Wales legends Alun Wyn Jones, Gareth Thomas and Warren Gatland have all been recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
Current captain Jones, who will equal Richie McCaw’s record of 148 Test caps if he plays against Scotland in the Guinness Six Nations later this month, has been appointed an OBE.
Former head coach Gatland, who led the team to three Six Nations Grand Slams, and former captain Thomas have been appointed CBEs.
The Queen’s Birthday Honours list was initially scheduled to be released in June but was postposed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 2020 Guinness Six Nations resumes later this month, with Jones likely to feature in his 139th international for Wales.
The 35-year-old, who has also won nine caps for the Lions, made his international debut in 2006 and has been a part of four Championship-winning sides.
Under Gatland, Jones won the Grand Slam in 2008, 2012 and 2019, while he also lifted the title in 2013 where Wales beat England to the crown on a memorable last day.
Jones was a constant presence throughout Gatland’s 12-year Wales reign, which started with the 2008 Grand Slam.
Gatland also led Wales to two World Cup semi-finals and finished with 85 wins from 151 Test matches.
The New Zealander also coached the 2013 Lions to a 2-1 series win in Australia and a 1-1 draw in New Zealand four years later, while he will also preside over next summer’s tour to South Africa.
Like Jones, Thomas is a Test centurion having won 103 caps during his international career. He made his debut in 1995 and scored 40 Test tries before his retirement in 2007, a record that was broken by Shane Williams the following year.
Thomas was part of the 2005 Grand Slam-winning squad and captained the Lions later that year.
In 2009, he announced publicly that he is gay and in 2019 revealed that he is HIV positive. Earlier this year, he launched Tackle HIV with ViiV Healthcare, aiming to correct misunderstanding, change attitudes and break stigma for people living with HIV.
