George Williams (rugby league)

George Williams
Personal information
Born (1994-10-31) 31 October 1994
Wigan, England
Height 181 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight 88 kg (194 lb; 13 st 12 lb)
Playing information
Position Stand-off, Scrum-half, Hooker

Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2014– Wigan Warriors 147 46 70 1 325
2013(loan) → S Wales Scorpions 1 0 0 0 0
Total 148 46 70 1 325
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2015–17 England 7 1 0 0 4
As of 14 October 2018
Source: [1][2][3]

George Williams (born 31 October 1994) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Wigan Warriors in the Super League, and the England national team. He primarily plays as a stand-off.

Williams made his senior début for the Wigan Warriors in 2013. He was awarded the Super League Young Player of the Year award in 2015, and helped the team win the 2016 Super League Grand Final, and the 2017 World Club Challenge.

Williams made his international début for England in 2015, and represented his country at the 2017 World Cup.

Background

Williams was born in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England.

Club career

Williams playing for Wigan in 2015

Williams was born on 31 October 1994 in Wigan, Greater Manchester, and began playing junior rugby league at local amateur teams Ince Rose Bridge, and Wigan St Patricks.[2] He joined Wigan Warriors scholarship programme and was signed to their Academy team in 2011 on a four-year contract.[4]

Williams made his senior début in the fourth round of the Challenge Cup in April 2013, scoring a try in a 60–10 win against Championship side Leigh Centurions. He made his first Super League appearance a month later against London Broncos, scoring another try, and also played against Widnes Vikings. He returned to the Academy side later in the season, helping Wigan win the under-19 Grand Final with two tries in a 34–10 victory against Leeds Rhinos.[5]

Williams became a regular in the first team during the 2014 season, and signed a new four-year contract in May 2014.[6] He made 23 appearances during the season, scoring seven tries, including his first senior hat-trick against Hull F.C. in July 2014.[7] He appeared for Wigan as a substitute in the 2014 Super League Grand Final defeat against St. Helens.

Following the departure of Blake Green, Williams became the first-choice stand-off for Wigan and was assigned the number 6 jersey before the start of the 2015 season. He played in the World Club Series against Brisbane Broncos. Williams made 33 appearances and was a near ever-present throughout the season, missing only one game early in the year against Huddersfield Giants after suffering an injury during the warm-up.[8] Williams was awarded the Super League Young Player of the Year award at the Man of Steel awards on 5 October 2015.[9] Williams also played in the 2015 Grand Final, but was again on the losing side as Wigan were defeated 20–22 against Leeds Rhinos.

In 2016, Williams again featured in the World Club Series against Brisbane Broncos, scoring one try in a heavy 12–42 defeat. Williams also won his first club honours, with Wigan defeating Warrington Wolves in the 2016 Grand Final.

On 19 February 2017, Williams was the stand-out performer in the 2017 World Club Challenge against National Rugby League Premiers Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, helping Wigan to a 22–6 win.[10] In April 2017, he signed a new four-year contract with Wigan.[11] On 26 August 2017, Williams played in his first Challenge Cup final, with Wigan losing 14–18 to Hull.

International career

After an outstanding Super League 2015 season, Williams was selected in the England team for their test series against New Zealand. Williams made his début for England in a test match, before the series, against France which saw Williams score a try in England's rout of their opponents.[12]

In October 2016, Williams was selected in the England squad for the 2016 Four Nations. He was also selected for the 2017 World Cup, making two appearances for England in the group stages.

Career statistics

SeasonTeamAppsTriesGoalsDGPoints
2013Wigan Warriors32008
201423711050
20153380032
201626120048
20173311541153
Total11840651291

Honours

Club

Individual

  • Super League Young Player of the Year: 2015

References

  1. ↑ loverugbyleague
  2. 1 2 "George Williams - Player Profile". Wigan Warriors. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  3. ↑ Rugby League Project
  4. ↑ "Warriors Sign Up 13 Scholarship Players". Wigan Warriors. 15 July 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  5. ↑ "Wigan win Academy Grand Final". Total Rugby League. 28 September 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  6. ↑ "George Williams: Wigan Warriors half-back signs four-year contract". BBC Sport. 15 May 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  7. ↑ "Super League: Wigan Warriors 56-10 Hull FC". BBC Sport. 18 July 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  8. ↑ Laybourn, Ian (14 February 2015). "Tomkins looks a class act as Wigan roar back". The Independent. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  9. ↑ Superleague, Twitter. "The 2015 First Utility Super League Young Player of the Year is George Williams". twitter.com. superleague twitter. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  10. ↑ Bower, Aaron (19 February 2017). "Wigan turn on the style to beat Cronulla and win World Club Challenge". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  11. ↑ "George Williams: Wigan Warriors half-back signs four-year deal with champions". BBC Sport. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  12. ↑ "England demolish France 84–4 in record win". Skysports.com. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
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