Australian captain Cameron Smith will leapfrog coach Mal Meninga on the international appearance list when the Kangaroos take on New Zealand in Coventry next week.
Smith played his 46th game in the green and gold against Scotland in Hull on Friday to draw level with Meninga's tally and will only trail Darren Lockyer (59) on the all-time list if he plays against the Kiwis next week.
"Mal let me know I was equalling his record on the team walk this morning," Smith said.
"It's funny, because I have 46 Test matches and 23 of them as captain and that is what Mal finished with and he said 'this will probably be your last game!
"Hopefully I get another start."
Smith has worked under Meninga for over a decade with Queensland and now Australia and the 33-year-old said he's honoured to have matched his milestone.
"Mal was a guy I looked up to as a young boy. He was part of my dream to become and Australian representative," Smith said.
"Ive been lucky enough to be coached by Mal for a while now, but the last 10 months have been special."
"And to play the same amount of games as a Kangaroos legend is quite humbling."
