Gareth Edwards was the first Welsh player to reach 50 caps. Having made his debut against France in Paris on 1 April, 1967, he reached the milestone on 4th February 1978. His 50th consecutive Test came at Twickenham at the start of Wales’s Grand Slam season. It was to be his last season in the game of rugby, his third Grand Slam and he was 30.

Only one other player in the history of international rugby has ever won his first 50 caps in successive matches – All Black full-back Christian Cullen, between 1996-2000.

It took legendary scrum half Edwards almost 11 years to reach his half-century, while Llanelli Scarlets No.9 Dwayne Peel became the 17th player to reach the mark against Scotland in the 2007 RBS Six Nations campaign. Peel was the youngest Welsh player to reach 50 caps, aged only 25, and he achieved it in less than six years. During the 2008 RBS Six Nations, Tom Shanklin, Ian Gough and Duncan Jones became the latest additions to ranks of Welsh players with over 50 caps. Shanklin's 50th came when he started against Italy, Ian Gough's came when started against France and Duncan Jones came off the bench in the same match to claim his half-century. Nine of the ’50 Club’ are forwards and four of them are scrum halves. Ospreys tighthead prop Adam Jones joined the elite club when he played against South Africa in the opening Invesco Perpetual clash of the 2008 autumn series while his Ospreys colleague Jonathan Thomas followed suit when he came on as a replacement against Australia in 2009.