William Owen Gooding Williams (23 November 1929 – 19 March 2013) was a
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
international
rugby union player
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
.
Billy William international profile
ESPNscrum A prop forward, he played club rugby for Gowerton
Gowerton ( cy, Tregŵyr) is a large village and community, about 4 miles north west of Swansea city centre, Wales. Gowerton is often known as the gateway to the Gower Peninsula. Gowerton's original name was Ffosfelin. The village falls within the ...
, Swansea
Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe).
The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
and the Royal Navy. At international level he represented Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
on 22 occasions and was chosen to represent the British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
team on their 1955 tour of South Africa.
On the 1955 British Isles tour, the all-Welsh front row of Billy Williams, Bryn Meredith
Brinley "Bryn" Victor Meredith
Scrum.com (born 21 October 1930 in and Courtney Meredith
Courtenay Meredith (born 23 September 1926) was a Welsh international rugby union prop who played club rugby for Neath. He won fourteen caps for Wales and also played for invitational club the Barbarians. Meredith was a powerful prop, and was ...
was selected for a Lions test match. This did not occur again until June 2009 when Gethin Jenkins
Gethin Jenkins (born 17 November 1980) is a Welsh former rugby union player. He won 129 international caps for Wales and five for the British & Irish Lions. Jenkins was the record cap holder for Wales until he was overtaken by Alun Wyn Jones on ...
, Adam Jones and Matthew Rees
Matthew may refer to:
* Matthew (given name)
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* Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the ...
were selected as the British & Irish Lions
The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...
front row for the 2nd Test against South Africa.
References
1929 births
2013 deaths
Barbarian F.C. players
British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Wales
British boilermakers
Devonport Services R.F.C. players
Gowerton RFC players
Rugby union players from Swansea
Swansea RFC players
Wales international rugby union players
Welsh rugby union players
Rugby union props
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