Wales have won 10 Grand Slams in the past century and have produced world-class wingers such as Gerald Davies, JJ Williams and Ieuan Evans, names that trip off the tongue and evoke memories of former triumphs.
But Wales prop Adam Jones believes record-breaker Williams is the best of the lot. Jones, 27, said: “Shane is the best winger to have played for Wales by a long way. I know we’ve had some superb players and wingers throughout the years but he is the best player I’ve ever played with.”
If Jones is working purely on the basis of statistics, then his assessment is correct. With 41 international tries from his 56 caps, he tops the all-time try scoring table after surpassing Gareth Thomas’s total last Saturday.
Williams’s sixth touchdown also equalled Will Greenwood’s Six Nations record to seal a remarkable campaign at the Millennium Stadium in Warren Gatland’s first season in charge. But despite Williams’s heroics, Jones reckons it was the forward pack who clinched the victory in Cardiff.
He said: “It was great to see Shane beat the record but the turning point was that scrum with 15 minutes to go. They were close to our line but we pushed them back. People have said we’ve got a weak pack but no one in the Six Nations dominated us and we’ve proved that we’re no mugs anymore.”
The arrival of Defence Coach Shaun Edwards saw Wales concede just two tries in the tournament, halving England’s record of four in the 2002 and 2003 Six Nations.
Jones said: “It’s brilliant. We’ve worked so hard on our defence and it paid off.”
