WynJones

Wyn Jones finally became a Test Lion when he started the third Test against South Africa in 2021.

The Welshman had been due to start in the No.1 jersey for The British & Irish Lions in the first Test but had to pull out with a shoulder injury which became infected and left him on a drip in hospital.

Rory Sutherland and then Mako Vunipola started in his absence in the first two games before the front rower returned for the decider which went the way of the Springboks.

Perhaps no player benefited more from the 2021 Guinness Six Nations in furthering their Lions cause than Wales’ loosehead prop Jones.

He provided the foundation of the Wales pack as they claimed the title, with their scrum absolutely flawless, conceding just one penalty on their own ball all Championship.

Jones has been something of a late bloomer, having started out at Llandovery and only making his first league start for the Scarlets in 2016, by which time he was already 24.

With plenty of competition at loosehead in Wales, Jones earned his first international call-up in 2017 when the Lions were in New Zealand. He made his debut against Tonga in Auckland and did enough to be part of the squad later that autumn and into the following Six Nations.

His first Test start also came against Tonga in November 2018, while he came off the bench in the first two games of his country’s 2019 Six Nations Grand Slam triumph.

That was the year that everything changed for Jones, forcing his way up the hierarchy to be first choice for Wales under Warren Gatland at the 2019 World Cup, the coach’s final competition in charge.

He played in every game as Wales reached the semi-final, starting all but the pool encounter with Uruguay and the third-place play-off against New Zealand.

While Wales struggled in 2020, Jones was instrumental in their bounceback in 2021. He was Player of the Match in the opening victory against Ireland, before scoring a crucial try a week later as they came from behind to beat Scotland.

At club level he and Rob Evans have battled for the loosehead spot at the Scarlets for the best part of half a decade now, with their rivalry pushing both as the Welsh region won the Guinness PRO12 title in 2016/17 and reached the final the following season.