An Amman Valley rugby player has been named amongst the best Welsh athletes of the 21st century.

Shane Williams, and 2018 Tour de France champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist, Geraint Thomas, have been ranked joint fifth in a list of the greatest Welsh sportspeople of this century, as voted for by Welsh sports fans.

Gareth Bale took the top spot, with a commanding 46 per cent of the vote, followed by rugby legend Alun Wyn Jones in second place.

Jo Calzaghe, undefeated in 46 professional fights, won the third place.

Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs secured fourth position.

Shane Williams, originally hailing from Glanaman, is a former pupil of what is now Ysgol Dyffryn Aman.

His international rugby career was highlighted in 2008, when he was selected as the IRB Player of the Year - now the World Rugby Player of the Year.

The winger scored 58 tries in 87 appearances for Wales and two tries for the British & Irish Lions.

He retired in 2012 and signed a one-year contract with Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars in Japan and later extended his stay.

In 2012, he was given an MBE for services to rugby and inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2016.

A spokesperson for CopyBet.com said: "Wales has a proud sporting history and it’s always enjoyable to reflect on the moments and sportspeople we remember most fondly."

This list comes from a study commissioned by the betting platform CopyBet.com, and involved polling 2,000 adults who regularly watch sport.

The survey also identified the UK's greatest sporting moment of the century, which was won by Sir Andy Murray for his 2013 Wimbledon triumph.

The poll indicated that sport plays a significant role in national morale, with 90 per cent of Welsh sports fans believing that UK sporting successes boost the nation’s spirits.

Indeed, two-thirds of those polled thought that the nation could do with another sporting triumph.