Shane Williams

Shane Mark Williams was born on 26th February 1977. He is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays as a wing for the Ospreys. Shane is well-known for his side-step and his acceleration and speed. He has been described as one of the most exciting wingers in the world, 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.

Williams was born in Morriston, in Swansea, but grew up in Glanamman. 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 played for Cwmamman United up to the senior level, while only playing rugby sporadically. 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 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.

Shane signed his first professional contract with Neath worth approximately £7,500 per annum, equivalent to his wage at the local Job Centre where he was working part-time.

Williams earned his first cap from the bench against France in 1999–2000 Six Nations season. 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 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.

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. His performances in the Six Nations led to him being named the player of the tournament.

In November 2008, Williams became the first Welshman to be named IRB International Player of the Year and then in December he won the BBC Welsh Sports Personality Of The Year. 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. 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.

In April 2009, Shane was named as a member of the British and Irish Lions for the 2009 tour to South Africa. He 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.

In November 2009 Shane two tries in Wales' comfortable 33–16 win over Argentina in the Millennium Stadium, taking his international try tally to 50.

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.

Williams currently stands on 53 international tries with 51 for Wales and two for the British and Irish Lions.