Shane Williams facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Shane Williams
MBE

Williams in October 2008
Full name	Shane Mark Williams
Date of birth	(1977-02-26) 26 February 1977 (age 48)
Place of birth	Morriston, Swansea, Wales
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	80 kg (180 lb; 12 st 8 lb)
School	Amman Valley School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing Scrum-half Youth Career ?–1998 Amman United Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 1998–2003 Neath 129 (612) 2003–2012 Ospreys 141 (293) 2012–2015 Mitsubishi 10 (30) National team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 2000–2011 Wales 87 (290) 2005–2013 British & Irish Lions 4 (10)

Shane Mark Williams, who was born on February 26, 1977, is a famous Welsh former rugby union player. He is best known for being a fantastic wing for the Ospreys team and the Wales national team. Sometimes, he also played as a scrum-half.

Shane Williams holds the record for scoring the most tries for Wales. He is also one of the top try scorers in international rugby history. In 2008, he was even named the World Rugby Player of the Year, which is a huge honor!

After he stopped playing international rugby in 2012, Shane became a TV presenter and a rugby expert. He talks about rugby on channels like S4C and BBC. In 2012, he was given the MBE award for his amazing contributions to rugby. He also played for a team in Japan called Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars for a few years. In 2016, Shane Williams was welcomed into the World Rugby Hall of Fame, which celebrates the greatest rugby players ever.

Early Life and First Steps in Sports

Shane Williams was born in Morriston, Swansea, Wales. He grew up in a place called Glanamman. He started playing rugby when he was very young, in primary school. Even when he went to secondary school, he was always smaller than other kids his age.

Because he was told he was too small for rugby, Shane first played football. He was a "superb goalkeeper" for his local team, Cwmamman United. Football was his main sport for a while. But one day, he played rugby with friends at Amman United RFC. His team won by a lot, and Shane scored five tries! This amazing game helped him realize his talent for rugby.

Playing for Rugby Clubs

Shane Williams began his junior rugby career as a scrum-half at Amman United RFC. He then joined Neath as a second-choice scrum-half. However, his coach quickly saw how talented he was and put him on the wing. This is where Shane really shined.

When he signed his first professional contract with Neath, it was a big step. He later moved to the Ospreys team, where he became a star player. In his very last game for the Ospreys at their home stadium, he scored a try right at the end of the match. He even kicked the conversion himself, which was a perfect way to finish! He also scored two tries in the PRO12 final, helping the Ospreys win a thrilling game.

After his time with the Ospreys, Shane planned to retire. But he got an offer to play in Japan for the Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars. He played there for a few seasons before finally retiring from professional rugby. He even returned to play for his home village club, Amman United RFC, in 2017, scoring a try in a big final at the Millennium Stadium. Today, he works as a rugby commentator and expert.

Playing for Wales and the British & Irish Lions

Shane Williams played his first game for Wales in 2000. He was almost 23 years old. He scored his first try for Wales against Italy in the same year. He went on to score an incredible 60 international tries in total, with 58 for Wales and 2 for the British & Irish Lions. He is Wales' top try scorer in the Six Nations Championship and in Rugby World Cups.

He faced some challenges early in his career, including injuries. He even thought about quitting rugby at one point. But he kept going!

Becoming a Star

At the 2003 Rugby World Cup, Shane was a third-choice scrum-half. But in games against New Zealand and England, he showed everyone how good he was. From then on, he became a first-choice winger for Wales.

He was a key player in Wales' amazing Grand Slam win in 2005. He scored important tries, including one against England that helped Wales win 11–9. After this, he was chosen to play for the British & Irish Lions on their tour to New Zealand. He even scored five tries in one game, which was a record for the Lions!

In 2008, Shane helped Wales win another Grand Slam. He scored many tries during this tournament, breaking the record for the most tries ever scored for Wales. His father had even placed a bet years earlier that Shane would become Wales' leading try scorer, and he won a lot of money! Because of his fantastic performances, Shane was named the player of the tournament.

Williams scores a try for the Ospreys away to Ulster in April 2010.

Top Awards and Later Career

On November 23, 2008, Shane Williams made history by becoming the first Welsh player to be named IRB Player of the Year. This is one of the highest honors in rugby. He also won the BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year award.

He continued to play brilliantly, scoring many more tries for Wales. In 2009, he was selected for another British & Irish Lions tour, this time to South Africa. He played a fantastic game in the final Test, scoring two tries and helping the Lions win.

In 2010, Shane scored a dramatic winning try against Scotland in the very last minute of the game, completing an amazing comeback for Wales. He also played in the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, where Wales reached the semi-finals.

Shane Williams played his last game for Wales on December 3, 2011, against Australia. In a perfect ending to his international career, he scored his 58th and final try with the very last touch of the game. He said that wearing the Welsh jersey was the "best feeling ever."

A 2012 portrait of Williams by portrait artist David Griffiths

Personal Life

In 2005, Shane Williams had a holiday in Cyprus that made the news. He was mistakenly held for a short time due to a misunderstanding. The situation was quickly resolved.

On December 23, 2005, Shane married his childhood sweetheart, Gail Branwen Lacey. They met when they were in school together. They have two children.

Honours

• IRB Player of the Year - 2008

Points Record

Here's a look at Shane Williams' points from his career:

Television Appearances

Shane Williams has appeared on many Welsh language TV shows on S4C. He even had his own show called Clwb Rygbi Shane.

In 2012, he had a small role playing himself in the TV show Stella. He also joined the team of rugby experts for BBC Wales, covering the Six Nations Championship. In 2017, a documentary called Shane – For the love of the game was made about his life after rugby.

He also tried playing Gaelic football for an Irish team called Glenswilly as part of a TV show. He even scored points in his first game!

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See also

In Spanish: Shane Williams para niños