Lewis Jones : Tue Mar 05, 2024 1:34 pm  

Sad to hear the death of a true Rugby League legend Lewis Jones.
A dual British Lions tourist and tho holder of the highest number of points scored in a season.
A member of the first Leeds team to win the Championship in 1961.

My old fella rarely praised players as “greats” but could regale for hours about a young Billy Boston, the one and only Jim Sullivan, Brian McTigue, Ken Gee, Dick Huddart, Vince Karalius, Dave Bolton, Johnny Whitley , Brian Bevan Jackie Edwards and the brilliant Alex Murphy. Fast, elusive and hard players. The one player who he regarded as the best rugby player he ever watched was Lewis Jones. Immaculate goal kicker, great passer, brilliant kicker from hand, superb rugby brain and bags of pace. He went to a championship SF against Saints in 1961 and he maintained that Jones played Alex Murphy off the park. I just wish that I could have seen Jones in the flesh at his peak. The great teams in the late 50’s and early 60’s of Saints, Wakefield, Leeds, Hull and Wigan produced probably the best batch of British players in the game’s history and for my owd feller Jones was at the top of the heap.

I’m certain that Leeds will commemorate him with the dignity that his legacy deserves.

Re: Lewis Jones : Tue Mar 05, 2024 1:40 pm  

Legendary player.

Re: Lewis Jones : Tue Mar 05, 2024 8:16 pm  

Like Itchy, my dad really rated Lewis Jones.

I went to CP when we played Leeds and dad must have been talking about Lewis and I remember asking him which Leeds player was Jones. He pointed him out and told me, again, how good he was. Reading about him today and he signed for Leeds in 1952 for £6000 being a Union Welsh International and Lions player. Billy signed for us in 1953 never having played for Wales for £3000.

Just shows what a miss to our game not being able to bring top class Union players to play League.

Re: Lewis Jones : Wed Mar 06, 2024 8:28 am  

Father Ted wrote:

Like Itchy, my dad really rated Lewis Jones.

I went to CP when we played Leeds and dad must have been talking about Lewis and I remember asking him which Leeds player was Jones. He pointed him out and told me, again, how good he was. Reading about him today and he signed for Leeds in 1952 for £6000 being a Union Welsh International and Lions player. Billy signed for us in 1953 never having played for Wales for £3000.

Just shows what a miss to our game not being able to bring top class Union players to play League.

Totally agree Ted on the lack of ex Union players playing in RL. Obviously the vast majority were not a Jones or a Watkins but many of them did bring a bit of difference to the game and a new Welsh signing historically would always bring in a sense of anticipation.
I don’t watch as much Union as I used to do but I watched the Ireland v Wales game before our Penrith game and Wales were awful truly awful. I’d still like to think that there are some young Welsh lads out there who could make the transition to RL.
By the way I didn’t know that Jones had received such a big signing on fee. Obviously money well spent.