Wales is a country that excels in many areas. Perhaps the biggest of these is the sport of rugby. With many players going down in the history books, the most successful Welsh player of all time has to be the legendary Shane Williams. With a test career spanning from 2000 to 2011, with 87 international caps, 300 points, and 60 tries, Williams certainly earned his place in the history books.
Was Williams a true star or did he just happen to be surrounded by greatness? How would the Wales team of the early 2000s have fared without him? Let’s have a look at just what Williams brought to the party and why he will forever be loved by Welsh rugby fans.
A string of achievements
While Wales performed exceptionally well with Williams as part of the team, he naturally chalked up an impressive number of personal achievements. He set the record for the most tries scored for his country. He became the only Welshman to be awarded the IRB Player of the Year in 2008. He helped his country to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup as well as winning two Grand Slams during the Six Nations.
Shane Williams spoke with Betway Insider and gave his take on those Grand Slam wins. He revealed how the 2005 success was a bit of a surprise, to say the least. “ Winning the Grand Slam is one of my greatest achievements. In ’05, that Grand Slam came out of nowhere. ….. We played tough rugby; we defended our hearts out. It was almost like a movie, winning that Six Nations, to be perfectly honest.”.
Wales were undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with in the hay day of Shane Williams. However, in this year’s Six Nations tournament they aren’t favored amongst the online betting sites. One such betting site Betway has France pegged as the favorite for their match against Wales next Friday, with France at 2/11 to come out on top and Wales at 7/2 to snatch a win from the visitors and end their grand slam hopes.
A player that came out of nowhere
Something that saw Williams becoming so important to Wales was, perhaps, the path that he had to take to get there. As a youngster, he certainly wasn’t someone that you would look at and think ‘rugby legend’. Described as ‘scrawny’ and ‘shy’, he was definitely not a prime candidate for international rugby success. No one thought that Williams could ever succeed. He was intent on proving them wrong
It would take until 2003 for him to show just how capable he really was. Let loose on the wing against the All Blacks, Williams put in a performance that meant he would never be doubted again. This work to prove his worth clearly had an effect and he never ever stopped giving his all
A sense of belief
Having had to work hard to claim his place, Williams went on to bring a sense of belief to the Welsh team. He recalls how things had been previously: “ We had some great players, but collectively at times we let ourselves down……. Sometimes we didn’t quite believe in ourselves.”
He goes on to describe how the Grand Slams of 2005 and 2008 came about as the team believed and became mentally tougher. There is little doubt that it was the self-belief of Williams himself that inspired the rest of the team and led them to success.
