RUGBY: Last Saturday the capacity attendance at Thomond Park gave the Munster and Ireland prop forward Peter Clohessy, a standing ovation prior to the Heineken Cup match against Harlequins, which marked his 100th cap for the province.

Clohessy has always had a special relationship with the Munster supporters and, in particular, with the Thomond Park faithful. That was very evident last Saturday when he led the Munster team onto the field. They left no doubt that they were acclaiming "one of their own".

Clohessy is a man who has experienced more than many the vicissitude that at times can be part of being in the fast lane in international sport.

He was out of the international scene for almost three years after being suspended for 26 playing weeks - in effect a 12-month suspension - for stamping on the French forward Olivier Roumat in Paris in February 1996. There were many who believed that, in effect, it would end his representative career.

"What I did was silly and I paid the price for it. But I also learned a very costly lesson. Yes, it did diminish my appetite for the game for a while, but I put the troubles behind me and got on with it," said Clohessy. To his credit he served his ban and learned from his indiscretion.

When he had served his suspension he played for Queensland. Indeed so highly was he rated that, even though out of international rugby since that fateful day in Paris, he was chosen for the Lions tour to South Africa in 1997. He joined the squad but had to withdraw from the tour just prior to the departure of the team for South Africa because of injury and was replaced by Paul Wallace.

Back in Limerick after his stay in Australia, he regained his place on the Munster team and made a return to the Ireland side against Italy in Bologna in December 1997. But it was Wallace who held down the tight-head berth on the national side and Clohessy got two caps in the 1998 championship as a replacement, against France in Paris and Wales at Lansdowne Road.

His next appearances came in November 1998, when he played in the two World qualifying matches against Georgia and Romania, and also played against South Africa. He had switched from tight-head to loose-head for the two World Cup matches, played at tight-head against South Africa but was on the loose side throughout the 1999 Championship, with one more appearance on the tight side in the friendly against Italy in April 1999. He has been a first choice ever since on the loose-head side. So his second coming, so to speak, has been at loose-head.

He has been a pivotal figure in Munster's great achievements in the European Cup and the vastly improved performances given by Ireland. He will celebrate his 36th birthday on 22nd March - the day before Ireland play Italy in the Six Nations.

Will this be his last season?

"I have not made a definite decision, but it could be," he said.

He has played in 34 of the last 40 matches for Ireland and on February 3rd, fitness permitting, he will assuredly win his 50th cap against Wales at Lansdowne Road.

He will thus join a very exclusive club: those who have attained the half century in the Ireland jersey. That is headed by Mike Gibson with 69 caps, then comes Willie John McBride with 63, Fergus Slattery with 61, Paddy Johns (59), Philip Orr (58), Brendan Mullin (55), Tom Kiernan (54), Donal Lenihan (52) and Moss Keane (51).

When one now looks at the leading cap winners in the various countries, it reflects the huge increase in the number of internationals that are now played compared to what obtained prior to the inaugural World Cup in 1987.

For instance, when the great Ireland three-quarter George Stephenson set a world record with 42 caps in 1930, his international career span had been 11 seasons. He missed only one match in that period, and that due to injury.

That record stood until 1957 and was beaten by Ken Jones of Wales, with 44 caps between 1947 and 1957.

Ireland's Jack Kyle beat his record in 1958 when he won his 45th cap against England and he won one more against Scotland that season to set a mark of 46. Kyle's international career extended from 1947 to 1958. It took him three years to reach 13 caps and he never missed a match in that period. The Ireland team is due to play 13 internationals over the next 10 months.

Tom Kiernan was the first Irishman to win 50 caps, which he did in the match against England at Twickenham in 1972 in a famous 16-12 win. He went on to win 54 caps, just one short of the record then held by Colin Meads of New Zealand.

Now the record is 111, held by Phillipe Sella (France) in a career that extended from 1983 to 1995. Changed times in international rugby.

But that apart, a 50-cap mark is still a huge distinction.

Two other records beckon for Clohessy. He will become Munster's most capped forward if he reaches 53 caps (the record is held by Lenihan with 52) and, if he plays in all five matches in this season's championship, he will draw level on 54 with Kiernan, Munster's most capped international.

Such milestones never looked likely when he was handed that ban.

That they are now so close is to his great credit.