BEST OF THE BEST: WE NAME 30 STARS OF RUGBY SEASON
HAS Welsh rugby had such strength in depth before heading into a World Cup year?
No, is the emphatic answer from many an oval-ball sage as Wales’ summer Test wins over South Africa and Argentina, minus a galaxy of star names, merely demonstrates the embarrassment of rugby riches Warren Gatland has at his disposal going into the new season.
But who are the best Welsh rugby players of last season?
The likes of Sam Warburton, Jonathan Davies, and Rhys Webb have been excluded on injury grounds, but in their absences others have really shone.
Here’s our list of Welsh rugby’s finest right at this moment in time...
30: Aled Brew
Bath’s players’ player of the season after an outstanding campaign at The Rec. A regular pick for Todd Blackadder even when his big international players were available and also provided cover in the centre when required.
29: Ryan Elias
The five-times capped 23-year-old hooker has had to take something of a back seat role at the Scarlets with skipper Ken Owens ruling the front-row roost.
But with Owens being rested for the summer tour, Elias showed he can battle it out with Elliot Dee for Test starts in the future.
28: Owen Watkin
The Ospreys centre had major knee injury issues to contend but managed to get 18 games under his belt for the region last season and Welsh rugby saw the benefit.
The promising midfielder got six caps to his name after a debut off the bench against Australia last autumn.
27: Jarrod Evans
The only uncapped player in the line-up after a season the young Blues outside-half won’t forget in a hurry.
He picked up a horrific broken jaw against Exeter Chiefs that left him sucking his Christmas dinner through a straw, but returned to play a pivotal role in the Arms Park region lifting the European Challenge Cup.
26: Adam Beard
The big man finally came of age in the Test arena this summer.
Had the physical attributes to mix it at international level. And the Ospreys lock showed on tour he has the temperament and grunt, alongside being a lineout natural, to suggest he could be in the Wales international mix for the next decade.
25: Liam Williams
Would comfortably been in the higher echelons of the rankings had he played more than 13 games last season due to abdominal problems.
Five of those came for Wales, but never really reached the heights of previous seasons down to medical issues.
24: Tomos Williams
With a wailing and gnashing of teeth in Wales over the Test exile of Rhys Webb, a new kid on the Blues block could well offset the loss of the Toulon-bound Osprey.
He set a benchmark against South Africa this summer and if he carries on playing like that, it will be hard for Warren Gatland to ignore his claims.
23: Elliot Dee
One of the few bright spots in an otherwise gloomy season for the Dragons. And, in the process, Dee’s performances on Parade was rewarded with a first cap against Georgia during the autumn internationals.
The 24-year-old hooker has already reached double figures since.
22: Justin Tipuric
Sparingly used by the Lions last summer, the gifted flanker, like the Ospreys, didn’t really scale the heights of previous campaigns.
Played 15 games for the region and six times for Wales, three of those coming off the bench, though his performance for the Barbarians against England at the end of the season showed his skill-set.
21: Scott Williams
The Ospreys-bound centre had a decent last half of the season as the Scarlets went chasing European and PRO14 silverware.
Also at Test level benefited from having Hadleigh Parkes with him in the Welsh midfield as he helped offset the loss of fellow Scarlet Jonathan Davies on centre stage.
20: George North
Came on strong for Wales at the back end of the Six Nations after suffering a knee injury that ruled the giant wing out of the autumn internationals.
He joined illustrious company with a try in their 23-10 win over Argentina, in San Juan, which not only lifted him level with Ieuan Evans into third on Wales’ try charts (33), but also elevated him into the top 20 of all time.
19: Ross Moriarty
Another with major medical issues to deal with this term. Much of the season was dogged by back problems picked up in the opening game of the Lions tour last summer.
His six games for Wales was more than he managed for Gloucester, but the back-row bruiser, who is heading to the Dragons next season, showed this summer he’s getting back to his bone-crushing best. It was only blotted by a late red card in the second Test.
18: Hallam Amos
Given Warren Gatland some real back-three selection dilemmas when wearing the No.15 jersey this summer.
Also provides versatility being equally adept on the wing showing a keen eye for a gap and the try-line.
17: Gareth Anscombe
Provided some impact value off the bench for Wales, especially in the England game in the last Six Nations Championship.
For the Blues it’s been a mixed bag, with Jarrod Evans stealing a march in the No.10 jersey meaning Anscombe slotting in at full-back.
16: Dan Biggar
Heading to Northampton for next season after a decade of stellar service at the Liberty Stadium spanning 221 games and 2,203 points. Has been a mainstay of the Welsh team but finds his claims to the No.10 jersey under threat.
15: Gareth Davies
Has played well for Scarlets and Wales, but finds Tomos Williams snapping at his heels after the departure of Rhys Webb to French fields at Toulon. Has 11 tries to his name in 33 Tests.
14: Taulupe Faletau
Injury restricted the No.8 colossus to just two Welsh starts this season in the Six Nations Championship.
But his performances when fit and firing, during a bang average season for Bath, were immense.
13: Leigh Halfpenny
Is there a better goal-kicker on planet rugby? His prodigious boot suggests there will always be a place in the Welsh team for the Scarlets full-back and his return to the regional fold has given the former Toulon man an added attacking edge to his game.
12: Steff Evans
The free-scoring Scarlets wing now has 10 caps to his name after making his debut against Tonga in June, 2017. Injured in the summer Test against South Africa, meaning the 23-year-old missed the matches in Argentina. Five tries so far with Wales and the promise of many more to come in the future.
11: Josh Adams
The Worcester Warrior was the Aviva Premiership’s joint top try scorer last season and was belatedly a Welsh success story this summer. The
nimble-footed 23-year-old produced a solid defensive display and a stunning solo try in the wins over Argentina.
10: Rhys Patchell
Exorcised the Twickenham ghosts, following a patchy display against England in the Six Nations, with some heartening performances in the summer Tests. His displays were more what the Scarlets fans have been seeing in west Wales.
9: Ken Owens
Given a well-earned break this summer following his exertions for the Lions, Wales and the Scarlets in the last 12 months. Leads from the front at the Parc y Scarlets in the tight and loose exchanges and so far without equal in Tests for Wales.
8: James Davies
The maverick openside has given Warren Gatland a headache of migraine proportions with some eye-catching man-of-the-match performances against the Pumas this summer. Took his regional form onto the international stage and adds to a real embarrassment of riches Gatland has at his disposal in the back-row.
7: Ellis Jenkins
Could well have been pushing top three had not the joint Welsh skipper this summer not missed a chunk of the campaign after tearing a hamstring in pre-season. Certainly made up for lost time on his return to Blues duty and rewarded by Warren Gatland by being asked to co-lead the summer tour.
6: Cory Hill
An unsung hero of the Welsh team. Brian O’Driscoll said he’d never heard of the lock after being called up by the Lions last summer as one of the Geography Six, but he certainly does now with some towering displays in the red jersey.
5: Rob Evans
Props may not have the glitz and glamour of an outside-half, the searing pace of a wing, and are unlikely to come away from an awards evening laden down with silverware. But Evans has not only broken the front-row stereotype of scrummage, scrummage, scrummage and very little else, he’s positively shattered it.
4: Alun Wyn Jones
The Welsh warhorse and Captain Marvel all rolled into one. Like the proverbial fine wine, the 32-year-old seems to getting better by age. Has bolted bits on to his game to make sure he evolves as the sport does. 3: Aaron Shingler The Scarlets blindside has nailed down a Wales starting spot after three years in international wilderness with his explosive physicality and agility. He’s deceptively brilliant in nearly every facet of the game, but faces a battle back from inury after a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee.
2: Hadleigh Parkes
Who could have foreseen the impact a 30-year-old Kiwi globetrotter would have on Welsh rugby when he arrived at the Parc y Scarlets in December 2014? But the centre is from New Zealand after all and that comes with a lifetime guarantee in rugby.
1: Josh Navidi
A stunning season for Wales’ player of the year ended in cruel disappointment as he dislocated a shoulder in Cardiff Blues’ European Challenge Cup win out in Bilbao.
Navidi had been due to travel with Wales to Washington ahead of their opening Test against the Springboks.
There were question marks whether the Blues back-rower had the oomph to make it at Test level but they were well and truly dispelled in the last 12 months.