| Birth name | Johannes Gerhardus Williams | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 29 October 1946 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Johannesburg, Transvaal, Union of South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 5 December 2024 (aged 78) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 108 kg (238 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Hoërskool Piet Potgieter, Potgietersrus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Johannes Gerhardus "John" Williams (29 October 1946 – 5 December 2024) was a South African rugby union player and coach. [1]
Williams played his senior provincial rugby in South Africa for Northern Transvaal. He made his test debut for the Springboks in 1971 against the touring French team on 12 June 1971 at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein. He also played test matches against Australia in 1971, England in 1972, the British Lions in 1974 and the 1976 All Blacks. [2] He played in a further eleven tour matches, scoring one try for the Springboks. [3]
| No. | Opponents | Results (RSA 1st) | Position | Tries | Dates | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  France | 22–9 | Lock | 12 June 1971 | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein | |
| 2. | France | 8–8 | Lock | 19 June 1971 | Kings Park, Durban | |
| 3. |  Australia | 19–11 | Lock | 17 July 1971 | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | |
| 4. | Australia | 14–6 | Lock | 31 July 1971 | Brisbane Exhibition Ground, Brisbane | |
| 5. | Australia | 18–6 | Lock | 7 August 1971 | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | |
| 6. |  England | 9–18 | Lock | 3 June 1972 | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | |
| 7. |  British Lions | 3–12 | Lock | 8 June 1974 | Newlands, Cape Town | |
| 8. | British Lions | 9–28 | Lock | 22 June 1974 | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | |
| 9. | British Lions | 13–13 | Lock | 27 July 1974 | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | |
| 10. | France | 13–4 | Lock | 23 November 1974 | Le stade de Toulouse, Toulouse | |
| 11. | France | 10–8 | Lock | 30 November 1974 | Parc des Princes, Paris | |
| 12. |  New Zealand | 16–7 | Lock | 24 July 1976 | Kings Park, Durban | |
| 13. | New Zealand | 9–15 | Lock | 14 August 1976 | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein |
Williams was the Northern Transvaal coach from 1987 to 1991 and coached his team to the Currie Cup final in each year. Northern Transvaal won three of the finals, in 1987, 1988 and 1991 and in 1989 they shared the title with Western Province. In 1992 Williams was appointed Springbok coach.
Williams was relieved of his duties after leading the team to one win in five games. He returned to coach the Bulls in the mid-1990s. [4]
After being in a coma for 10 days, Williams died of leukaemia on 5 December 2024. He was 78. [4]
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