Gareth Edwards

The greatest player ever to don a Welsh jersey

Sir Gareth Owen Edwards (born 12 July 1947) is a Welsh former rugby union player who played scrum-half and has been described by the BBC as "arguably the greatest player ever to don a Welsh jersey".

Quick Facts

Birth name: Gareth Owen Edwards
Born: 12 July 1947
Birthplace: Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Glamorgan, Wales
Position: Scrum-half
School: Millfield
University: Cardiff College of Education

Lore & Background

Edwards' try for the Barbarians against the All Blacks in 1973 at Cardiff Arms Park, often referred to simply as "that try", is regarded as the greatest try ever. The move starts with a deep kick from the New Zealand winger. The ball dropped towards Phil Bennett near to his goal line. Bennett sidestepped and evaded three tackles, in turn passing the ball to JPR Williams. It next passed through four pairs of hands (John Pullin, John Dawes, Tommy David and Derek Quinnell) before Edwards, slipping between two teammates and seemingly intercepting the last pass, finished with a diving try in the left-hand corner.

Reader's Guide

Between 1967 and 1978 Edwards won 53 caps for Wales, including 13 as captain. He scored twenty tries in internationals. Edwards is Wales's youngest ever captain, first taking the captaincy at the age of 20 in February 1968 against Scotland. He also played ten times for the British & Irish Lions in test matches, playing for the 1971 Lions team that was the only such team to win a series in New Zealand, and for the unbeaten 1974 side in South Africa. He made his debut for Cardiff RFC against Coventry on 17 September 1966 and played 12 seasons for Cardiff, scoring 69 tries in 195 games.

Did You Know?

Edwards was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1975 Birthday Honours and promoted to Commander (CBE) in the 2007 New Year Honours.
He was knighted in the 2015 Birthday Honours.
In 2007, former England captain Will Carling ranked Edwards the greatest player ever in The Daily Telegraph.