Known as Monsieur Rugby, legendary French star Jean Prat was the first player in international rugby to reach 50 caps.

Prat made his senior debut for FC Lourdes at full-back at the tender age of 14 and stayed loyal to the club throughout his playing career. Under his influence Lourdes became the dominant force in French rugby, winning the Championship six times between 1948 and 1958.

By the time he made his international debut, against the British Army on New Year’s Day in 1945, Prat had switched to flanker, and won all 51 of his caps there. He captained France 16 times.

A prodigious kicker, Prat scored 139 points for France. The most significant of his nine tries was the one that saw France beat New Zealand for the first time, 3-0 in 1954.

Prat coached the national team from 1963-67 with an impressive win rate of 64 per cent.