Most Capped International of all time

First topic message reminder :

George Gregan - 139 caps
Brian O'Driscoll - 136 caps (8 Lions caps)

Simple question: O'Driscoll retires after the six nations. He has potentially 5 games left. By then will he have become the most capped player of all time?

5 games to go, 4 required to break the record.

I understand there are lots of trolls that fester around O'Driscoll articles so I will prempt some inevitable and highly amusing jokes/obversations:

Not if Davies gets picked instead. Ha ha.
Not if Gatland drops him. Ha ha.
He wouldnt have had half those caps if he was a Kiwi/Saffer/Aussie.....
etc.

Whatever you think of the man his haul of 136 to date is pretty good. The last home game in the 6N this year v Italy sold out fairly quickly this year. Probably to bid farewell to the great man.

Absolutely correct Scarlet. Thats said I had hoped this wouldnt turn into another article re the Lions tour. Guess it is inevitable though.

GunsGerms wrote:Absolutely correct Scarlet. Thats said I had hoped this wouldnt turn into another article re the Lions tour. Guess it is inevitable though.

I guess when you have toured as much as he has, it is inevitable that it would be brought up   

GunsGerms wrote:

asoreleftshoulder wrote:

Cyril wrote:Lions caps shouldn't count as they're not available to all.

That doesn't matter,a player who isn't playing for the Lions can get caps on a summer tour for his country instead.

Exactly, plus summer tour caps are arguably easier to get than Lions caps.

From a Scottish perspective that's certainly the case   

I'd be delighted for BOD to hold the record. An exceptional player and by all accounts a pretty decent bloke. Gregan on the other hand.....

Are 139 caps for Ireland as prestigious as 139 caps for Australia (many gained during their golden RWC winning era)?

fa0019 wrote:Are 139 caps for Ireland as prestigious as 139 caps for Australia (many gained during their golden RWC winning era)?

Equally - remember BOD won most of his caps during Ireland "golden generation" as well....   

I'm not sure if thats true Taylorman... BOD isn't exactly known for shirking contact. The man has so many caps because he's played through a ridiculous number of injuries. He's played when he'd be a hell of a lot wiser not to many times. And he's never shy about going into a ruck.

funnyExiledScot wrote:

fa0019 wrote:Are 139 caps for Ireland as prestigious as 139 caps for Australia (many gained during their golden RWC winning era)?

Equally - remember BOD won most of his caps during Ireland "golden generation" as well....   

JC Le Roux (SA's lambrini) makes vintage sparkling wine... but it doesn't mean its the same quality of vintage as our own no.1 sparkling, Boschendal (6th best Champagne in the world 2013). I think AUS highest heights, competition and quality of players during the Gregan era was a little higher then the Irish BOD Golden generation.

fa0019 wrote:

funnyExiledScot wrote:

fa0019 wrote:Are 139 caps for Ireland as prestigious as 139 caps for Australia (many gained during their golden RWC winning era)?

Equally - remember BOD won most of his caps during Ireland "golden generation" as well....   

JC Le Roux (SA's lambrini) makes vintage sparkling wine... but it doesn't mean its the same quality of vintage as our own no.1 sparkling, Boschendal (6th best Champagne in the world 2013). I think AUS highest heights, competition and quality of players during the Gregan era was a little higher then the Irish BOD Golden generation.

You don't say!

Still, for the sake of balance, who was actually competing with Gregan for his jersey that was any good? Whittaker? Valentine?

BOD has had to see off the challenge of players like Kevin Maggs and.....and.....   

So Gregan and BOD have had minimal competition for their jerseys most of the time - is this because they were soooo good that other good players didn't come close or is it because they were lucky to be playing at a time where the competition was just not really there (in their country).
Probably given the overall esteem they were held in it was more of the former and less of the later though its probably a bit of both.