Bryan Williams (rugby union)

Sir Bryan Williams
Williams in 2018
Birth name Bryan George Williams
Date of birth (1950-10-03) 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
Position(s) Three-quarter
All Black No. 689
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
1968–1982 Ponsonby ()
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
1969–1982 Auckland 132 ()
National team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
1970–1978 New Zealand 38 (68)
Teams coached
Years Team
1999
2000–2001		 Samoa
Hurricanes (assistant coach)

Sir Bryan George Williams KNZM MBE (born 3 October 1950) is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer and former coach of the Samoan national rugby team.

Playing career

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.

Retirement

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]

Honours

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 2013 Queen's Birthday Honours, Williams was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, also for services to rugby.[7] He was promoted to Knight Companion of the same order in the 2018 New Year Honours, for services to rugby.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Cleaver, Dylan (1 August 2011). "B.G Williams – 'Beegee' our first Samoan superstar". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  2. ↑ Reid, Neil (9 May 2010). "Bee Gee: I never felt I was an honorary white". Sunday News. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  3. ↑ Brown, Michael (18 April 2010). "Rugby: Once was hatred". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  4. ↑ http://www.nzru.co.nz/about_us/nzru_board
  5. ↑ "The Queen's Birthday Honours 1983" (15 June 1983) 85 New Zealand Gazette 1851.
  6. ↑ "No. 49376". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 June 1983. pp. 33–37.
  7. ↑ "Queen's Birthday honours list 2013". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 3 June 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  8. ↑ "New Year honours list 2018". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 30 December 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
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