Rugby World UK – July 2019

THE ANALYST

IT WAS the 2017 Lions tour that thrust

Liam Williams into the hearts and minds

of all rugby fans and confi rmed what

people in Wales already knew. The

superlatives used to describe top

players take the form of words like skill,

speed, strength and power. For Williams

add guile, bravery, relentlessness,

uniqueness and world class.

After a battle to claim the Wales No 15

shirt from Leigh Halfpenny, Williams is

now a player Warren Gatland cannot

aff ord to leave out and he is just as

eff ective on the wing as at full-back.

Williams can do the unexpected,

which makes him a danger to defences.

He’s quicker than he looks, highly

skilled in the kicking, catching and

offl oading departments, and his added

value is his ability to use his natural

strength and timing to make turnovers

and game-changing interventions.

During his career I’m sure he has been

underestimated and he’s used this to

his advantage. He was integral to the

Scarlets’ Pro12 success in 2017 and has

cemented a starting spot at star-studded

Saracens. He’s added Champions Cup

and Premiership winner’s medals to the

Grand Slam trophy gained last season.

Williams is the type of player any

coach craves as he contributes in so

many aspects of the game. Here, I’ve

highlighted just three: the transition

elements between attack and defence,

turnover and the kicking battle...

A back-three player able to make last-ditch tackles and turnovers when

your team is under the cosh is a dream ticket for a coach. Williams

demonstrated this in the Champions Cup fi nal for Saracens. With the

score at 10-10, Leinster created a three-on-one overlap near the line.

With almost half the fi eld to cover, Williams shot forward to make a man-and-ball

tackle on Garry Ringrose (below left) to save a certain try. Not content with that, he

sprung to his feet, stayed in the contest for the ball against No 8 Jack Conan, and

using his long levers, wide base and pure strength (below right), clasped the ball

one-handed and presented it back to his own side. A game-changing moment.

THE WORLD-CLASS

SKILLS OF LIAM

WILLIAMS

Sean Holley explains why the Welsh full-back stands out from the crowd

TACKLE AND

JACKAL

WHO IS

SEAN HOLLEY?
A former Ospreys and
Bristol coach who has also
worked with Wales and
is now a TV analyst