The Greatest Welsh Rugby Union Players of all-time
The 5 Best Welsh Rugby Union Players of All Time.
Wales has a long history of producing gifted athletes that possess all the attributes needed to become world-class rugby players.
The Welsh have had periods regarded as golden ages in the sport. The team from the 1970s was known for its mercurial skills and try-scoring abilities.
Warren Gatland’s side was known for its power and physicality and won three Six Nations Grand Slams between 2008 and 2019.
Trying to pick just five of the best Welsh players is practically impossible. You may not agree with my choices and you may be astounded at some of the names that are missing.
But the five I have chosen are among the best Welsh Rugby Union players of all time and deserve to be on the list. Rugby writer Daniel Cullinane picks his 5 of the best.
1. Alun Wyn Jones: 148 Caps
Alun Wyn Jones led his side to another Six Nations Championship title in 2021, under head coach Wayne Pivac.
The longevity of this player is incredible. At the age of 35, he has accumulated 148 caps for Wales and 9 for the British and Irish Lions.
As a player, he is relentless and never seems to tire physically or give up mentally. He’s a good lineout operator and is ferocious in defence.
He’s a fantastic player but also a formidable leader. Like all good captains, he leads by example and sets the tone for the team.
He’s a great communicator, not only with his team but with the officials too. He can often be heard on the referee’s microphone seeking clarification for a decision.
2. Sam Warburton: 74 Caps
Next on my list is another captain of Wales and the British and Irish Lions. Sam Warburton led Wales through most of Warren Gatland’s golden era.
His abilities as a player and a leader compelled Gatland to select him as his captain on the Lions tours in 2013 and 2017. He won 74 caps for Wales and 5 for the Lions.
He captained Wales 49 times which is a record that still stands today.
He played on the openside in the back row and could also cover the blindside. As an openside flanker, he was one of the best of his generation. Wales have produced a long line of exceptional No 7’s, well adept at the dark arts of the breakdown.
Warburton could get a turnover with ease and was instrumental to the team’s successes both as a player and as captain.
Like Alun Wyn Jones, Warburton was able to speak with authority and had the respect of match officials. He tasted success as the leader of Wales in the Six Nations, and the Lions in Australia and New Zealand. His playing career was cruelly cut short due to an ongoing injury.
He chose to retire when he was 29, but remains one of Wales’s most successful captains.
3. Phil Bennett: 29 Caps
The most highly scrutinised playing position in any Welsh international rugby team is, without doubt, fly-half.
The reason being, that some of the most naturally gifted players have worn that shirt.
Among those revered players who have worn the Wales no.10 jersey is Phil Bennett. Between 1969 and 1978 he played 29 times for Wales.
He was also awarded 8 caps for the British Lions and appeared 20 times for the Barbarians.
As a half back, he had the complete skill set. He was a superb runner with the ball in hand and could step and swerve opponents with ease.
This was most famously observed, by the part he played in the try regarded by many as the best that has ever been scored. It was against the New Zealand All Blacks in 1973.
Bennett stepped 4 All Blacks in his own 22 before unleashing an attack down the left wing that was finished off by Gareth Edwards.
In 1977, Bennett was given the honour of captaining the Lions in New Zealand. He was a great motivator and is well known for the infamous speech he gave to the Welsh team before they went out to play England in 1977.
He was skilful and was a supreme tactician and set the standard for fly-halves everywhere.
4. Sir Gareth Edwards - 53 Caps
Gareth Edwards won 53 caps for Wales between 1967 and 1978. 13 of those were as captain.
He also earned 10 caps for the British Lions on tours to New Zealand and South Africa. He’s been described as the greatest player of all time.
The scrum-half is one of the few Welsh players to have won three Grand slams.
He was a complete all-rounder, a world-class passer and kicker of the ball and was an excellent reader of the game. He was an important part of the hugely successful Wales team of the 1970s
When he represented the Barbarians against the All Blacks in 1973, he will be remembered for the way he ran onto the ball at pace and dived for the line to score that famous try that was started by Phil Bennett at the other end of the field.
5. Barry John - 25 Caps
Barry John represented his country from 1966 to 1972. The fly-half appeared for Wales 25 times and scored 90 points.
He also represented the Lions 5 times against South Africa in 1968 and New Zealand in 1971. He formed a formidable partnership with Gareth Edwards for Cardiff, Wales, the Lions and the Barbarians.
He could run with the ball and was a superb tactical kicker who possessed pinpoint accuracy.
He was well known for punishing opposing teams with his ability to drop a goal. It became a primary weapon in his vast armoury.
Like all good fly-halves, he had a calm demeanour and was able to detach himself from pressure situations and make the right calls.
He retired from the sport at the age of 27. Relatively young to call it a day, but he lit up the rugby world and was one of a kind.
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