The 10 best Wales rugby players ever ranked

An examination of Lyn Jones’ rugby CV suggests no one could ever accuse him of going with the flow.

He is the Cwmavon boy who ended up playing for Neath rather than Aberavon, then at the height of The Gnoll club’s successes he switched to Llanelli. There, he provided much of the on-pitch intelligence as the west Walians swept to a memorable treble made up of cup and league triumphs and victory over Australia in 1992-93. “He was the brains of that side,” contended the much-respected Norman Lewis, the late South Wales Evening Post writer. Then Jones left for Treorchy and being part of their ‘dream’.

His coaching career has also seen more than its share of twists and turns, from exiting Neath just months after they won a Welsh league title to departing the Ospreys weeks after they lifted the EDF Energy Cup. There have been jobs in England, Namibia and Russia.

Through it all, Jones has been an independent thinker. He has long considered Shane Williams a special player. But, growing up, Terry Holmes was an inspiration for Jones and he is old enough to remember Gareth Edwards and the assortment of Welsh rugby greats from the 1970s. He also played alongside Jonathan Davies.

Williams is the one he favours as Wales’ greatest-ever player, though. It may well be a view that finds favour with many because the little left wing was a marvellous player who thrived in an era when bulked-up powersauruses increasingly became the norm in rugby. Sidestepping maestro Williams took them on, and more often than not came out on top. To watch him in full flight, creating something out of nothing, was always a treat to be savoured.

It’s all subjective, though, and no two lists on this topic are likely to be the same. It’s in that spirit that we