Greatest ever Welsh team
15 JPR Williams:
Universally hailed as
the best full-back in
Welsh history, if not
the world. Fifty-five
caps between 1969-81
and last line of defence
during the British
Lions Test series
successes in New
Zealand in 1971 and
South Africa in 1974.
14 Gerald Davies: One
of the finest wings to
grace the rugby world.
Made 46 appearances
between 1966-78 and
one of Wales and the
British Lions' greatest
try-scorers of all-time
2 Bryn Meredith: Capped
34 times by Wales between
1956-62 and appeared
eight times at Test level for
the British Lions, in South
Africa in 1955 and 1962.
Other awards
13 Bleddyn Williams:
Captained his country
to the 13-8 triumph
over New Zealand in
1953 — the last time
Wales beat the All
Blacks. Known as the
Prince of Centres, he
also played for the
British Lions. Twentytwo Welsh caps (194755).
3 Graham Price: Who will
forget his near length-ofthefield try against France
in Paris in 1975?
Represented Wales 41
times (1975-83) and the
Lions 12 times.
Greatest Ever Welsh Player: Gareth
Edwards
Greatest Ever Welsh Captain:
Mervyn Davies
Greatest Ever Welsh Coach: John
Dawes
Greatest Ever Welsh Defender: JPR
Williams
Greatest Ever Welsh Attacker: Phil
Bennett Side-stepping outside-half
genius.
ANDY HOWELL
[email protected]
GARETH EDWARDS was last night
hailed the greatest Welsh player in history during an awards ceremony at the
Cardiff International Arena.
The 53-times capped scrum-half picked
up the accolade at the Welsh Rugby
Legends dinner, which was attended by
the great and good of the sport.
A poll conducted by The Western Mail
and its sister newspapers, Wales on Sunday
and the South Wales Echo, attracted votes
running into tens of thousands.
And the result was conclusive with the
former Wales captain emerging a convincing winner despite competition from
other 1970s greats like Barry John,
Mervyn Davies, Gerald Davies, JPR and
JJ Williams.
Dai Morris and Delme Thomas also
had many supporters as did the Prince of
Centres Bleddyn Williams, the man who
captained Wales to its last victory over
New Zealand, in 1953, and 1950s-60s
hooking great Bryn Meredith.
Edwards, three times a British Lions
tourist and a key figure in historic Test
series triumphs in New Zealand in 1971
and South Africa three years later, was
first name in the greatest ever Welsh
team voted by readers.
Predictably, its composition was dominated by the stars of the '70s, the names
that drove Wales to unprecedented postWorld War II success. The only people to
make the team from outside the Golden
Era were Cardiff star Williams, who
appeared at international level for his
country on 22 occasions between 194755, and Newport captain Meredith.
The hooker, who also played for
London Welsh, was capped 34 times
between 1954-62 and was British Lions
first choice in the Tests during the 1955
12 John Dawes:
Captained Wales and
the British Lions to
unprecedented success:
Went on to coach Wales
and Lions. Capped 22
times by Wales between
1964-71.
4 Delme Thomas: Chaired
off the field after leading
Llanelli to victory over
New' Zealand in 1972.
Twenty-five Wales caps
(1966-74) and three Lions
tours.
Captained Wales and the British Lions
(New Zealand 1977). Made 29
appearances (1969-78) for Wales. Eight
Lions Test caps.
Greatest Ever Welsh Kicker: Neil
Jenkins Test rugby's highest pointsscorer in history with 1,090 points,
1,049 for Wales and 41 for the
British Lions. Still in the Wales squad
with a record 87 caps.
11 JJ Williams:
Prolific try-scoring
wing who also represented Wales at athletics. Known for his chip
and chase, he made 30
appearances for Wales
(1973-79) and earned
seven Lions Test caps.
5 Geoff Wheel: His 32
caps for Wales between
1974-82 included two
Grand Slams and four
Triple Crowns.
10 Barry John: Hailed
as King Barry, Pride
of the Lions, after dazzling New Zealand
during the 1971 eclipse
of the All Blacks.
Retired early from
rugby after making 25
appearances (1966-72)
for Wales.
6 Dai Morris: Thirty-four
caps and six tries for Wales
between 1967-74 included
a Grand Slam and two
Triple Crowns
Greatest Ever Welsh Try: Ieuan
Evans
The dashing winger' side-stepped
nearly half the Scottish team for the
1988 try that won him this award.
Wales's second most capped
international with 72 appearances (19871998).
4 Bravery Award: Gwyn Jones
Was Wales captain when his career was
cruelly ended by a serious neck injury in
9 Gareth Edwards:
Voted Wales's greatest
player of all time. An
explosive scrum-half
who scored two of
rugby's most
spectacular tries. Fiftythree Wales
appearances (1967-78)
and an integral figure
during three British
Lions tours.
.7 John Taylor: Two
British Lions tours,
including four Test
appearances, and 26 caps
for Wales (1967-73). Haul
included a Grand Slam and
two Triple Crowns.
a club game in 1997. Capped 13 times at
flanker between 1996-97.
Spirit of Welsh Rugby Award:
Carwyn James
Capped just twice by Wales,
against Australia and France in
1958, at outside-half, a certain
Cliff Morgan keeping him out.
Became the most famous coach in
the history of the game, masterminding
the British Lions first Test scries
The greatest?
It's Gareth
and 1962 tours of South Africa.
JPR Williams was the overwhelming
choice of readers to wear the No 15 jersey
despite the claims of the likes of Keith
Jarrett, Terry Price and Terry Davies.
Gerald Davies and JJ Williams were
clear winners in the battle for the wing
berths. Former Olympic sprinter Ken
Jones, scorer of the try that was vital in
beating the All Blacks in '53, John
Bevan and Maurice Richards were all
mentioned while Ieuan Evans was a
strong contender from recent years.
Similarly Scott Gibbs mounted a challenge for a role at centre. But he was overshadowed by the creative talents of John
Dawes| and Bleddyn Williams. Jack
Matthews was also mentioned in dispatches.
Outside-half was always going to be a
closely-fought affair, with Barry John,
Phil Bennett, Jonathan Davies, David
Watkins, Cliff Morgan, Cliff Jones, Ken
Richards, Cliff Ashtoh and Billy Cleaver
among the names mentioned.
But it was John who edged into the No
10 shirt. He was capped 25 times
between 1966-72 before retiring early.
His impact on the game had been
immeasurable for Wales but, particularly,
for the Lions. It was John who was hailed
King Barry, Pride of the Lions after the
beating of New Zealand 31 years ago.
Terry Holmes, Onllwyn Brace, Haydn
Tanner, Rex Willis, Clive Rowlands,
Robert Jones and Robert Howley all
attracted support for the scrum-half position but there was one winner - Cardiff
catalyst Edwards.
Meredith emerged as winner at hooker
despite the challenge of fellow Lion
Bobby Windsor.
The Pontypool front-row of Windsor,
Price and Faulkner were picked en bloc by
some people. But only tight-head prop and
Lions star Graham Price, scorer of the
famous near length-of-the-field try on his
debut against France in 1975, made it.
Tony Faulkner and Ian Stephens were
in the shakedown for the other prop berth
but lost out to Ebbw Vale strongman
Denzil Williams. He played 36 times for
Wales in a Test career that lasted from
1963-71 and was a Lions pick in
Australia and New Zealand in 1966.
RH Williams, Allan Martin and Robert
Norster, current chief executive at
Cardiff, weren't far off making one of
the lock positions but had to eventually
make way for the might of Delme
Thomas and Geoff Wheel.
Llanelli great Thomas, captain when
the Scarlets beat the All Blacks in 1972,
had bumper support while the grafting
qualities of Swansea forward Wheel saw
him drawn into the boiler-house.
Mervyn Davies, who led Wales to
some of their outstanding successes and
was a crucial cog in the 1971 and 1974
Lions glories in New Zealand and South
Africa, was a certainty at No 8 in the
view of many voters.
He appeared 38 times for his country
between 1969-1976 and was favourite to
captain the Lions in New Zealand in.
1977 until his rugby career ended suddenly when he collapsed during a Welsh
Cup semi-final for his club Swansea
against Pontypool at Cardiff Arms Park.
Alun Pask, the pioneering modern No
8 with Wales and the Lions in the 1960s;
John Gwilliam, in the side that beat New
Zealand in 1953; Arthur Rees, a winner
over the All Blacks in 1935; and Scott
Quinnell, who announced his retirement
from international rugby last Saturday,
were also subject of much debate.
Despite the virtues of, among others,
double British Lion Haydn Morgan,
Clem Thomas, Terry Cobner, Bob Evans,
Alf Harding and three-time Lion Jeff
Squire, it was '70s results that clinched
places for John Taylor and Dai Morris.
Voting showed coal miner Morris is a
1 Denzil Williams: The
rock-solid prop forward
made 36 appearances
for his country between
1963-7] and was a
British Lion in
Australia and New
Zealand in 1966.
8: Mervyn Davies:
Captained Wales to extraordinary success. Two
Grand Slams and three
Triple Crowns while lie
was in team (1969-76) and
two Lions tours.
triumph in New Ze aland in 1971
and Llanelli's win over the All Blacks
the following year.
4 Lifetime Achievement Award: Clive
Rowlands
He has filled virtually every role as
Welsh rugby: captain (14 caps between
1963-65), coach, team manager, committee man and WRU president. Team
manager, of the Lions team that defeated
Australia 2-1 in 1989.
folk hero in Wales while Taylor, who
kicked the magical touchline conversion
that gave Wales a dramatic 19-18 victory
over Scotland in 1971, slipped in at No 7
Davies was voted the greatest Welsh
captain in history and Dawes the greatest
coach.
Best Welsh attacker of all lime was
dazzling side-stepping outside-half
genius Phil Bennett. His try against
Scotland in Edinburgh in 1977 nearly
won him a second award.
But the accolade for best Welsh try
was Ieuan Evans's extraordinary effort
against Scotland in 1988 - the last t i m e
Wales won the Triple Crown.
JPR Williams was named Wales'
greatest ever defender while Neil Jenkins
the only person still playing international
rugby to receive an award, was hailed a
the country's greatest goal-kicker.
The Ginger Monster is international
rugby's highest points-scorer in history
with 1,090 points.
A panel of judges also voted in three
other categories with former Wales
captain Gwyn Jones, whose career was
cruelly ended by a serious neck injury
five years ago, taking the bravery
award.
The late Carwyn James, a brilliant on
side-half who was largely kept out of the
Wales team by Cliff Morgan but who went
on to become one of the greatest
coaches of all-time after guiding Llanelli to
victory over New Zealand and the 1971
Lions the first series triumph against the
All Blacks was posthumously honoured
with the spirit of Welsh rugby award.
Life-time achievement award went to
Rowlands. He has filled virtually
every role in Welsh rugby: captain,
coach. team manager, committee man
and president of the Welsh Rugby
Union. He was also team manager of the
British Lions team that defeated
Australia 2-1 Down Under in 1989.
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