 Williams in 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Bryan George Williams | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 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) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tuifaʻasisina 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.
Williams was born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1950. His father was Samoan, and his mother a Rarotongan of Samoan descent. [1] His family lived in Ponsonby, and he was educated at Mt Albert Grammar School, where he started his rugby career. [2] 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. [3] [4]
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.
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. [5] 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. [6]
In the 1983 Queen's Birthday Honours, Williams was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), for services to rugby. [7] In the 2013 Queen's Birthday Honours, Williams was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM), also for services to rugby. [8] He was promoted to Knight Companion of the same order in the 2018 New Year Honours (KNZM), for services to rugby. [9] In August of that year, he was announced as a member of the 2018 induction class of the World Rugby Hall of Fame, officially being inducted at the Hall of Fame's physical location in Rugby on 12 September. [10]
Sir Wilson James Whineray was a New Zealand business executive and rugby union player. He was the longest-serving captain of the national rugby union team, the All Blacks, until surpassed by Richie McCaw in 2014. Rugby writer Terry McLean considered him the All Blacks' greatest captain.
Sir John James Patrick Kirwan is a New Zealand mental health advocate, former rugby union and rugby league player, and former rugby union coach.
Sir Michael Niko Jones is a New Zealand former rugby union player and coach.
Sir Wayne Thomas "Buck" Shelford is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer and coach who represented and captained New Zealand in the late 1980s. He is also credited with revitalising the performance of the All Blacks' traditional "Ka Mate" haka.
Va'aiga Lealuga Tuigamala Pulelua Fesola'i, sometimes known as Inga Tuigamala, was a professional rugby union and rugby league footballer. Born in Samoa, he represented New Zealand in rugby union, winning 19 caps, and later Samoa in both rugby league and rugby union. He played in one rugby league and two rugby union World Cups.
Ruben James Wiki is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New Zealand international representative centre-turned-prop forward, he retired with the record for most international appearances of any rugby league player in history. As of 2023, he is still the highest capped Kiwi player ever. At club level Wiki played for the Canberra Raiders, winning the 1994 NSWRL Premiership with them before finishing his career with the New Zealand Warriors. He currently works as the NZRL's High Performance Manager and a High Performance Assistant with the New Zealand Warriors.
Sir Gordon Frederick Tietjens is head coach of the Samoa rugby sevens team, and a celebrated former coach of the New Zealand men's national team in rugby sevens, the All Blacks Sevens. When the International Rugby Board inducted him into the IRB Hall of Fame in May 2012, it said that "Tietjens' roll of honour is without peer in Sevens, and perhaps in the game of rugby as a whole." According to Spiro Zavos, Tietjens is "The greatest of all the Sevens coaches".
Sir Graham Michael Lowe is the owner of the Bradford Bulls together with fellow New Zealander Andrew Chalmers. He is a New Zealand former rugby league football coach and administrator. He previously coached in Australia and England and was the CEO of the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. He is also the only non-Australian to coach a State of Origin team.
Sir Brian James Lochore was a New Zealand rugby union player and coach who represented and captained the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks. He played at number 8 and lock, as well as captaining the side 46 times. In 1999, Lochore was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame.
Sir Frederick Richard Allen was a captain and coach of the All Blacks, New Zealand's national rugby union team. The All Blacks won all 14 of the test matches they played under his coaching.
Richard John Ackland is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s, coach in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, and scout in the 2000s, and former cricketer in the 1980s, who works for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League. He represented New Zealand in 1983. His late uncle, Ron, also played for New Zealand.
Antonio (Tony) Emil Tuimavave is a Samoan former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s, who was the head coach of the Ponsonby Ponies from 2010, primarily as a prop also as a lock. He was nicknamed The Chief because he is a chief back in his native Samoa.
Darrell Christopher Williams is a New Zealand rugby league selector and NRL Judiciary member and a former footballer and coach. A New Zealand international representative outside back, he played his club football in the Auckland Rugby League for Mt Albert and in Sydney's NSWRFL Premiership for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and the Parramatta Eels. He later coached the Samoan national team.
Papali'itele Peter Momoe Fatialofa was a Samoan rugby player who captained Samoa in their first Rugby World Cup appearance in 1991. He was among the first of the New Zealand–based players to represent Samoa. He was nicknamed Fats.
The 1968 New Zealand rugby league season was the 61st season of rugby league that had been played in New Zealand.
The 1973 New Zealand rugby league season was the 66th season of rugby league that had been played in New Zealand.
Albert Edward Cooke was a New Zealand dual-code international rugby footballer of the 1920s and 1930s, who represented for New Zealand in both rugby union and rugby league.
Sir Terence Power McLean, often known simply by his initials as T. P. McLean, was a New Zealand sports journalist and author specialising in rugby union.
Fiao'o Fa'amausili is a former New Zealand female rugby union player. She played for New Zealand and Auckland. She made her Black Ferns debut on 18 May, 2002 against Australia at Barcelona. She was a member of the winning Black Ferns squad for the 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup. She has been to five World Cups beginning from 2002–2017.
Sir David Raymond Levene was a New Zealand businessman and philanthropist.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
