HIGHLIGHT FOR STARS YOU MAY SINCE HAVE FORGOTTEN
WHEN Christ Tshiunza took the field against Fiji in November he became the 200th player to be handed a debut cap by Wales this century.
Anyone already aware of that stat should have treated themselves to a new anorak for Christmas.
Some of those players, such as Shane Williams and Sam Warburton, went on to become 24-carat legends.
Others didn’t stick around on the Test scene overly long.
Here, we take a look at some of those from the latter group – players you may have forgotten pulled on the red jersey, while remembering it’s a huge achievement to make just one appearance in international sport.
MATT CARDEY 1 CAP, 2000
Born in New Zealand, he came in for Shane Howarth amid the Grannygate scandal.
The Welsh Rugby Union first made a point of dispatching their then media manager Lyn Davies to Tredegar to obtain, at a cost of £6.50, the birth certificate of Cardey’s grandmother, who hailed from Nantyglo.
All was well and the man with one of the most distinctive heads of hair of any Wales international duly faced Scotland.
“It was one of the best days of my life,” Cardey (circled, above) later said.
Sadly, there wasn’t to be an encore, with Cardey knocked out in a club game for Llanelli against Newport, thus denying him a spot against Ireland next time out.
That, as they say, was that for him on the Test stage.
He went on to be an area sales manager for a building supplier in his native New Zealand.
TAL SELLEY 1 CAP, 2005
The casual rugby fan will remember him as a walking quiz question, as in who was the first player to play for all four regions?
But the answer to that poser had a fine career which saw him win a full cap against the USA on tour in 2005 and be named as player of the tournament when Wales won the Sevens World Cup.
Taliesin Selley could play wing or centre, ran strongly and scored tries. The Pembrokeshire man went on to become an oil worker.
BARRY DAVIES 1 CAP, 2006
He famously injured a hand during a difference of opinion with Gavin Henson on tour in Argentina in 2004, with the more high-profile combatant that night picking up a shiner for his troubles.
The pair patched up their differences almost immediately, with Davies later saying. “Gav is as good as gold. Of course we put it behind us. These things can happen when a rugby team are on tour.
“Boys can have a few beers, get into arguments and before you know it a punch or two can be swung. It’s not great and it would probably be better if things like that didn’t happen, but they do and you just move on.”
Anyway, Davies proved a popular player during stints with both the Scarlets and the Ospreys.
The full-back could kick goals, counter-attack and was safe under the high ball.
But he won just the solitary cap, against Ireland in Dublin in 2006.
ADAM WARREN 1 CAP, 2012
He’s still playing, but so far it’s just been the one cap for the man from Burry Port.
It came against the Barbarians eight years ago when he featured off the bench as a promising 21-year-old in Martyn Williams’s 100th outing for Wales.
Warren has given the Dragons outstanding value for money over the years.
But Wales haven’t been in touch since despite his consistent performances.