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'''Shane Mark Williams''' (born 26 February 1977) is a [[Wales|Welsh]] international [[rugby union]] player who plays as a {{wing}} for the [[Ospreys (rugby team)|Ospreys]] and who can also play {{scrum-half}}.<ref>{{cite news |title=Williams offers scrum-half option |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/welsh/7421322.stm |work=BBC Sport |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=27 May 2008 |accessdate=12 January 2011 }}</ref> Williams is well-known for his side-step, acceleration and his ability to find open space through opposition defence. He has been described as one of the most exciting wingers in the world,<ref>{{cite news |title=Eales: Five of the best |url=http://www.irb.com/history/awards/newsid=2026976.html |work=irb.com |publisher=International Rugby Board |date=25 September 2008 |accessdate=12 January 2011 }}</ref> and is currently third on the international [[list of leading Rugby union Test try scorers|all-time Test try scoring list]].
Matt Reed

In 2008, Williams was selected as the [[IRB International Player of the Year]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Williams wins top rugby accolade |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/7745073.stm |work=BBC Sport |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=23 November 2008 |accessdate=12 January 2011 }}</ref>

==Early life==
==Early life==
Williams was born in [[Morriston]], in [[Swansea]], but grew up in [[Glanamman]] in the [[Amman Valley]]. He picked up his first rugby ball while still in primary school, and was always small for his age, even going into secondary school at [[Amman Valley Comprehensive School]]. Told that he was too small to play rugby, Williams took up [[association football|football]] instead, playing for [[Cwmamman United A.F.C.]]; in his first appearance for the club's junior team, Williams had to play [[Goalkeeper (association football)|in goal]] as no one else would volunteer to take the position. Williams' former junior football coach, Alun Rees, remembers him as a "superb goalkeeper", but notes that he could also play outfield. Williams played for Cwmamman United up to the senior level, while only playing rugby sporadically, and admits that, at the time, football was "[his] main sport". However, on the day of Cwmamman United's cup final, Williams was invited to play rugby with his friends at [[Amman United RFC]]; Amman United ended up winning by 82 points, with Williams scoring five tries.
Williams was born in [[Morriston]], in [[Swansea]], but grew up in [[Glanamman]] in the [[Amman Valley]]. He picked up his first rugby ball while still in primary school, and was always small for his age, even going into secondary school at [[Amman Valley Comprehensive School]]. Told that he was too small to play rugby, Williams took up [[association football|football]] instead, playing for [[Cwmamman United A.F.C.]]; in his first appearance for the club's junior team, Williams had to play [[Goalkeeper (association football)|in goal]] as no one else would volunteer to take the position. Williams' former junior football coach, Alun Rees, remembers him as a "superb goalkeeper", but notes that he could also play outfield. Williams played for Cwmamman United up to the senior level, while only playing rugby sporadically, and admits that, at the time, football was "[his] main sport". However, on the day of Cwmamman United's cup final, Williams was invited to play rugby with his friends at [[Amman United RFC]]; Amman United ended up winning by 82 points, with Williams scoring five tries.

Revision as of 12:02, 2 February 2011

Shane Williams
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight80 kg (12 st 8 lb)
SchoolAmman Valley School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Template:Wing
Template:Scrum-half
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
Amman United ()
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1998–2003
2003–		 Neath
Ospreys		 12
126		 (20)
(276)
Correct as of 12:07, 7 November 2010 (UTC)
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2000–
2005, 2009		 Wales
British and Irish Lions		 75
4		 (255)
(10)
Correct as of 15:33, 30 January 2011 (UTC)

Shane Mark Williams (born 26 February 1977) is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays as a Template:Wing for the Ospreys and who can also play Template:Scrum-half.[1] Williams is well-known for his side-step, acceleration and his ability to find open space through opposition defence. He has been described as one of the most exciting wingers in the world,[2] and is currently third on the international all-time Test try scoring list.

In 2008, Williams was selected as the IRB International Player of the Year.[3]

Early life

Williams was born in Morriston, in Swansea, but grew up in Glanamman in the Amman Valley. He picked up his first rugby ball while still in primary school, and was always small for his age, even going into secondary school at Amman Valley Comprehensive School. Told that he was too small to play rugby, Williams took up football instead, playing for Cwmamman United A.F.C.; in his first appearance for the club's junior team, Williams had to play in goal as no one else would volunteer to take the position. Williams' former junior football coach, Alun Rees, remembers him as a "superb goalkeeper", but notes that he could also play outfield. Williams played for Cwmamman United up to the senior level, while only playing rugby sporadically, and admits that, at the time, football was "[his] main sport". However, on the day of Cwmamman United's cup final, Williams was invited to play rugby with his friends at Amman United RFC; Amman United ended up winning by 82 points, with Williams scoring five tries.

Club career

Williams started his junior career as a scrum-half at Amman United but, despite having been a fan of Llanelli RFC growing up, he joined Neath as a second-choice scrum-half. However, it became apparent to Lyn Jones, Neath's then-coach, that Williams simply could not be left out of the side, and placed him on the right wing, opposite Delme Williams on the left. However, Delme Williams had shown a tendency not to kick and chase the ball, resulting in him and Shane swapping wings.

When it came to Williams signing his first professional contract with Neath, Amman United demanded a transfer fee for him, resulting in negotiations between the two clubs. Nevertheless, Williams eventually signed for Neath on a contract worth approximately £7,500 per annum, equivalent to his wage at the local Job Centre where he was working part-time.

International career

Williams earned his first cap from the bench against France in 1999–2000 Six Nations season, he was 22 three weeks short of his 23rd birthday, and weighed a little over 11 stone, having been deemed too small by some[who?] to ever play international rugby. He scored in his first full start for Wales with a try against Italy in the same Six Nations tournament and has since earned 73 caps for Wales and has scored 53 international tries (51 for Wales, 2 for the British and Irish Lions) and 265 points (255 for Wales, 10 for the Lions). He is Wales' most capped winger.

He suffered a series of hamstring injuries in 2002 and did not often figure in Steve Hansen's squad. He considered quitting rugby entirely at this time.[4]

He was part of the Grand Slam-winning Wales side in the 2005 Six Nations championship, where he scored tries against Italy, Scotland, and most famously England, the try that helped them achieve a famous 11–9 victory that got their campaign underway. He was then selected to the British and Irish Lions for their 2005 New Zealand tour. On 28 June, he equalled a single-game Lions record by scoring five tries in a tour match against Manawatu.

In the summer of 2007, Williams underwent elbow and shoulder surgery and missed the tour of Australia. However, he did return in time to play the last World Cup warm up game against France. During the 2007 Rugby World Cup, Williams earned his 50th cap against Japan. He scored two tries in that match, temporarily putting him on top of the 2007 World Cup try-scoring table with a total of five tries. The tries also put him above Ieuan Evans on the all-time Wales try scoring list, trailing only Gareth Thomas at that time. His try against France in their Six Nations decider on 15 March 2008 placed him joint eighth on the all-time Test try scoring list with Thomas, and surpassed Thomas on the all-time Wales try scoring list.

Williams scores a try for the Ospreys away to Ulster in April 2010.

He participated in a second Grand Slam win with Wales in the 2008 Six Nations Championship, when he scored tries against Scotland (twice), Italy (twice), Ireland, and France, breaking the record on the all-time Wales try scoring list in the championship's final match against France, when he scored his 41st try for Wales. This try resulted in his father Mark Williams winning £25,000 from a £50 bet placed almost 10 years previously that he'd one day become Wales' leading try scorer.[5] His performances in the Six Nations led to him being named the player of the tournament.

On 23 November 2008, Williams became the first Welshman to be named IRB International Player of the Year, beating fellow Welshman Ryan Jones, New Zealand's Dan Carter, Scottish skipper Mike Blair, and Italy captain Sergio Parisse [1]

On 7 December 2008, he won the BBC Welsh Sports Personality Of The Year, seeing off the competition of Tom James, David Roberts, Geraint Thomas and runners up Joe Calzaghe and Nicole Cooke.

In his first 2009 Six Nations game against Scotland he scored his 45th test try to take him above Jeff Wilson on the all-time leading try scorers list to sixth. During the game he received an ankle injury and was taken off the pitch. Following the injury he missed the next game against England, but would start for Wales' third game against France.[6] In the fourth game of the championship, Williams scored Wales' opening try against Italy to take himself to equal fifth on the all-time leading try scorers list.

On 21 April 2009, Williams was named as a member of the British and Irish Lions for the 2009 tour to South Africa.[7] Williams missed out on a starting place in the first two Tests but was selected to play in the final Test where he produced a man-of-the-match winning performance and scored two tries that contributed to the 28–9 victory over the Springboks.[8]

On 21 November 2009, Williams scored two tries in Wales' comfortable 33–16 win over Argentina in the Millennium Stadium, taking his international try tally to 50.[9]

On 13 February 2010, Williams scored the winning try against Scotland in Cardiff, completing a remarkable Welsh comeback. Wales trailed 24–14 with 4 minutes remaining in the game, and Williams' try on the last play of the game took the final score to 31–24 to Wales. It was Williams' 49th international try for Wales (51st in all internationals), and his 18th in the Six Nations, equalling the record by a Welshman in the tournament, held by Gareth Edwards.[10]

On 26 February 2010, Williams again scored in the final minute in the 26–20 loss to France. This score handed him sole position of tries scored by a Welshman in the tournament with 19 tries for his country.[11]

Williams scored his 51st try for Wales in 33–10 victory over Italy on 20 March, the last game of the 2010 six nations season.[12] Williams currently stands on 53 international tries with 51 for Wales and two for the British and Irish Lions.

Personal life

In August 2005, a holiday to Cyprus made the headlines when Williams was erroneously held over an assault. The police lost his passport; his lawyer described the whole incident as a "total stitch-up"; and on his return to Wales, Williams suggested that he should have spent his holiday in Tenby instead.

On 23 December 2005, Williams married his childhood sweetheart Gail Branwen Lacey, whom he had met at Amman Valley school 14 years previously, at Twyn Church in Garnant. The couple's first daughter, Georgie, was born on 7 November 2006.[citation needed]

Points record

Statistics as of 3 May 2008, taken from the official sites of the Ospreys, the Welsh Rugby Union and the British & Irish LIons.

Team Games Tries Conversions Penalties Drop Goals Total Points
Ospreys 101 48 0 0 2 251
Wales 75 51 0 0 0 255
British and Irish Lions Tests 4 2 0 0 0 10
British and Irish Lions Tour Matches 7 6 0 0 0 30
Total 187 106 0 0 2 536

References

  1. ^ "Williams offers scrum-half option". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 27 May 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  2. ^ "Eales: Five of the best". irb.com. International Rugby Board. 25 September 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  3. ^ "Williams wins top rugby accolade". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 23 November 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  4. ^ "I almost quit rugby - Wales hero". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 23 March 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  5. ^ "New Grand Slam celebration plans". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 17 March 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  6. ^ Roberts, Gareth (27 February 2009). "France 21-16 Wales". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  7. ^ "O'Connell handed Lions captaincy". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 21 April 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  8. ^ Palmer, Bryn (4 July 2009). "South Africa 9-28 Lions". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  9. ^ Pope, Bruce (21 November 2009). "Wales 33-16 Argentina". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  10. ^ Pope, Bruce (13 February 2010). "Wales 31-24 Scotland". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  11. ^ Davies, Sean (26 February 2010). "Wales 20-26 France". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  12. ^ Davies, Sean (20 March 2010). "Wales 33-10 Italy". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 12 January 2011.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/7745073.stm

Awards
Preceded by IRB International Player of the Year
2008 		Succeeded by
Preceded by BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year
2008 		Succeeded by

Template:Persondata

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