In the late forties and early fifties the Welsh rugby team was virtually unbeatable - indeed the 1953 side was the last to beat New Zealand. The teams then included some of the all-time greats: Cliff Morgan, Bleddyn Williams, Lewis Jones, Ken Jones. If the backs were outstanding, they were aided by a pack of rigour and technique which provided quality ball and was destructive in defence. The team was led by John Gwillliam, a man who remains something of an enigma.

With his customary attention to the period David Parry-Jones has produced an enthralling biography of Gwilliam and an overview of one of the great periods in Welsh rugby history, in the manner of his succesful survey of the first golden era, Prince Gwyn.