Wales Grand Slam-winning captain Alun Wyn Jones has been named as the greatest rugby player in the world, just months ahead of leading his team into the World Cup.
Alun Wyn tops a poll conducted by Rugby World magazine of the 100 best players right at this moment in time, eclipsing New Zealand fly-half great Beauden Barrett.
Another Wales ace, Liam Williams, also makes the top five after a stunning year with Wales and Saracens when he only lost one match .
Centre Jonathan Davies, wing flier Josh Adams and Josh Navidi are the other members of Warren Gatland's Six Nations champions to be chosen in the top 50.
Five more, Justin Tipuric, Gareth Anscombe, Dan Biggar, Ken Owens and Tomas Francis, make the cut lower down.
Jonathan Sexton, the official World Player of the Year, has to make do with a lowly 35th position, after falling from his heady heights.
Alun Wyn's incredible form over the past 12 months sees him come top of the pile, edging out two New Zealanders - Barrett and Brodie Retallick - plus England powerhouse prop Mako Vunipola and Welsh and Lions team-mate Williams.
Those make the top five, followed by England and Saracens playmaker Owen Farrell who comes sixth.
A Rugby World panel put together the best 100 list across the men's and women's games and they say Alun Wyn 'stands head and shoulders' above the others as number one.
They quote England World Cup winner Will Greenwood saying: "Alun Wyn Jones is the best player the northern hemisphere has produced in the 21st century."
Rugby World write: "Our top 100 will cause controversy. Everyone on rugby's planet has the perfect right to their opinion.
"However, should you disagree with our choice of top man we would uphold our right to ask where you were on March 16 when Alun Wyn Jones picked Wales up in two hands and took them to the Grand Slam; and why you apparently missed the 133 Tests before that, played by the lock of locks.
"Everything he did seemed to be touched by playing excellence, by magnificent leadership.
"To have Alun Wyn Jones the character as an example of what rugby can become is better than any multi-million pound advertising campaign.
"You really do wish there was some mechanism by which these giants could lend their experience to the administration of the game. Frankly the WRU should appoint him immediately to the Board. He has too much knowledge for it to be permitted to drift away."
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