In 2002 former Welsh eightman Eddie Butler, who played against Ella in 1984, ranked Ella at number one in his list of the 10 best fly-halves in the history of rugby union. In 2003 Butler called Ella "My all-time favourite ' and asserted he was '... by a long way the most influential player of his generation. Just took the passing game and the support game and the reading game and just stretched, stretched them into new areas.'" In 2020, former England flyhalf Stuart Barnes ranked Ella the third greatest five-eighth of all-time, behind All Black Dan Carter and Wales' Phil Bennett.