The Welsh trio were among 15 legends of the game to join the elite list and for the first time the IRB recognised the women’s game by introducing six ladies, four of who are World Cup winners, into the Hall of Fame.
The full list of the new inductees announced in London today is: Nathalie Amiel (France), Gill Burns (England), Patty Jervey (USA), Carol Isherwood (England), Anna Richards (New Zealand), Farah Palmer (New Zealand), Keith Rowlands (Wales), Jim Greenwood (Scotland), JPR Williams (Wales), Michael Lynagh (Australia), Jo Maso (France), Keith Wood (Ireland), Ieuan Evans (Wales), Jason Leonard (England) and Bill Beaumont (England).
IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset, who joined IRB Hall of Fame secretary Chris Thau in presenting the caps and pins to the new inductees, said: “The IRB Hall of Fame recognises those who have made an indelible mark on our sport through feats on the field of play, displays of great character or through their tireless and inspirational work in driving forward our great game.”
“It is particularly pleasing to be able to induct the first women into the IRB Hall of Fame. These six were wonderful players and, in many ways, trail-blazers for the women’s game in their countries and around the world. We saw the success of the Women’s Rugby World Cup this year in France and it is doubtful that would have been possible if not for the pioneering spirit of those great players and personalities that went before.
“And the men’s inductions include some of the biggest names in our sport over the past 40 years and all have contributed immensely to the enjoyment we have all felt watching top-level rugby over the decades. Each of these 15 inductees is a true great in his and her own right and has made a positive impression on the sport that will last the test of time.”
Keith Rowlands followed up a distinguished career as a player with an even more high profile career as a rugby administrator. He won two of his five internationals with Wales, helping them to win the Triple Crown in 1965, and played in three Tests, and 18 of the 25 fixtures, on the 1962 British & Irish Lions tour.
He made 149 appearances for Cardiff, who he captained to victory over the 1966 Wallabies. He was in the Llanelli side that lost to the 1960 Springboks and the Cardiff team that went down to the 1963 All Blacks.
After his distinguished playing career was brought to a premature close with a broken leg, he went on to bestride the world game as a colossus among rugby administrators. He became a member of the Welsh Rugby Union General Committee, chairman of the Welsh selectors, a member of the International Rugby Board, the first professional General Secretary and then Chief Executive of the IRB, a founding father of the Rugby World Cup, Chief Executive of the 1999 RWC in Wales and eventually President of the WRU (2004-2006).
JPR Williams won the first of his 55 caps as a teenager against Scotland in 1969 and went on to become the best full back in the world game. He won three Grand Slams and six Triple Crowns with Wales and captained his country five times.
He played in eight consecutive Tests for the British & Irish lions on the 1971 and 1974 tours, winning five of them, drawing two and losing only once. His overall record on the two tours was P30 W27 L1 D1. He was one of the 15 original inductees to the former International Rugby Hall of Fame in 1997 and is also a member of the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame ‘Roll of Honour’.
Ieuan Evans captained Wales a record 28 times in his record 72 appearances for his country and scored a record 33 tries. He equalled the record for the most tries in a game for Wales when he scored four against Canada in the 1987 Rugby World Cup.
He played in the first three World Cup tournaments, helping Wales to finish third in 1987, and was in the 1988 Triple Crown winning team. He also led Wales to the Five Nations title in 1994 and played for the British & Irish Lions on three tours, winning a Test in each of the three southern hemisphere countries between 1989-1997 and helping the Lions to win a series in Australia and South Africa.
On the club front he helped Bath win the Heineken Cup in 1998 and was in the Llanelli side that beat Australia in 1992. He was made MBE for his services to rugby in 1997 and was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 2007.
The IRB Hall of Fame was launched in 2006 with the induction of Rugby School and William Webb Ellis. Since then the following legends have been inducted: Baron Pierre de Coubertin, Danie Craven, Wilson Whineray, Gareth Edwards, John Eales, The 1888 Natives Team and Joseph Warbrick, Ned Haig and the Melrose club, Jack Kyle, Philippe Sella, Hugo Porta, William Maclagan, Barry Heatlie, Bennie Osler, Cliff Morgan, Tony O’Reilly, Frik du Preez, Syd Millar, Willie John McBride, Ian McGeechan, Jean Prat, Lucien Mias, Andre and Guy Boniface, Serge Blanco, Harry Vassall and Alan Rotherham, Cardiff RFC and Frank Hancock, David Gallaher, Barbarian FC and WP Carpmael, Mike Gibson, Roger Vanderfield, Richard Littlejohn, Nicholas Shehadie, John Kendall-Carpenter, David Kirk, Brian Lochore, Nick Farr-Jones, Bob Dwyer, Francois Pienaar, Kitch Christie, Rod Macqueen, Gareth Rees, Clive Woodward, Jonah Lomu, Jake White, Brian Lima, Agustín Pichot, Martin Johnson, John Smit, Gordon Tietjens, Ian and Donald Campbell, Yoshihiro Sakata, the 1924 Romanian Olympic Team, the gold medal-winning USA Olympic Team of 1920 and 1924, Richard and Kennedy Tsimba, Alfred St George Hamersley, Vladimir Ilyushin, Waisale Serevi, Thomas Lawton, John Thornett, Ken Catchpole, Mark Ella, David Campese, George Gregan, Robert Seddon and the 1888 British team, David Bedell-Sivright, Bleddyn Williams, Jack Matthews, Ronnie Dawson, Gavin Hastings, Fred Allen, Don Clarke, Grant Fox, Sean Fitzpatrick, Michael Jones, Ian Kirkpatrick, John Kirwan, Terry McLean, Colin Meads, Graham Mourie and George Nepia.
