View Knives Out's Roar profile

By Knives Out - Roar Guru[?]
July 17th 2009 @ 1:51am
Get a Roar profile

1
Like it? Cheer it. More cheers, higher up on page.
Loading ... Loading ...

ADVERTISEMENT
View The Roar's top rugby union writers.
Join Australia’s community for solo & micro business at FlyingSolo.com.au

The Golden Greats in the Centurians Club

As George Smith closes in on his centurion game of Test rugby, Australian fans could be forgiven for forgetting just how difficult it is to accumulate so many Test appearances in a national jersey.

And in a forwards jersey, at that.

Of the nine current centurions three are Australian. That injury has led George Smith to only miss a handful of Tests since his 2000 debut does nothing to alter that perception.

However, to become the most capped Australian forward and the most capped flanker ever at the age of twenty nine, is a freakish achievement and one that should be duly acknowledged.

To that extent, George Smiths’ reputation speaks for itself. Therefore it would do the man a disservice to weakly trot out the various accolades that pepper his career.

George Smith has noted that his reliability (ergo his excellence) can be attributed to his short legs and big backside.

That sort of modesty sums up the man.

Thus, in light of such modesty, I think Smith would find it appropriate to consider the nine other centurions that have starred in our game.

David Campese – (Australia) 101 caps
Ruby union’s first sport-made millionaire was an extraordinary talent that could win and lose a game depending on which way the wind was blowing. It is a cliché, but there really are too many moments of esoteric excellence and eccentricity to recall. But I think the most significant aspect of Campese’s character was his stoic professionalism and single-minded determination in the pursuit of excellence.

Campese was not a star by chance, and that perpetual work ethic is a vital tenet of rugby union, something that all the centurions share.

Campese’s try scoring record does not look like being broken by a top-ranked IRB player any time soon, with Shane Williams needing 16 tries to equal Campese’s 64 touch downs.

Alessandro Troncon – (Italy) 101 caps
It is too easy to dismiss Troncon as a mediocre player dominating matters in a consistently weak Italian team, because that is not the case.

European fans will recall a thoroughly vibrant and abrasive player, often driving and physically spurring the Italian pack forward. Needless to say, Troncon was Man of the Match during Italy’s first Six Nations away win at Murrayfield in 2007.

He retired an Italian icon.

Percy Montgomery – (South Africa) 102 caps
Unfortunately, Montgomery may be remembered merely as a reliable, kicking back, but Percy had a very interesting career which took in stints with the Newport Gwent Dragons in Wales (including a two year ban for pushing over a referee), USAP Perpignan in France and finally with the Sharks and Stormers in South Africa, eventually signing off following the 53-8 destruction of Australia.

I doubt that the irony of that scenario evaded those involved with the ‘Inside Rugby’ programme.

Despite Montgomery’s various erratic tendencies, one does not become South Africa’s most capped player and leading scorer by coincidence.

Montgomery’s success is even more impressive in light of the fact that he wasn’t selected for international rugby for three years during his period in Wales.

Stephen Larkham – (Australia) 102 caps
Built like the proverbial garden rake, Larkham was a uniquely gifted rugby player. Having spent time in the back three, he grasped the ten jersey and never looked back.

Despite a pale, skinny frame, Larkham was by no means passive and I recall a feisty character not frightened to get involved, as Nick Easter would testify.

The term genius is oft overused, but not in this case. Larkham was quite simply a genius rugby player.

Gareth Thomas – (Wales) 103 caps: 100 Wales and 3 British and Irish Lions
Thomas always suffered from a reputation that depicted him as a party boy (apparently Richie McCaw was left speechless by his post-Test drinking in 2005), and the fact that he could play in more than one backline position (five in fact).

Despite this, Thomas eventually rose to take on the captaincy of Cardiff Blues, Wales and the British and Irish Lions, managing to also cultivate a very successful period at Toulouse – which is no mean feat for a nervous, naturally shy Welshman.

Interestingly, Thomas became the first player to lose on his 100th appearance (against Fiji in the 2007 World Cup). He is also the 9th leading rugby union test try scorer, having touched down on 41 separate occasions.

The controversial career of Thomas incorporated four world cups, two lengthy assault charges, five clubs, various Welsh test records, a Grand Slam, a Heineken Cup victory, a losing Lions tour and a suspected stroke (later diagnosed as a ruptured artery).

Welsh rugby is never without drama and no Welshman will forget Thomas’ frantic ‘Player Power’ television debate with Eddie Butler, but more tellingly no Welshman will ever forget ‘the Ayatollah’, and a man who was admired by nearly everyone, from Steve Hansen to Guy Noves to Sir Clive Woodward.

Philippe Sella – (France) 111 caps
There is little that needs to be said about Sella.

The former PE teacher, from farming stock, strode across the game like a giant. Frankly, the man possessed every talent a centre would require, and then some. To gather so many caps whilst playing in the amateur era is incredible. Sella is one of only five players to have scored a try in every round of the Five Nations.

Fabien Pelous – (France) 118 caps
Pelous was often juxtaposed with Martin Johnson, but more often he played in his shadow. Personally, I perceived Pelous as a completely different player, a fantastic athlete and a real physical specimen – something that Martin Johnson certainly was not – and a player that could also, perhaps unwisely, play in the back row.

Pelous was the standard bearer for Toulouse and France – both on and off the pitch.

A notorious story recalls how he stabbed Freddy Michalak in the hand with a fork because Michalak was misbehaving in public. A talisman who epitomised the ferocity and passion of rugby in South France.

Jason Leonard – (England) 119 caps: 114 England & 5 British & Irish Lions
Leonard is perhaps best remembered as a rotund, jovial Englishman with a large belly and gentlemanly side-parting hair cut.

I wouldn’t deny the accuracy of such a recollection, but I would contend that it undermines his value as a rugby player.

As a young buck Leonard was a streamlined, stubbled, nasty and spiteful beast – never to the extreme, I might add, but he realised what was necessary in the front row.

Despite this, he was the first man to seek his opposite man out following the game, and famously was the lone Englishman to clap the Scots off the pitch following their 2000 Six Nations victory over England.

In playing terms, Leonard was marvellously durable and one of the few props to be able to compete accurately on both sides of the scrum, as we saw during the 1993 Lions tour.

Having been an essential cog in England’s mean machine in the early 1990s one might have allowed Leonard a tantrum or two when he was frequently dropped by Woodward during the noughties. But that was never going to be the case.

The man dubbed the ideal Lions tourist was not known as the ‘Fun Bus’ for no good reason.

Leonard’s final moment of glory came during the 2003 World Cup final when, fed up of being unfairly penalised by Andre Watson, Woodward sent on Leonard to reassure the referee and stabilise the set piece.

George Gregan – (Australia) 139 caps
George Gregan polarises opinion. Regardless, one cannot ignore Gregan’s pedigree.

The latter part of his career was dogged by complaints of politicking and complacency and there is a sustainable argument that Gregan played Test rugby for too long.

But rugby is an experience based sport, so who can blame Jones or Connolly?

I consider it appropriate to remember Gregan’s initial years in the Wallaby jersey. He was, for example, the Australian vice-captain in 1997 and was the obvious choice to take over from Eales in 2001.

Further, as a former amateur Test player and a founding Brumby, he lived a Corinthian rugby life, eventually taking a sojourn in France.

Gregan’s breaking ability may have gradually faded, and the years may have taken their toll and lessened the rage, but class is permanent and the man had the heart of a lion.

Going to the Waratahs v Brumbies blockbuster at ANZ Stadium, Saturday 24 April? If you're keen to meet up with other Roarers, register you interest and we'll keep you informed on the place to meet. Register now.

Get Australia's best Rugby opinion emailed daily.
Like this content? Buzz it up!

Free Email updates:

Our daily emails are only sent if there is content for the sport or that author. You can subscribe to multiple daily emails; or get the daily Roar email with all our content in it. We value privacy. More...

 

Crowd Says (7)

  •   Boo Cheers

    sheek said  | July 17th 2009 @ 1:22pm | Report comment

    A great irony is that Percy Montgomery was a South African. With a moniker like that he ought to have been an Englishman through & through. They don’t come more English than ‘Percy’ & ‘Montgomery’.

    But then, Nasser Hussein was an English cricket captain, old chum! What’s the world coming to?

  •   Boo Cheers

    Ben J said  | July 17th 2009 @ 4:21pm | Report comment

    Percy will be remembered as having 2 rugby lives, the first as being a bit, shall we say, unpredictable and flashy with the white boots and bleached hair and the second after his stint in Wales. He came back as a much more focused individual and in the best form of his life winning a World Cup in the process.

  •   Boo Cheers
    View Greg Russell's Roar profile

    Greg Russell said  | July 17th 2009 @ 4:48pm | Report comment

    Knives, thanks for the article, and re Gregan, please see my comment with Chris Laidlaw’s article today, and also a second comment mentioning your mention of the bookies …

    … I’m disappointed that our South African friends have not continued the “discussion” … perhaps they are too mystified by my notion that you and I try to write on rugby from a plane of reason rather than emotion.

    Re the above, I still haven’t solved whether Leonard should be regarded as having 114 or 119 caps. Caps are awarded for Lions matches, but on the other hand they do not count for world rankings. Players like Pelous have no access to Lions caps (a reason against), but on the other hand one can argue that if the Lions tours had not occurred, then Leonard would have notched caps on tours at the same time by England.

    There is a similar issue in cricket with players who have turned out for the ICC World XI – should those performances be counted in career statistics? (Currently they are.)

  •   Boo Cheers

    Rusty said  | July 17th 2009 @ 5:49pm | Report comment

    Great article KO – of the lot Jason Leonard was my favourite. I loved the fact he had such character and played in the true spirit of the game – hard but fair and loved to socialise after. Perhaps my fondest memory will be him scoring a try for the Barbarians at Twickers as they beat England after Clive had left him out of the latest squad. His grin like a giant middle finger

    Greg – Unnecessary dig I might add, you might stir people of their “plane of reason” . I have read the Laidlaw article but only just. Probably head out for a beer to find my own “plane of reason” and comment later. Please excuse typos in advance.

  •   Boo Cheers

    Rusty said  | July 17th 2009 @ 5:50pm | Report comment

    oops a few Boags down the track already “of their” = “off their”

  •   Boo Cheers
    View Knives Out's Roar profile

    Knives Out said  | July 17th 2009 @ 8:22pm | Report comment

    Mr. Russell,

    I think Lions caps should not be included. As you point out, it isn’t quite cricket, eh. Having said that, I think I’ve just changed my mind as I type. SH players are given caps for appearances against the Lions and France tour during that period so I say keep ‘em in.

    Rusty,

    Leonard actually gave an end-of-season talk at my local rugby club. Lovely man. He then came out for drinks at our local pub a few days later completely of his own accord. Very genuine, and perhaps the fact that he crossed both eras has something to do with that overwhelming desire to socialise.

  •   Boo Cheers
    View Greg Russell's Roar profile

    Greg Russell said  | July 18th 2009 @ 9:23pm | Report comment

    Apologies, Rusty. National stereotyping always gets one in trouble. It should be clear from our previous discussion that Knives and I find a common “plane of reason” with you.

Have your Say

If you like this article, Subscribe! Subscribe to our daily email

Please be sure to enter your name and email before submitting this comment. Please also refer to our comments policy

 

Hot debate

What you're Roaring!

By signing up to the daily The Roar email you'll receive all the new articles and sports opinion that we put up on the website each day - delivered direct into your inbox. For free. We think it's the best way to receive our content.

Our emails contain the article along with the images - just like on the website.