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Opinion
Sir Gareth Owen Edwards was voted in 2003 by Rugby World as the greatest player of all time.
When the poll came around again recently, former England captain Will Carling confirmed he still thought Edwards was the greatest player ever.
Edwards would not be inferior in any way to today’s players; he was physically strong, had an excellent kicking game, was a major try-scoring threat and could even kick drop-goals. His passing game improved after copying All Black halfback Chris Laidlaw – who was known for his impeccable pass – and spending hours perfecting his pass by using a sand-filled ball to lengthen his distance.
Edwards was named by the BBC as “arguably the best player ever to don a Welsh jersey,” which is hard to argue with. He was appointed a Member of the British Empire and was knighted in 1975.
Edwards was born 1947 in – and please do not ask me to pronounce it – Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen in Wales. He was the son of a miner and attended the elite Millfield Public School, where he excelled at football, gymnastics and athletics.
But his passion lay with rugby union.
Edwards debuted in 1967 versus France at the age of 19, going on to collect a further 52 caps for Wales. At the youthful age of 20 he was appointed Wales’ youngest ever captain.
The Welsh went through a golden era in the ’70s, with the sparkling Barry John and Phil Bennett as Edwards’ outside halves. The Welsh secured the Five Nations Championship seven times, including three Grand Slams. His last match was where he started from, against France in 1978.
Edwards was an integral part of the brilliant British and Irish Lions sides to New Zealand in 1971 and South Africa in 1974. Out of all his achievements he is best known for his finishing role in ‘that try’ against the All Blacks in 1973 for the Barbarians.
In 1997 he was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame and will forever be regarded as a complete player with no apparent weaknesses.
So, was he the greatest? I would suggest he is definitely in the top ten but faces stiff competition from Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Michael Jones, John Eales, Jonah Lomu, Martin Johnson, Willie John McBride, Jonny Wilkinson, Brian O’Driscoll, David Campese, and Colin Meads.
Most of these players were surrounded by skilful players so it is hard to say one team supported one player better. The absence of the player and how it affects the team may be a good indicator.
How do you compare Edwards to McCaw? It is all just speculative fun. If you asked a panel of experts, it would still come down to their opinion.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.