Rugby World Cup squads: What price on experience?

Experience wins Rugby World Cups, or so we have been told repeatedly in 2015, as 20 nations’ worth of rugby fans speculated, guessed, and brainstormed just what kind of shape their team would take on.

But now that all 20 squads have been named, how many teams actually went down this route?

With 620 players named in all, and however many more in shadow squads behind them, there will be hundreds of players heading to their second Rugby World Cup, just as there will be large numbers of players taking part in their first.

But when you think about it, playing a second Rugby World Cup can happen inside four years. So with a large amount of curiosity, I trawled through all 20 squads to see how many teams had players heading to their third Rugby World Cup or more.

And a declaration up front: I’ll almost certainly have left a multiple-Rugby World Cup player or players out in all this, so please throw any more into the mix as required.

Pool A
Australia has come under fire for naming only two hookers, but in among all that, three Wallabies in Stephen Moore, Adam Ashley-Cooper and Matt Giteau will be making their third Rugby World Cup appearance. For Giteau, who missed the 2011 tournament, his third goes back to 2003, including the 20-17 final loss to England thanks to Jonny Wilkinson’s drop goal in extra-time. Thirteen players will make their Rugby World Cup debut.

England’s squad surprised the hell out of me in the middle of all this research. No doubt Stuart Lancaster will be confident in his selections, but there is not one player with three Rugby World Cups to their name. Guys like Geoff Parling (24 Tests), James Haskell (60), skipper Chris Robshaw (38), Danny Care (52) and Mike Brown (38) feel like they’ve been around forever, but all will be on Rugby World Cup debut along with several others in the squad. In all, there are just over 760 Test caps in the squad.

Wales have 12 players backing up from the excruciating 9-8 semi-final loss to France at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, but not too much beyond that. Gethin Jenkins became the most capped prop in Test history on Saturday against Ireland, after making his 120th appearance to pass Jason Leonard’s mark, and will also be lining up for his fourth Rugby World Cup. Lock Alun-Wyn Jones is the only player going to a third tournament. And they’ve only picked two hookers, too. Oh, the irony, if Wales and Australia both lost a hooker on October 10.

Fiji will be captained by former Gloucester No.8 Akapusi Qera in his third Rugby World Cup, while hooker Sunia Koto, flanker Netani Talei, and former Bayonne centre Gabiriele Lovobalavu will all be heading to their third Cup, too.

Uruguay? Simple. All 31 players are on Rugby World Cup debut, with no survivors from Los Teros‘ two previous appearances at the Rugby World Cup in 1999 and 2003.

Pool B
South Africa were always expected to field an experienced squad, with the popular belief that Victor Matfield and co. had so much Rugby World Cup experience that they were actually in the Rugby School yard in 1823 when William Webb Ellis first ran with the ball.

In truth, the Springboks don’t even have the most experienced side, though they will boast 1297 caps heading into the tournament. Matfield and Schalk Burger will take part in their fourth Rugby World Cup, while Jean de Villiers, Brian Habana, JP Pietersen, Ruan Pienaar, Fourie du Preez, and Bismarck and Jannie du Plessis will play in their third, having all been part of South Africa’s victorious team of 2007. Sixteen players will also make their World Cup debut.

Samoa were the first country to name their squad, nearly a month ago, and lock Iosefa Tekori and hulking winger Alesana Tuilagi will both play their third World Cup. Flanker Maurie Fa’asavalu will also play his third World Cup after appearing in 2003 and 2011, and he also played the 2008 Rugby League World Cup for England during a 164-game stint with St Helens.

Japan coach Eddie Jones, when not checking out what’s on in Cape Town, named 10 players with previous Rugby World Cup experience, but only 37-year-old lock Hitoshi Ono – the most capped player in the squad with 93 Tests – and fellow lock Luke Thompson will play in their third tournament.

Scotland’s squad contains even fewer caps than England’s, with Greig Laidlaw’s team comprising just 651 Tests all up. Hooker Ross Ford accounts for 88 of them and he along with Alasdair Dickinson and Sean Lamont are set for their third tournament. Only three more – Richie Gray, Alasdair Strokosch, and Richie Vernon (who played No.8 in 2011, and is picked as a centre in 2015) – will front up for a second tournament.

For the USA, Saracens back Chris Wyles captains a USA Eagles squad containing 20 debutants. Wyles, Mike Petri, Mate Moeakiola, Takudzwa Ngwenya and Louis Stanfill will appear in their third Rugby World Cup.

Pool C
New Zealand coach Steve Hansen named a squad comprising a ridiculous 1484 caps, and with almost 1000 among the 17 forwards alone. Fourteen members of the 2011 winning side will be chasing history, to lift the Webb Ellis Cup for a second successive time, while the other 17 are on Rugby World Cup debut. Captain Richie McCaw, hooker Keven Mealamu and flyhalf Dan Carter will all make their fourth tournament appearance. It will be the third for prop Tony Woodcock, along with centres Conrad Smith and Ma’a Nonu, who was left out of the All Blacks’ 2007 squad.

Argentina coach Daniel Hourcade named outside back Horacio Agulla, centre Marcelo Bosch, prop Marcos Ayerza, backrower Juan Manuel Leguizamón, and midfielder Juan Martín Hernández for their third Rugby World Cup. Another 19 will be making their debut.

Tonga named 20 players who helped Tonga finish third in the recent World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup, but of the familiar names, including Nili Latu, Hale T-Pole, David Halaifonua, Sione Kalamafoni, and Paula Ngauomo, only hooker Aleki Lutui is heading to a third Rugby World Cup.

Georgian teenager Vasil Lobzhanidze could become the first 18-year-old in Rugby World Cup history after being named in the Lelos’ 31-man squad for England 2015. The scrumhalf doesn’t turn 19 until after the pool stages. Fullback Merab Kvirikashvili and lock Giorgi Chkhaidze are set for their fourth Rugby World Cup, having been part of the first Georgian team to play in the World Cup back in 2003. Prop Davit Zirakashvili, lock Levan Datunashvili, skipper and flanker Mamuka Gorgodze, and centre Davit Kacharava will head to their third tournament.

Namibian captain and Saracens flanker Jacques Burger is among four members appearing in their third tournament, with prop Johnny Redelinghuys, loose forward Tinus du Plessis and scrumhalf Eugene Jantjies also part of the Namibian teams that participated at France 2007 and New Zealand 2011.

Pool D
Rugby World Cup years are the only times of real stability for a French coach. Thus, Frédéric Michalak has a third World Cup to prepare for after being named in Philippe Saint-André’s 31-man squad. Michalak played 12 games across the 2003 and 2007 tournaments, but was an interesting omission in 2011.

Hooker Dimitri Szarzewski, prop Nicolas Mas, skipper and flanker Thierry Dusautoir will also be appearing at their third Rugby World Cup. Centres Mathieu Bastareaud and Wesley Fofana feel like they’ve been around for years, and both have played more than 30 Tests each, but will be on debut.

Irish tight-head Tadhg Furlong will be one of 17 players making their debut. With 103 caps, Paul O’Connell will play his fourth Rugby World Cup and is the only centurion in a squad boasting a total of 1043 caps, but with an average age of 34 per player. Hooker Rory Best and scrumhalf Eoin Reddan will play in their third Rugby World Cup. So plenty of experience in terms of games played and age, but not necessarily of tournament rugby.

Italy are headlined by flanker Mauro Bergamasco, who will equal Samoan great Brian Lima’s record (1991-2007) of appearing in five tournaments. Bergamasco’s experience will be massive for the Azzuri, with Italy head coach Jacques Brunel choosing 16 players never to feature at a World Cup. Sergio Parisse captains a group of players who boast more than 1000 caps between them, at an average of 36, and he’s joined by veteran prop Martin Castrogiovanni and centre Andrea Masi in competing at a fourth Rugby World Cup. Hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini also plays a third Rugby World Cup.

Canada have named 18 Rugby World Cup debutants. Clermont lock Jamie Cudmore will front up for his fourth Cup, becoming only the fifth player in Canadian history to play at four tournaments. Aaron Carpenter and DTH van der Merwe will both be playing in their third World Cup.

Romanian No.8 Ovidiu Tonita is set to play in his fourth Rugby World Cup. Tonita, who turned 35 earlier this month, first played at the 2003 tournament and was a non-playing member in 1999, too. Tighthead prop Ion Paulică and flyhalf Dănuț ‘Dan’ Dumbravăwill also line up for a fourth tournament, while lock Valentin Ursache, centre Csaba Gál and outside back Florin Vlaicu will play a third. This will be the eighth World Cup appearance for the Oaks, who are looking for their sixth tournament victory; the last coming in 2007 against Portugal.

So what’s all this mean? Well, with the hindsight of several hours link-clicking, I probably should’ve come up with a simpler theme for today. But I am nothing if not committed to a cause for a Friday.