Why they rank here
Routinely voted the greatest rugby player of all time in polls of players and pundits decades after he retired. Edwards was a scrum-half of extraordinary power, athleticism and vision who never missed a match for Wales, playing all 53 of his caps consecutively — a testament to durability in a brutal amateur age. He was the engine of Wales' 1970s golden generation, winning three Grand Slams and multiple Five Nations titles, and a talismanic figure on the great British and Irish Lions tours, playing all four Tests in the series-winning 1971 tour of New Zealand and the unbeaten 1974 tour of South Africa. His crowning image is the try he finished for the Barbarians against the All Blacks in 1973, a length-of-the-field flowing move still replayed as the sport's most beautiful score. His statistical totals are modest by modern measure, but his blend of brilliance, influence and reputation is unmatched among amateur-era backs.
Career profile
Each bar shows how this athlete compares with the strongest in our all-time list for that metric.