Rugby union is a sport with a rich history and many legendary names associated with it, but who are the most capped international players in the world? Here, we break down the top 10 most capped international players in world rugby.
Top 10 Most Capped International Rugby Players Of All Time
Here’s a list of the most capped international rugby union players ever, including the likes of Richie McCaw and Sergio Parisse, among many other names that will be remembered for many years to come...
*Denotes a current international player.
Correct going into 2023.
10. Stephen Moore (129 caps)
Aussie hooker Stephen Moore tallied 129 caps between 2005-2017 for his home country but he isn’t quite the top-capped Australian union player in this list.
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9. Ronan O’Gara (130 caps)
ROG earned 130 caps in his career spanning 13 years between 2000 and 2013. He had 128 Ireland caps and two British and Irish Lions caps.
8. Keven Mealamu (132 caps)
There aren’t many more recognisable forwards in the history of the game than Keven Mealamu. He ended All Blacks his career with 132 caps throughout 2002 to 2015.
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7. Gethin Jenkins (134 caps)
Gethin Jenkins, otherwise known as Melon to his friends, played at the top level between 2002-2018 and got himself a hefty 134 caps, with five of which being for the British and Irish Lions. He now finds himself as defence coach of Wales rugby union’s national side.
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6. George Gregan (139 caps)
Gregan still tops the list of all-time most capped Australian rugby players, having had an impressive 139 caps between 1994 and 2007.
5. Brian O’Driscoll (141 caps)
BOD played in three different decades (1999-2014) and got himself a total of 141 international rugby union caps – including 8 Lions test caps. He’s now a regular fixture on BT Sport as a pundit, but let’s not forget how awesome a player Brian O’Driscoll was.
4. Sergio Parisse (142 caps)
Sergio, the Italian hero, gets the third place in this list of the most capped players in the world rugby. Parisse ended his career, which started in 2002, with 142 Italian caps – making him the most capped Italian rugby player ever. He never quite got that send-off he desired.
3. Richie McCaw (148 caps)
Richie McCaw won 148 caps for the All Blacks.
Richie McCaw, one of the best players ever to play the game and certainly the greatest All Black ever, ended his career in 2015 after becoming the first captain ever to win the Rugby World Cup TWICE!
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He played from 2001-2015 and went out at the pinnacle of the sport, having just won the RWC for a second time as skipper. He is, quite frankly, the ultimate All Black – as he dreamed of being.
2. Sam Whitelock (151 caps)*
All Blacks stalwart and lock Sam Whitelock is currently on 151 international caps for his country. During the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, he surpassed his former skipper, Richie McCaw, and should earn a few more caps before he hangs up his boots.
Will he reach the 158 of Alun Wyn Jones? We’ll soon see!
1. Alun Wyn Jones (158 caps)
The inspirational Alun Wyn Jones (AWJ) currently has 158 international caps to his name – plus nine British and Irish Lions test caps.
The former Welsh captain is deserved of his place at the top spot, and it’s some record to beat!
Who is the most capped rugby player ever? Alun Wyn Jones is the most capped rugby union player of all time, with over 150 caps to his name. He unfortunately retired from international rugby before the RWC 2023.
Who are the most capped English rugby players of all time?
The English rugby player with the most caps is Ben Youngs with 115 caps. The scrum half is still actively playing for England and is likely to make the Six Nations and RWC in 2023.
Jason Leonard, who retired with 114 caps to his name, previously held the record for the most England rugby caps.
Interestingly, no English player is listed in the top 10 list of the most capped players ever. I guess that says something about the difficulty of maintaining a position due to England’s large player pool.
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Who is the most capped Welsh rugby Union player?
The most capped Welsh rugby union player is Alun Wyn Jones, followed by Gethin Jenkins, Stephen Jones, Gareth Thomas and Martyn Williams, who all have 100+ caps for their country.
Who is the most capped Scotland rugby Union player?
Ross Ford is the most capped Scottish rugby union player, having earned 110 caps, just one above the legendary Chris Paterson. Sean Lamont is the only other Scotsman to earn over a hundred caps for the nation. Stuart Hogg could end up topping the list, as he’s closing in on 100 Scotland caps at the age of 30.
Who is the most capped Ireland rugby union player?
Brian O’Driscoll is the most capped Irish rugby union player of all time with 133 caps, followed by Ronan O’Gara, Rory Best, Paul O’Connell, and John Hayes, who all have over 100 caps for the nation.
So, to summarise. Alun Wyn Jones is the most capped international rugby player of all time. And he’s still playing, so he has some more in the tank!
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