No Frenchmen and just one Englishman as the Irish dominate this list of players who have made the most appearances in the Five/Six Nations.
(10) 54 – Jason Leonard is the only player in the Top 10 to play in both the Five and Six Nations having begun his international career in 1990. He didn’t feature in the competition until ‘91 but became a mainstay of the pack and helped the Red Rose to back-to-back Grand Slams. Even during the early 2000s, Leonard was regularly first choice as the Red Rose maintained their stranglehold on the tournament, winning it in 2001 and 2003, with the latter seeing them go unbeaten once again.
(9) 54 – John Hayes may not have been the best prop in Europe but he was absolutely vital for the national team, with tightheads in short supply in the Emerald Isle. For 10 years he anchored the scrum, very rarely going in reverse, as the former Munsterman helped them become a force in the Six Nations. They now, of course, have a number of options in the front-row, but Hayes set the ball rolling and he was rewarded by playing a part in the 2009 Grand Slam-winning side.
(8) 55 – Ross Ford is, surprisingly, the only Scot on this list, but it shows the issues they’ve had in getting a team that can compete with Europe’s elite. Chris Paterson was an ever-present but he just misses out as Ford, who has been there for over a decade, takes his place in the Top 10. The hooker will not feature in this year’s competition and may struggle to get back in, with plenty of young talent coming through the ranks, but he has been a great servant to the country, making 42 starts and a further 13 appearances from the bench.
(7) 55 – Rory Best is still going strong and remains first choice hooker at the age of 35. He is obdurate over the ball, has a huge work rate and is generally reliable at the lineout, meaning that the front-rower is a vital component of Joe Schmidt’s side. Best is also a trusted leader and will once again captain Ireland going into the 2018 Six Nations, where he should overtake Gibson and Jenkins in tournament appearances.
(6) 56 – Gethin Jenkins is still available for selection but Wales’ new crop of front-rowers appear to have overtaken the experienced loosehead. At his best, Jenkins was a multi-dimensional prop that was excellent with ball in hand, superb at the contact area and a solid scrummager. His try in the 2005 game against Ireland is etched in Welsh fans’ memories with that effort helping the Red Dragons to claim their first of three Grand Slams during Jenkins’ time in the jersey.
(5) 56 – Mike Gibson is the only player here of the ‘old guard’. He was a wonderful centre and regarded as one of the best ever. He could do pretty much everything on the field and featured 69 times for Ireland, with 56 of those coming in the Five Nations. Of his nine tries, eight were in Europe’s premier international competition. Although the back played during an inauspicious time for the Emerald Isle, with them having a lower than 50 per cent win percentage when Gibson took to the field, his imprint on the game has been indelible.
(4) 60 – Sergio Parisse will go level with the top man on this list should he feature in all five of Italy’s matches in 2018. The 34-year-old has been an inspiration for the Italians for 13 years and is still going after being named as captain in Conor O’Shea’s squad for the upcoming tournament. Although his influence is gradually diminishing, the number eight is still a vital part of the side and should eventually overtake the record.
(3) 60 – Martin Castrogiovanni is one of those to benefit from Italy’s introduction into the Six Nations, making 60 appearances – including 44 starts and 16 off the bench – Castrogiovanni anchored the Azzurri’s scrum for 14 years. Despite often being on the wrong side of the scoreline, with the prop having a win percentage of just over 12 per cent, the tighthead was consistently one of the best in Europe and earned 119 caps in an excellent career.
(2) 63 – Ronan O’Gara. The Irish take the top-two positions in this list but few will be surprised, with O’Gara another ever-present during the 2000s. Although he only made 41 starts, in comparison to the leader's 65, the fly-half made a further 22 appearances off the bench. The former Munster player was often Ireland’s first choice pivot during his time in a green shirt and scored 557 points in the Six Nations before Johnny Sexton began to take a more prominent role.
(1) 65 – Brian O’Driscoll. Who else? One of the greats of the game who was the individual synonymous with Ireland’s ‘golden generation’ tag after bursting onto the scene in 2000, scoring a hat-trick for their first victory in France since 1972. That encounter marked the introduction of one of the country’s best ever players as he went on to play in 65 matches in the Six Nations, touching down an impressive 26 times. Although success was initially limited for O’Driscoll and his team-mates, they finally secured the Grand Slam in 2009 before winning another title in 2014 – the centre’s final international match.
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