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Ten players that never scored an international rugby try despite 60+ caps

(Photo by Pablo Morano/MB Media/Getty Images)

The longer a player’s rugby career is, the chances are that they will somehow manage to score a try at some point. Whether it is a pick and go, a crash ball from close range or simply being in the right place at the right time to drop over the line, tries do not need to be scored from 50 metres out and neither do they have to be pretty.

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But five-pointers have somehow eluded a select group with over 60 Test rugby caps for their country – unsurprisingly, props and locks dominate the zero try list.

Mike Ross
Although he was a member of a successful Ireland side that won the Six Nations in 2014 and 2015, the 61-cap former tighthead is his country’s most capped player to never cross the whitewash.

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Ireland’s Johnny Sexton explains why he reacted the way he did when he was subbed off against France

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Ireland’s Johnny Sexton explains why he reacted the way he did when he was subbed off against France

Jean Condom
The France and Biarritz lock during the 1980s is the first of many second-rows to appear on this list.

Allan Jacobsen
A try in a non-cap Barbarians match in 2005 meant he did actually score in a Scotland shirt during his ten-year, 65-cap Scottish career, but he never managed one in an official Test fixture.

Paul James
As a player who was more renowned for his insuperable scrummaging than anything else, Wales’ 66-cap loosehead was never on the scoresheet in red.

Bradley Davies
Being a hard-running forward that suited Warren Gatland’s direct and physical style of rugby, it is surprising that the Ospreys lock has never scored in his 66-cap career.

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Quintin Geldenhuys
Italy have not necessarily been famed for blowing their opponents away with tries in victory or defeat, and that is perhaps why the 67-cap second row never managed one himself.

Joe Marler
The loosehead may have never managed a five-pointer for England over the course of his 71 caps, but it is still within his power to change that as he is still part of Eddie Jones’ current squad (for reconditioning).

Luke Charteris
The 6ft 9ins lock was of course famed for dominating the lineout during his 74-cap Wales career, but his inability to cross the line may shock some.

Salvatore Perugini
Another Italian high up in this list, which is perhaps understandable coming from a lower ranked tier one nation, the former loosehead previously held the record for the most caps, 83, without amassing any points.

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Owen Franks
Despite playing 108 Tests for the All Blacks, winning two World Cups and being part of one of the most free-scoring sides in rugby history, he remarkably never scored a try. Although tighthead props are not necessarily famed for their try-scoring prowess, it is surprising nonetheless seeing as his long standing front row partner Tony Woodcock even bagged a try in the 2011 RWC final.

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J
JW 2 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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