Marlyn Williams

Marlyn Earl Williams (born 9 January 1993) is a South African professional rugby union player, currently playing with the . His regular position is lock.

Rugby career

2010–2011 : Boland Cavaliers

Williams was born in Paarl and represented the at Under-18 and Under-19 level; he was included in their squad for the Under-18 Academy Week in 2010, and in the Under-19 squad for the 2011 Under-19 Provincial Championship, scoring one try against .

2012–2013 : Border Bulldogs

He moved to East London for the 2012 season, representing the team in Group B of the 2012 Under-19 Provincial Championship, again contributing a single try in their match against . He made ten appearances for the team in the 2013 Under-21 Provincial Championship, scoring a try in their match against in a disappointing season for a Border team that lost all twelve of their matches in Group A of the championship. They had to play in a relegation play-off match to retain their spot in Group A, and did so with a 23–21 victory over , with a Williams try in the 13th minute of the match proving decisive in the result.

2014–present : Falcons

For the 2014 season, Williams moved to Gauteng to join the . He was included in their squad for the 2014 Vodacom Cup and made his first class debut by playing off the bench in their 6–26 defeat to the in the opening match of the competition. After another appearance as a replacement against near-neighbours the in their next match, he made his starting debut the following week against a . He remained in the starting line-up for the remainder of the competition, making a total of seven appearances as the Falcons finished second-bottom in the Northern Section of the competition with a solitary win. He remained in the starting line-up for the Currie Cup qualification series that kicked off a couple of months later. He made his Currie Cup debut against the and started three more of their matches as the Falcons finished of sixth position to qualify for the First Division. Williams also scored his first senior try during this competition, in the final minute of a 52–34 victory over the in George. Williams played in all of their matches in the First Division, helping them secure three wins during the regular season to finish in fourth position to secure the final semi-final berth. He played off the bench in their semi-final match as the Falcons caused an upset, beating the top-of-the-log 31–24 in Potchefstroom. He also came on as a replacement in the final, but his side fell just short, losing 21–23 to the in Welkom.

Williams featured in all seven of the Falcons' matches in the 2015 Vodacom Cup, as the team improved on their 2014 performance by winning three of their matches, but still missed out on the play-offs after finishing in fifth position. Another three wins followed in the 2015 Currie Cup qualification series, which also saw Williams score the second try of his career in a 16–29 defeat against former side the . A third-placed finish meant the Falcons qualified for the First Division again, with Williams only featuring once during the regular season in their final match against the Leopards. The team finished in fourth spot, which meant they met the same opposition a week later in the semi-finals. Williams came on as a replacement just after the hour mark, but could not help them emulate their 2015 semi-final success over the Leopards, with the side from Potchefstroom winning 29–17.

Williams started thirteen of their fourteen matches in an expanded 2016 Currie Cup qualification series – which replaced the defunct Vodacom Cup – and scored tries in a 66–5 victory over Namibian side the and a 31–59 defeat to .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Marlyn
South African rugby union players
Living people
1993 births
Rugby union players from Paarl
Rugby union locks
Falcons (rugby union) players
Boland Cavaliers players
Tel Aviv Heat players
South African expatriate sportspeople in Israel
South African expatriate rugby union players
Expatriate rugby union players in Israel