Most Victorious Test XV

I was looking up some stats for something else, this being an output. The attached XV incorporates those players with the most test match victories.

Tony Woodcock 92 wins/107 appearances
Keven Mealamu 94/110
Jason Leonard 89/119
Fabien Pelous 79/118
Martin Johnson 71/92
Olivier Magne 59/89
Richie McCaw 110/124
Lawrence Dallaglio 62/88
George Gregan 93/139
Dan Carter 88/100
Bryan Habana 63/95
Ma'a Nonu 77/88
Brian O'Driscoll 82/141
David Campese 67/101
Mils Muliaina 84/100


A celebration of both longevity and success. Unsurprisingly the recent ABs team features most often.

Not a bad team. they'd be able to win a few games

how about a most test tries xv? Probably be a completely different side...

Taylorman wrote:how about a most test tries xv? Probably be a completely different side...

15 Christian Cullen 46
14 Daisuke Ohata 69
13 Brian O'Driscoll 47
12 will Greenwood 31
11 David Campese 64
10 Dan Carter 29
09 Joost van der Westhuizen 38
08 Diego Ormaches (Urug) 33
07 Mamuka Gorgodze 24
06 Colin Charvis 22
05 Mark Andrews 12
04 Pedro Sporleder 14
03 Martin Castrogiovanni 12
02 Keith Wood 15
01 Kees Meeuws 10

Amazing pack difference. 3 of the same backs. Would be an interesting match...

How about on with highest strike rate for tries per match?

Biltong wrote:How about on with highest strike rate for tries per match?

Hmm, that will be a tricky one - win % would be much easier.

What about the heaviest test xv? (Tigers going to set a charge out rate shortly...)

LondonTiger wrote:

Biltong wrote:How about on with highest strike rate for tries per match?

Hmm, that will be a tricky one - win % would be much easier.

Come now mate, you like a challenge, don't you?

Conrad Smith has the highest winning percentage of the current experienced ABs so should be represented but it does raise the question for has the likes of Barrett ever known the feeling of losing a test match?

Biltong wrote:

LondonTiger wrote:

Biltong wrote:How about on with highest strike rate for tries per match?

Hmm, that will be a tricky one - win % would be much easier.

Come now mate, you like a challenge, don't you?

Looking only at backs to have scored at least 10 tries while playing in their selected position:

15 Cullen 41/47 0.87pg
14 Uriel O'Farrell (Arg) 13/2 6.5pg
13 Danie Gerber 19/24 0.79pg
12 alisi Tupuailei (Jap) 11/13 0.85pg
11 Alejandro Tolemei (Arg) 11/2 5.5pg
10 Shaun Webb (Jap) 11/16 0.69pg
09 JvDW 38/87 0.436pg

kiakahaaotearoa wrote:Conrad Smith has the highest winning percentage of the current experienced ABs so should be represented but it does raise the question for has the likes of Barrett ever known the feeling of losing a test match?

Smith has fewer victories than Nonu however, though yes at a higher proportion.

We have a handfull of New Kiwis with 10+ caps (but much lower starts) who are so far unbeaten in tests:

Barrett 16 wins (2 starts)
Cane 14 wins (9 starts)
Kerr-Barlow 14 wins (1 start)
Luatua 11 wins (4 starts)
Piutau 10 wins (4 starts)

Only two players have started at least 10 tests without ever losing:

Bill Davis (NZ 1967-70) 11 wins
Hannes Brewis (SA 1949-53) 10 wins


And as an aside the best winning percentage for a player to have lost at least 1 test is held by the best English full-back of all time - John Gallagher.

Nice LT. Gallagher imports are NZ's specialty.   

Nice article, and follow up statlines. Always love innocuous statistics. You do however lose credibility points for using "most victorious" instead of the accepted term, "winningest"

Could someone put together a least victorious 15, minimum requirements 50 caps?

I don't recognize some of the names from those tier two nations. But that Uruguayan number 8 jumps out. 33 test tries from a forward?

Joost van der Westhuizen's 38 is unbelievable too, especially since most of his games would have been against world class opposition. Definitely the best number 9 ever.

Keith Wood's 15 test tries playing in a team that couldn't buy a win is pretty good too.

kingraf wrote:Nice article, and follow up statlines. Always love innocuous statistics. You do however lose credibility points for using "most victorious" instead of the accepted term, "winningest"

I actually typed winningest but felt I was unable to make its use appear ironic.

IronMike wrote:Could someone put together a least victorious 15, minimum requirements 50 caps?

your wish is my command (again only looking at matches played in the position they are selected):

15 Andy Irvine 31 defeats in 54 tests
14 Shane Williams 45/90
13 BOD 57/141 (makes both most and least victorious teams)
12 Gonzalo Canale 54/76
11 Ieuan Evans 44/79
10 Stephen Jones 60/105
09 Alessandro Troncon 67/101
08 Sergio Parisse 72/98
07 Mauro Bergamasco 60/84
06 Alessandro Zanni 52/73
05 Marco Bortolami 70/98
04 Scott Murray 55/87
03 Martin Castrogiavanni 75/105
02 Fabio Ongaro 53/79
01 Andrea LoCicero 70/102

16 Gordon Bulloch 50/77
17 Gethin Jenkions 61/110
18 Salvatore Perugini 62/83
19 Gareth Llewellyn 54/92
20 Martyn Williams 56/104
21 Mike Blair 52/85
22 Ronan O'Gara 54/130
23 Chris Paterson 65/109


so dominated by Italian players since they were admitted to the 6Ns

Quite surprised by some of the names on there, you;d think the likes of Parisse, Shane Williams, ROG would have won more games than they have.

The 'losing' team is dominated by heavily capped players. Ergo they will have lost a few. Losing % would be a better measure.

I suspect Jamie Noon might feature amongst a team made up of 6N and 4N teams.



The Andy Robinson era - not England's finest.

BOD seems to be making every team...well...not every team... 

But that is interesting...hes played so many tests, that it doesnt matter what his strike rate is- he'd still make either the most winning or losing team, and largely both, other than a ridiculous amount of draws.