#1. George Smith
- Position: Flanker
- Major teams: Australia
- Caps: 111
Jones said: “If I had to pick out three players who improved consistently throughout their Test careers, the first name would be easy. George Smith went onto become a world-class player.
“How Australia let him go at 28, it’s a crime. Can you imagine if New Zealand let Richie McCaw go at 28? It’s just ridiculous. He should be the most capped player for Australia and he should be remembered as an all-time great. It’s one of the great sins of Australian rugby.
“I’ve never seen a kid who can play the game as much as he can. He was an 18-year-old playing for Manly in his first first-grade game and I remember Ewen McKenzie and I sat there and watched the video. We had him signed by the Wednesday of the next week. He was that good. He could read the game, he had attacking skills, he had defensive skills, he was just a terrific player.”
DID YOU KNOW? Smith, who is of Tongan background, is the older brother of fellow Brumbies player and Tongan rugby league international Tyrone Smith