- Ask Steven
The drop-goal kings
John GriffithsFebruary 16, 2015
Which scrum-half has dropped most goals in Tests? Michael Donovan, Ireland
Unsurprisingly, it is fly-halves who dominate the Test list, their position as first receiver giving them the best opportunity to drop snap goals. Centres also appear in the list, as do full-backs who have often capitalised on loose kicks ahead to reply with longer-distance drops.
There have even been two back-row opportunists - Jean Prat of France and Zinzan Brooks of New Zealand - who have chipped in with three or more drops in Test matches.
Scotland's Dougie Morgan, who played in the 1970s, heads the scrum-halves who have landed dropped goals in Tests. He kicked six in 21 Tests for his country but never managed one in his two Lions Tests in New Zealand in 1977.
Gareth Edwards landed four: three for Wales and a crucial goal for the Lions in their 12-3 win in the Cape Town mud in the opening Test of the famous winning 1974 series against South Africa.
| Drops | Scrum-half | Tests | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Dougie Morgan | 23 | Scotland/Lions |
| 4 | Gareth Edwards | 63 | Wales/Lions |
| 3 | Yves Bergougnan | 17 | France |
| 3 | Ricardo Landajo | 18 | Argentina/Jaguars |
| 3 | George Gregan | 137 | Australia |
| 3 | Danny Care* | 50 | England |
* up to 31st January 2015.
Six scrum-halves (of whom four are French) have dropped two goals in Tests.
John Griffiths is a widely respected rugby historian and is the author of several sports books, a regular contributor to the Daily Telegraph and co-author of the IRB International Rugby Yearbook. He has provided insight for Scrum.com since 1999.
