Every rugby player remembers their first game for their country, especially if it happens at the Rugby World Cup.
For those new players who make it into a Rugby World Cup team without having played for their country before, there’s no easing into the competition. They are thrown into the intense competition right away.
Since the first Rugby World Cup in 1987, more than 200 players have had their debut matches in this situation. Many of them played during the time when rugby was still an amateur sport.
When we look back in time, we can see that some of rugby’s greatest players started their amazing careers at the Rugby World Cup.
For example, New Zealand had players like Michael Jones and Zinzan Brooke, who were part of the first team to win the World Cup. Australia saw Joe Roff make his debut in 1995 before becoming a World Cup winner.
England’s Joe Worsley, who won in 2003, also began his test rugby journey at a Rugby World Cup, playing against Tonga in 1999.
There are many more notable examples, including Va’inga Tuigamala, who started with New Zealand and later played for Samoa, as well as other All Blacks like Frank Bunce, Richard Loe, John Gallagher, and Norm Hewitt. From the Home Nations, we have Wales’ Gareth Thomas and Ken Owens, Ireland’s Gordon D’Arcy, and Scotland’s Chris Paterson, who all had their beginnings on the World Cup stage.
Most players make their debut in the pool phase of the Rugby World Cup, but for some, their first appearance happens in the most important matches.
For example, Wales’ tough flanker, Richard Webster, had his first cap in the bronze final against Australia in 1987. However, France’s Jean-Marc Doussain had one of the most remarkable debuts.
Doussain, a versatile French half-back, joined the French squad during the 2011 Rugby World Cup after an injury to David Skrela. He patiently waited for his chance, and it finally came in the last five minutes of the tournament during the intense final against the All Blacks.
In recent times, there have been fewer Rugby World Cup debutants because teams have more warm-up matches and better preparation time, which allows coaches to evaluate players before the tournament starts.
New players who made their first appearances at the Rugby World Cup in Japan
During the last Rugby World Cup in Japan, only four players received their first caps. They were Australia’s Jordan Petaia and Uruguay’s Joaquin Jaunsolo when their teams faced off in Ōita in Pool D. France’s Pierre-Louis Barassi made his debut against Tonga, and Namibia’s PJ Walters had his first cap against Italy.
Tonga is the team that seems least hesitant to field debutants at the World Cup, accounting for about 10 percent of all debutants. The numbers are somewhat inflated because Zimbabwe introduced many new players during their appearances in the 1987 and 1991 tournaments. New Zealand and Wales also have a notable number of World Cup debutants.
Tonga is likely to increase their count of World Cup debutants with the addition of former Wallaby second-row player Adam Coleman to their 33-man squad for the 2023 tournament in France.
Here is a list of the uncapped players who made it to RWC 2023: Oela Blaauw (Namibia), Adam Coleman (Tonga), Sione Halasili (Japan), Max Jorgensen (Australia), Ben Lam (Samoa), and Benjamín Videla (Chile).
Max Jorgensen, a surprise addition to the Wallabies, is just 18 years old and has recovered from a knee injury in time for the tournament. His father, Peter Jorgensen, was a teammate of Eddie Jones at Randwick and won two Wallaby caps, just eight months after they won the Rugby World Cup in 1991.
Our Dream Team of Rugby World Cup Rookies: John Gallagher (New Zealand); Gareth Thomas (Wales), Frank Bunce (New Zealand), Gordon D’Arcy (Ireland), Va’inga Tuigamala (New Zealand); Chris Paterson (Scotland), Jean-Marc Doussain (France); Paul Wallace (Ireland), Norm Hewitt (New Zealand), Richard Loe (New Zealand), Willie Los’e (Tonga), Bob Casey (Ireland), Schalk Burger (South Africa), Michael Jones (New Zealand), Zinzan Brooke (New Zealand).
