Shane Williams is a Welsh
rugby union player who appeared 87 times for the
Wales national team from 2000 to 2011.[1] Playing exclusively as a
wing for Wales,[1] Williams scored 58
tries, the most for any Wales international and 13 more than second-placed
George North. Williams also made four appearances for the
British & Irish Lions, three as a wing and one as a
centre.[2] Williams scored two tries for the Lions, both from the wing during their victory over
South Africa (also known as the 'Springboks') in the third Test of their
2009 tour of South Africa.[2] At his retirement, Williams' 60 international tries placed him third on the
worldwide all-time list, trailing
Daisuke Ohata of
Japan and
David Campese of
Australia; as of March 2018[update], he stands fourth, with South Africa's
Bryan Habana having surpassed Williams and Campese for second place.[3]
Williams made his international debut on 5 February 2000 against
France in the opening round of the
2000 Six Nations Championship at
Millennium Stadium in
Cardiff. His first try for Wales came in the next round of the Six Nations against
Italy, also at Millennium Stadium.[4] Williams went on to score tries in the
2003,
2007 and
2011 editions of the World Cup. His final try for Wales came literally at the end of his international career, as he scored on the final play of his last
Test on 3 December 2011 against Australia at Millennium Stadium.[5] This try was his 28th at Millennium Stadium, surpassing
Rory Underwood of
England, with 27 at
Twickenham, for the most international tries scored by a player from one of the
ten "Tier 1" nations at a single ground. Among players from all nations, Williams is level with Ohata, who scored 28 tries at
Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in
Tokyo.[6]
Williams holds several other try records, both for Wales and internationally. His 30 tries away from his home country (including those at neutral sites) were the most for any player in history at the time of his retirement,[6] though that record has since been broken by Habana.[7] He leads Wales in tries at home (30), away (21), on neutral ground (7), and in the
Rugby World Cup (10).[6] Williams was most prolific against Italy, Japan and
Scotland, scoring nine tries against each team; he retired with the record for most tries by an opposing player against each of these nations.[6] He also retired with the most tries by any European player against both Australia (6) and South Africa (5). All of his tries against the Springboks were on South African soil, which at the time of his retirement tied him with
New ZealandersChristian Cullen and
Joe Rokocoko for the most overall.[6] His six tries against
Argentina left him level with
France'sSerge Blanco and
Émile Ntamack for the most by a European player.[6]
^Pope, Bruce (3 December 2011).
"Wales 18–24 Australia". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation.
Archived from the original on 20 December 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
Shane Williams is a Welsh
rugby union player who appeared 87 times for the
Wales national team from 2000 to 2011.[1] Playing exclusively as a
wing for Wales,[1] Williams scored 58
tries, the most for any Wales international and 13 more than second-placed
George North. Williams also made four appearances for the
British & Irish Lions, three as a wing and one as a
centre.[2] Williams scored two tries for the Lions, both from the wing during their victory over
South Africa (also known as the 'Springboks') in the third Test of their
2009 tour of South Africa.[2] At his retirement, Williams' 60 international tries placed him third on the
worldwide all-time list, trailing
Daisuke Ohata of
Japan and
David Campese of
Australia; as of March 2018[update], he stands fourth, with South Africa's
Bryan Habana having surpassed Williams and Campese for second place.[3]
Williams made his international debut on 5 February 2000 against
France in the opening round of the
2000 Six Nations Championship at
Millennium Stadium in
Cardiff. His first try for Wales came in the next round of the Six Nations against
Italy, also at Millennium Stadium.[4] Williams went on to score tries in the
2003,
2007 and
2011 editions of the World Cup. His final try for Wales came literally at the end of his international career, as he scored on the final play of his last
Test on 3 December 2011 against Australia at Millennium Stadium.[5] This try was his 28th at Millennium Stadium, surpassing
Rory Underwood of
England, with 27 at
Twickenham, for the most international tries scored by a player from one of the
ten "Tier 1" nations at a single ground. Among players from all nations, Williams is level with Ohata, who scored 28 tries at
Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in
Tokyo.[6]
Williams holds several other try records, both for Wales and internationally. His 30 tries away from his home country (including those at neutral sites) were the most for any player in history at the time of his retirement,[6] though that record has since been broken by Habana.[7] He leads Wales in tries at home (30), away (21), on neutral ground (7), and in the
Rugby World Cup (10).[6] Williams was most prolific against Italy, Japan and
Scotland, scoring nine tries against each team; he retired with the record for most tries by an opposing player against each of these nations.[6] He also retired with the most tries by any European player against both Australia (6) and South Africa (5). All of his tries against the Springboks were on South African soil, which at the time of his retirement tied him with
New ZealandersChristian Cullen and
Joe Rokocoko for the most overall.[6] His six tries against
Argentina left him level with
France'sSerge Blanco and
Émile Ntamack for the most by a European player.[6]
^Pope, Bruce (3 December 2011).
"Wales 18–24 Australia". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation.
Archived from the original on 20 December 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2012.