The Ospreys lock will now be able to store his caps in a special presentation case. The Welsh Rugby Union have become the first governing body in the world to offer their players bespoke presentation cases in which to store their beloved caps – complete with gold block lettering spelling out the date of their debuts and, where appropriate, their 50th cap.
Gareth Edwards became the first Welsh player to reach the 50 cap milestone when he ran out against England at Twickenham at the start of the 1978 Grand Slam campaign. Now Gough is hoping to match that achievement by securing a Grand Slam against the French on his 50th appearance.
“Winning a Welsh cap is one of the greatest moments of your life and as a Union we wanted to try to find a way to ensure the caps were cherished and properly stored,” said WRU Chairman, and former Wales skipper, David Pickering.
“The idea of a special presentation cap box was mooted and it quickly evolved into a wonderful showcase for what is a very precious item. In future, all new internationals will be given their caps in the presentation case, but we are also going to offer all our old international players the chance to purchase one as well.
“I put my name down immediately and after seeing the Gareth Edwards’s ‘double cap’ case, I’m sure Ian will be signing up for one as well. It is a significant achievement for him to reach 50 caps and we all hope he can enjoy a special day by helping us to clinch a 10th Grand Slam.”
Pickering has also agreed to present all ex-Wales internationals with a new ‘International Players Tie’ over the next few months.
Welsh Rugby’s ’50 Cap’ Club
100 – Gareth Thomas (1995-2007)
94 – Colin Charvis (1996-2007)
92 – Gareth Llewellyn (1989-2004)
87 – Neil Jenkins (1991-2002)
80 – Martyn Williams (1996-2008)*
72 – Ieuan Evans (1987-1998)
69 – Stephen Jones (1998-2008)*
61 – Dwayne Peel (2001-2008)*
59 – Rob Howley (1996-2002)
58 – Garin Jenkins (1991-2002)
57 – Gethin Jenkins (2002-2008)*
55 – JPR Williams (1969-1981)
55 – Shane Williams (2000-2008)*
54 – Robert Jones (1986-1995)
53 – Gareth Edwards (1967-1978)
53 – Scott Gibbs (1991-2001)
52 – Scott Quinnell (1993-2002)
52 – Mark Taylor (1994-2005)
51 – David Young (1987-2001)
51 – Tom Shanklin (2001-2008)*
* Still current internationals
Order they reached 50 Caps
01. Gareth Edwards – 4th February, 1978 at Twickenham (v England)
02. JPR Williams – 3rd February, 1979 at Cardiff Arms Park (v Ireland)
03. Robert Jones – 18th February, 1995 at Cardiff Arms Park (v England)
04. Ieuan Evans – 4th March, 1995 at Murrayfield (v Scotland)
05. Gareth Llewellyn – 5th October, 1996 at Stadio Olimpico, Rome (v Italy)
06. Neil Jenkins – 15th March, 1997 at Cardiff Arms Park (v England)
07. Garin Jenkins – 23th October, 1999 at Millennium Stadium (v Australia)
08. Scott Gibbs – 3rd February, 2001 at Millenium Stadium (v England)
09. Gareth Thomas – 8th April, 2001 at Stadio Flamino, Rome (v Italy)
10. Rob Howley – 19th September, 2001 at Millennium Stadium (v Romania)
11. David Young – 13th October, 2001 at Cardiff Arms Park (v Ireland)
12. Scott Quinnell – 23rd March, 2002 at Twickenham (v England)
13. Colin Charvis – 23rd November, 2002 at Millennium Stadium (v N Zealand)
14. Martyn Williams – 5th February, 2005 at Millennium Stadium (v England)
15. Mark Taylor – 4th June, 2005 at Hartford (v USA)
16. Stephen Jones – 19th November, 2005 at Millennium Stadium (v South Africa)
17. Dwayne Peel – 10th February, 2007 at Murrayfield (v Scotland)
18. Gethin Jenkins – 15th September, 2007 at Millennium Stadium (v Australia)
19. Shane Williams – 20th September, 2007 at Millennium Stadium (v Japan)
20. Tom Shanklin – 23rd February, 2008 at Millennium Stadium (v Italy)
