Howlett will achieve the milestone on Good Friday, 6 April, when the Blues take on the Cheetahs at Eden Park in Auckland, while MacDonald will play his 99th match against the Western Force this weekend. He will clock up match number 100 the following weekend if he is selected and takes the field in the Round 11 match against the Highlanders in Dunedin.

The 28-year-old Howlett kicked off his Super Rugby career in 1997 when he was called into the Highlanders for their final two matches of their campaign, and scored three tries in the Highlanders' final match against the Chiefs. He was drafted to the Hurricanes for the 1998 season, playing five matches, before returning to the Blues in 1999, where he has been ever since.

"It's been an amazing 10 years. I've been extremely fortunate to be able to continue playing in this great competition all that time and I've really enjoyed it - and I still am," Howlett said.

"While it may be my 100th game this weekend, I will prepare for it just like any other. Even though it's 100 games for me, the opposition won't care if it's my first or my last!" he added.

The 29-year-old MacDonald also made his debut in 1997 and since then has missed just two of the Crusaders' Super 14 campaigns: in 1998 he was drafted to the Chiefs, where he played five matches, and in 2004 he spent a year playing rugby in Japan.

The only other New Zealand players to have reached a century of Super Rugby matches are the Crusaders' trio of Caleb Ralph, prop Greg Somerville and loose forward Reuben Thorne, Highlanders hooker Anton Oliver, Hurricanes midfielder Tana Umaga and former Crusaders scrum-half Justin Marshall.

New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) Deputy Chief Executive Steve Tew offered congratulations to the pair on behalf of New Zealand rugby.

"It's an outstanding achievement and we wish them well for their respective centurion matches," he said.

"Both Doug and Leon show that success can be achieved through professionalism, dedication and hard work. They have both made an invaluable contribution to New Zealand rugby and will continue to do so," Tew added.

The NZRU has initiated a tradition of presenting a greenstone mere (traditional treasured Maori heirloom) to players who achieve this milestone. The mere will be presented at the end of their respective 100th matches.

Tew also offered congratulations to Howlett on his other notable achievement - setting a new Super 14 try-scoring record of 58 tries last weekend.

"That is a fantastic record and on Doug's current form looks set to be extended before the end of the competition," he said.