Carwyn James

Carwyn Rees James ( born November 2, 1929 in Cefneithin, Carmarthenshire, Wales; † January 10, 1983 in Amsterdam, Netherlands) was a Welsh rugby union player who was used as a connector. He led the British and Irish Lions in 1971 as a coach for the only series win against New Zealand.

James was a trained teacher. He played for Llanelli RFC 1958 and came twice for the Welsh national team to use. But he was known primarily as manager of Llanelli and Lions. Llanelli he led to four Cup wins and 1972 to a victory over the All Blacks.

In 1971 he led the British and Irish Lions to two wins, one draw and one defeat in their tour to New Zealand. The former team of the Lions is one of the best of all time and was known mainly for their attractive attacking play, which was coined by James.

James died on 10 January 1983 in Amsterdam.