)
  British and Irish Lions (9)
2011–present Scrum-half [16][17]
Florin Vlaicu   Romania 2006–2022 Centre [18]
Ben Youngs   England (127)
  British and Irish Lions (2)
2010–2023 Scrum-half [19][20]
18 127 Victor Matfield   South Africa 2001–2015 Lock [21]
Kieran Read   New Zealand 2008–2019 Number 8 [22]
20 125 Michael Hooper   Australia 2012–2023 Flanker [23]
Aaron Smith   New Zealand 2012–2023 Scrum-half [24]
22 124 Rory Best   Ireland 2005–2019 Hooker [25]
Bryan Habana   South Africa 2004–2016 Wing [26]
George North   Wales (121)
  British and Irish Lions (3)
2010–2024 Wing [27][28]
Johnny Sexton   Ireland (118)
  British and Irish Lions (6)
2009–2023 Fly-half [29][30]
26 122 Davit Kacharava   Georgia 2006–2020 Centre [31]
27 121 Adam Ashley-Cooper   Australia 2005–2019 Centre / Wing [32]
Dan Cole   England (118)
  British and Irish Lions (3)
2010–present Prop
29 120 Yuri Kushnarev   Russia 2005–2021 Fly-half / Fullback
30 119 Martin Castrogiovanni   Italy 2002–2016 Prop [33]
Owen Farrell   England (112)
  British and Irish Lions (7)
2012–2023 Fly-half [34][35]
Jason Leonard   England (114)
  British and Irish Lions (5)
1990–2004 Prop [36]
Alessandro Zanni   Italy 2005–2020 Flanker [37]
34 118 Fabien Pelous   France 1995–2007 Lock [38]
Tony Woodcock   New Zealand 2002–2015 Prop [39]
36 117 Tendai Mtawarira   South Africa 2008–2019 Prop [40]
37 116 Dan Biggar   Wales (112)
  British and Irish Lions (4)
2008–2023 Fly-half [41][42]
Nathan Sharpe   Australia 2002–2012 Lock [43]
Alexander Todua   Georgia 2008–present Wing
40 115 Merab Kvirikashvili   Georgia 2003–2018 Fullback [44]
Paul O'Connell   Ireland (108)
  British and Irish Lions (7)
2002–2015 Lock [45]
42 112 Marco Bortolami   Italy 2001–2015 Lock [46]
Dan Carter   New Zealand 2003–2015 Fly-half [47]
44 111 Ross Ford   Scotland (110)
  British and Irish Lions (1)
2004–2017 Hooker [48]
Courtney Lawes   England (105)
  British and Irish Lions (6)
2009–2023 Flanker
Peter O'Mahony   Ireland (110)
  British and Irish Lions (1)
2012–present Flanker
Philippe Sella [a]   France 1982–1995 Centre [50]
John Smit   South Africa 2000–2011 Hooker[51] [52]
George Smith   Australia 2000–2013 Flanker [53][54]
50 110 Agustin Creevy   Argentina 2005–2024 Hooker [55]
Taulupe Faletau   Wales (104)
  British and Irish Lions (6)
2011–present Number 8 [56][57]
Will Genia   Australia 2009–2019 Scrum-half [58]
Stephen Jones   Wales (104)
  British and Irish Lions (6)
1998–2011 Fly-half [59]
Sekope Kepu   Australia 2008–2019 Prop [60]
55 109 Jean de Villiers   South Africa 2002–2015 Centre [61]
Cătălin Fercu   Romania 2005–2020 Fullback [62]
Pablo Matera   Argentina 2013–present Flanker
Chris Paterson   Scotland 1999–2011 Fullback / Wing [63]
Brodie Retallick   New Zealand 2012–2023 Lock
60 108 Owen Franks   New Zealand 2009–2019 Prop
Florin Surugiu   Romania 2008–2024 Scrum-half
62 107 Leonardo Ghiraldini   Italy 2006–2020 Hooker
Victor Gresev   Russia 2006–2022 Flanker
John Hayes   Ireland (105)
  British and Irish Lions (2)
2000–2011 Prop [64][65]
Diego Magno   Uruguay 2008–2024 Lock
66 106 Mauro Bergamasco   Italy 1998–2015 Flanker [66]
Rob Simmons   Australia 2010–2020 Lock
68 105 Leigh Halfpenny   Wales (101)
  British and Irish Lions (4)
2008–2023 Fullback
Sean Lamont   Scotland 2004–2016 Wing [67]
Julian Montoya   Argentina 2014–present Hooker
71 104 Sam Cane   New Zealand 2012–2024 Flanker
Mihai Macovei   Romania 2006–2023 Flanker
Nicolas Sanchez   Argentina 2010–2023 Fly-half
Martyn Williams   Wales (100)
  British and Irish Lions (4)
1996–2012 Flanker [68]
75 103 Matt Giteau   Australia 2002–2016 Fly-half [69]
Andrea Lo Cicero Vaina   Italy 2000–2013 Prop [70]
Shalva Mamukashvili   Georgia 2011–2023 Hooker
Ma'a Nonu   New Zealand 2003–2015 Centre [71]
Merab Sharikadze   Georgia 2012–2024 Centre
Gareth Thomas   Wales (100)
  British and Irish Lions (3)
1995–2007 Utility back [72][73]
81 102 Jonathan Davies   Wales (96)
  British and Irish Lions (6)
2009–2022 Centre
Stuart Hogg   Scotland (100)
  British and Irish Lions (2)
2012–2023 Fullback
Stephen Larkham   Australia 1996–2007 Fly-half [7][74]
Percy Montgomery   South Africa 1997–2008 Fullback [75]
Alessandro Troncon   Italy 1994–2007 Scrum-half [7][76]
86 101 David Campese [a]   Australia 1982–1996 Wing [77]
Danny Care   England 2008–2024 Scrum-half
Keith Earls   Ireland 2008–2023 Wing
Jamie George   England (97)
  British and Irish Lions (4)
2015-present Hooker
Gonçalo Uva   Portugal 2004–2018 Lock
Vasco Uva   Portugal 2003–2016 Flanker [78]
92 100 Valentin Calafeteanu   Romania 2004–2019 Scrum-half
Giorgi Chkhaidze   Georgia 2002–2017 Number 8
Andrey Garbuzov   Russia 2005–2020 Flanker
Jamie Heaslip   Ireland (95)
  British and Irish Lions (5)
2006–2017 Number 8
Adam Jones   Wales (95)
  British and Irish Lions (5)
2002–2014 Prop [79]
Lasha Malaghuradze   Georgia 2008–2023 Fly-half
Mils Muliaina   New Zealand 2003–2011 Fullback [80]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Primarily active during rugby's amateur era, before the IRB declared the game "open" to professionalism on 26 August 1995.[49]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Player Records". ESPN Scrum. stats.espnscrum.com. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  2. ^ "Alun Wyn Jones Career figures". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 2019-09-07.
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  6. ^ "Statsguru / Player analysis / Brian O'Driscoll / Test matches". Scrum.com. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
  7. ^ a b c Bond, Karen, Rugby News Service (2007-10-19). "Thanks for the memories". International Rugby Board. Archived from the original on 2007-10-21. Retrieved 2008-02-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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