Lewis Jones
Wales
player portrait
Full name Benjamin Lewis Jones
Born April 11, 1931, Gorseinon
Current age 92 years 343 days
Major teams British and Irish Lions, Wales
Position Fullback

Test career
Span Mat Start Sub Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop GfM Won Lost Draw %
All Tests 1950-1952 13 13 0 62 1 13 10 1 0 10 3 0 76.92
Wales 1950-1952 10 10 0 36 0 9 6 0 0 8 2 0 80
British and Irish Lions 1950-1950 3 3 0 26 1 4 4 1 0 2 1 0 66.66
Five/Six Nations 1950-1952 9 9 0 36 0 9 6 0 0 8 1 0 88.88

Career statistics
Test debut England v Wales at Twickenham, Jan 21, 1950 match details
Last Test Wales v France at Swansea, Mar 22, 1952 match details
Test Statsguru Main menu | Career summary | Match list | Most points | Most tries | Tournament list
Profile

On the face of it Lewis Jones' career stats do not reflect a great talent - ten caps for Wales, three Lions appearances - but that hides the fact that for a brief period before he switched to rugby league he was the wonder boy of Welsh rugby.

His debut at Twickenham in 1950 (at 18 he was the youngest ever Welsh debutant) ended with him being carried shoulder-high from the pitch. To his bemusement he had been selected at fullback even though he had never played there. Later that year he became the first ever Lion to arrive on tour by aeroplane when flown out as a replacement. His performances there won him a string of plaudits. His versatility was shown by the fact his ten Wales caps came in three positions - fullback, centre and wing - and his pace from a standing start was awesome.

In November 1952 he switched codes for a then-record fee of £6000, revealing Leeds had been pursuing him for two years. The money plus the promise of a job (he was a bulldozer driver) proved too tempting. At 21 his rugby union career was over.

In Rugby League he unsurprisingly shone as well, winning 15 Great Britain caps and one for Wales (it was their last game for 15 years). He became the first player to notch 1000 goals for Leeds, spent six years as a player-coach in Australia and after retirement became a schoolmaster in Leeds.

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Latest Photos
Feb 4, 1952
Wales captain Lewis Jones is carried shoulder high by jubilant Welsh fans
Wales captain Lewis Jones is carried shoulder high by jubilant Welsh fans
©  PA Photos
Feb 4, 1952
Lewis Jones
Lewis Jones
©  PA Photos

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