Dan Biggar: Test centurion embraces unique pressures of being Wales' number 10

For all its fabled lustre, the Wales number 10 shirt can weigh heavy on the shoulders of those who wear it.

The jersey's history and symbolism can be empowering, but the scrutiny that comes with it can be overwhelming.

Barry John was a genius of a fly-half, for some the greatest, and yet even the man known as the King could not bear the constant glare of a demanding Welsh rugby public and retired at 27.

His successor Phil Bennett was another maestro, a Lions captain and playmaker extraordinaire. None of that mattered when he was dropped during Wales' golden era of the 1970s.

Decades later, Neil Jenkins was criticised for not playing like John or Bennett despite being the world's best kicker, while it took a move to France for Stephen Jones, a Test centurion, to be appreciated, and even then one could argue it was not appreciation enough.

«You have to develop your mental resilience,» says Jones. «It's part and parcel of the number 10 jersey.

»You fully realise the responsibility that goes with that when you play for Wales."

Jones' team-mate James Hook — a dazzling talent and another Lion — had a similar experience, while Rhys Priestland sought the help of a psychologist after one particularly turbulent autumn.

These are all fine players in a long line of fly-halves who have represented Wales with distinction — but there is something about wearing 10 for this country which invites a special kind of pressure.

The man currently in possession of the shirt is Dan Biggar, who will make his 100th appearance for Wales in their final match of this year's Six Nations against Italy on Saturday.

A Test Lion with almost 600 international points to his name, Biggar's numbers only hint at his contribution to the canon of Welsh fly-halves.

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