O’Callaghan Joins Elite Club

Donncha O’Callaghan will join an elite few who have won 200 caps for Munster, when he runs out for the RaboDirect PRO12 game against Glasgow Warriors tomorrow evening in Musgrave Park.

The last player to achieve the feat was Mick O'Driscoll, O'Callaghan's second row partner tomorrow, and it's entirely possible that O'Callaghan could be the last player to hit the magical 200 mark.

Current members of the squad besides O'Driscoll, to have played 200 times are Ronan O'Gara, David Wallace and Marcus Horan while the others are the returning Peter Stringer, the recently retired Alan Quinlan and John Hayes and current Forwards Coach Anthony Foley.

Just turned 32 O'Callaghan made his first start for Munster in August 1998, in the pre season friendly against Edinburgh Reivers in Musgrave Park.

The first of his 82 Heineken Cup caps came off the bench in October of that year against Perpignan and after the 2002/2003 season he established himself alongside Paul O'Connell as the regular Munster second row pairing.

Twice a Lion (2005 & 2009), he captained them in South Africa against the Southern Lions June 2009 and has been capped 85 times by Ireland.