Bryan Williams (rugby union)
Birth name | Bryan George Williams | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 3 October 1950 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 89 kg (14 st 0 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Mount Albert Grammar School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notable relative(s) | Gavin Williams (son) Paul Williams (son) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Children | Paul Williams, Gavin Williams | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bryan George Williams CNZM MBE (born 3 October 1950) is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer and former coach of the Samoan national rugby team.
Biography
Williams was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1950. His father was Samoan, and his mother a Rarotongan of Samoan descent.[1] He was educated at Mt Albert Grammar School, where he started his rugby career. He became an All Black in 1970 as a wing and distinguished himself in the 1970 South African Rugby Tour where he was a sensation, scoring 14 tries in his 13 appearances and in the international series he scored in each of the first and fourth Tests. This was during apartheid, so with his parentage he was only able to tour after honorary white status was granted.[2][3]
Williams' international rugby career lasted from 1970 to 1978 in which he played 113 matches (including 38 international Tests) and scored 66 tries in all matches as an All Black (ten tries in Tests), which was a record until beaten by John Kirwan.
After he retired from rugby, he coached a number of club sides in New Zealand. During the 1990s onwards, he has been the national rugby coach for Samoa. He is married and has two sons Gavin and Paul, who also play rugby union: Gavin plays internationally for Samoa and plays club for French side US Dax; and his other son Paul played for the Auckland Super Rugby side the Blues before playing for Sale in the English Premiership and debuting for Samoa in 2010. Williams now coaches at the Ponsonby Rugby Club and the Mt Albert Grammar School Rugby Academy.
Williams was appointed President of the NZRU in 2011.[4]
In the 1983 Queen's Birthday Honours, Williams was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to rugby.[5][6] In the Queen's Birthday Honours 2013, Williams was appointed a Companion of The New Zealand Order of Merit also for services to rugby.[7][8]
References
- ^ Cleaver, Dylan (1 August 2011). "B.G Williams – 'Beegee' our first Samoan superstar". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
- ^ Reid, Neil (9 May 2010). "Bee Gee: I never felt I was an honorary white". Sunday News. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
- ^ Brown, Michael (18 April 2010). "Rugby: Once was hatred". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
- ^ http://www.nzru.co.nz/about_us/nzru_board
- ^ "The Queen's Birthday Honours 1983" (15 June 1983) 85 New Zealand Gazette 1851.
- ^ "No. 49376". The London Gazette (invalid
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(help)). 10 June 1983. - ^ "The Queen's Birthday Honours 2013" (24 June 2013) 80 New Zealand Gazette 2171.
- ^ "Queen's Birthday Honours List 2013". Honours List. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet of New Zealand. 3 June 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
External links
- Use dmy dates from June 2013
- 1950 births
- New Zealand rugby union players
- New Zealand rugby union coaches
- New Zealand people of Cook Island descent
- New Zealand people of Samoan descent
- Auckland rugby union players
- New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame inductees
- New Zealand international rugby union players
- People educated at Mount Albert Grammar School
- Sportspeople from Auckland
- Living people
- Ponsonby RFC players
- Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit
- New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire