Tom Williams (born 12 October 1983) is an
English former
rugby union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
player who played for
Harlequins in the
Aviva Premiership
Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition, consisting of 10 clubs, and is the top division of the English rugby u ...
. He normally played at either
full-back or on the
wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...
.
Early life
Williams was born in
Brighton
Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
and attended
Windlesham House School
Windlesham House School is an independent boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 4 to 13 on the South Downs, in Pulborough, West Sussex, England. It was founded in 1837 by Charles Robert Malden and was the first boys' preparatory sc ...
.
He represented Wales at U16 and U19 levels, then switched to England for the 2002 IRB U19 World Cup.
International career
Williams represented
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
in the
2003-04 World Sevens Series,
winning the
Hong Kong leg.
He also competed in the
2006-07 IRB Sevens World Series.
Club career
Williams started and scored a try for Harlequins in their
2011–12 Premiership final victory over
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its home ...
.
He is a member of the “200 Club” having represented Harlequins for over 200 games.
He retired in 2015
[ moving into a coaching and mentoring role at Harlequins for four years before leaving professional rugby in 2019 to pursue a career in consultancy.
]
Bloodgate
During the 2008–09 Heineken Cup quarter final against Leinster
Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland.
The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...
, Williams was told to fake a blood injury by Dean Richards to allow a tactical substitution to reintroduce Nick Evans leading to the bloodgate scandal. This resulted in a 12-month ban for Williams, (reduced to four months on appeal), a three-year ban for former rugby director Dean Richards as well as a two-year ban for physiotherapist Steph Brennan from the ERC with a £260,000 fine for the club.
References
External links
Tom Williams profile
England Rugby
Tom Williams profile
Harlequins
1983 births
Living people
English rugby union players
Harlequin F.C. players
People educated at Windlesham House School
Rugby union controversies
Rugby union fullbacks
Rugby union players from Brighton
{{England-rugbyunion-bio-1980s-stub