Greatest Ever Welsh Players of the Fifties
"How on earth are we going to do it," was the opening statement from Dai Watkins as the selection meeting opened.
The enormity of the task facing Watkins and his fellow 'Greatest Ever' selectors only really began to sink in when they addressed the first issue – selecting the top five forwards and backs from the Fifties.
There were two Grand Slams, three championships, victories over New Zealand and Australia and the third highest percentage success rate of any decade in Welsh rugby history with 29 wins and two draws in 46 matches.
Not only that, Welsh players formed the nucleus of three of the best British & Irish Lions sides to leave these shores in 1950, 1955 and 1959. It was an age of tough as teak forwards and dynamic backs.
The presence of the 'Prince of Wales' centres, Bleddyn Williams, gave the panel a vital insight into the highs and lows of the decade and he was bombarded with questions about the legendary players of the era.
Who was the best second row – Roy John, Rees Stephens or RH Williams? Were the all-Welsh Lions front row of 1955 of Billy Williams, Bryn Meredith and Courtenay Meredith better than the Pontypool front row?
How quick, and how good a finisher, was Olympic sprinter Ken Jones? And would Gavin Henson rate as big a talent as Lewis Jones?
"We had a good group of players at the start of the Fifties and we got off to a flying start with a win at Twickenham that set up the first Grand Slam in 39 years," said Bleddyn.
"I missed the whole of the 1950 international season because of injury after being picked as captain, but there was plenty of talent behind the Welsh scrum.
"Rex Willis was one of six new caps in that 11-6 win at Twickenham and he went on to play 21 times in the Fifties. He partnered Billy Cleaver in 1950 and then Cliff Morgan in the 1952 Grand Slam campaign until he broke his jaw.
"Lewis Jones was still only 18 when he flashed onto the international scene in that win over England, yet he settled in brilliantly. He was an amazing talent and, of course, went on to become a legend in rugby league when he went North after only 10 caps.
"He could do almost anything and was never afraid to try the impossible. But in a back division that contained the likes of Jack Matthews, Ken Jones, Malcolm Thomas and Cliff Morgan he always had full support and encouragement to try things."
Bleddyn returned to skipper the Welsh side to victory over the All Blacks in 1953 and was a winner in seven of his 10 Welsh appearances in the decade. The great Newport duo of Ken Jones (31 games) and Malcolm Thomas (26 games) and Cardiff's Cliff Morgan (29 games) won the most caps behind the scrum in the Fifties.
Up front, it was the marauding Swansea flanker Clem Thomas (25 games) who played the most times, with Neath stalwart Rees Stephens (24 games), Newport hooker Bryn Meredith (23 games), Llanelli lock Rhys Williams (22 games) and Swansea prop Billy Williams (22 games) not far behind.
"We were blessed with some really hard grafting forwards throughout the Fifties. Not only that, so many of them had broader skills that made them great players in the loose," added Bleddyn.
"Roy John was brilliant for the Lions in New Zealand in 1950, just as Rhys Williams was in South Africa and New Zealand in 1955 and 1959. Bryn Meredith brought a new dimension to the role of hooker and was lightening quick and we always seemed to produce good props – John Robins, Cliff Davies, Don Hayward, Billy Williams, Courtenay Meredith and Ray Prosser.
"John Gwilliam was a good leader, captaining the two Grand Slam sides, and there were other memorable back row players like Clem Thomas, Russell Robins, Bob Evans and Haydn Morgan."
After listening to Bleddyn the panel's task didn't get any easier. It was over to the chairman, Dai Smith, to try to trim down the 48 backs and 43 forwards into a short list of five each.
"It's not about who we include, rather who we exclude," said Smith, co-author of the WRU's official history, Fields of Praise.
IN the backs, out went Lions stalwarts Billy Cleaver, Malcolm Thomas, Alun Thomas, Gareth Griffiths and Terry Davies. There was no place for Gerwyn Williams, Haydn Morris, Gordon Wells or Garfield Owen.
First name on the list, to the blushes of one of the panellists, was Bleddyn Williams. His former Cardiff, Wales and Lions centre partner Jack Matthews was next and Cliff Morgan made it a hat-trick for the Blue and Blacks.
Ken Jones was a unanimous choice and Lewis Jones became the final pick.
Up front, it was an even harder choice. John Gwilliam got the nod for being the only Welsh captain to lead a team to two Grand Slams, Rhys Williams was an automatic choice for his energy and expertise for Wales and the Lions in the second row and nobody dared to leave out Clem Thomas.
The front row union couldn't be denied and Neath prop Courtenay Meredith joined namesake Bryn among the 'Big Five'.
The Fifties Fact File
Wales – Played 43, Won 29, Drew 2, Lost 12
69.8% success rate (third highest of the 13 decades in which Wales has played Test rugby)
Grand Slams in 1950 and 1952
Outright Championship wins in 1950, 1952, 1956
Beat New Zealand in 1953 (13-8)
Beat Australia in 1958 (9-3)
Most appearances in decade – Ken Jones (Newport) 31
Most tries in decade – Ken Jones (Newport) 12
Most points in decade – Terry Davies (Llanelli) 44
Most appearances as captain – John Gwilliam (Edinburgh Wanderers/Gloucester) 13
Most wins by a player in the decade – Ken Jones (Newport) 22
FIFTIES
Back Nominees - Bleddyn Williams, Jack Matthews, Cliff Morgan, Ken Jones (d), Lewis Jones
Forward Nominees – Rhys Williams (d), Courtenay Meredith, Bryn Meredith, Clem Thomas (d), John Gwilliam.
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