Bryan Williams (rugby union)

{{Short description|NZ international rugby union player & coach}}

{{Infobox rugby biography

| name = Sir Bryan Williams

| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|KNZM|MBE|size=100%}}

| image = Bryan Williams 2018.jpg

| caption = Williams in 2018

| birth_name = Bryan George Williams

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1950|10|3}}

| birth_place = Auckland, New Zealand

| death_date =

| death_place =

| occupation =

| spouse =

| relatives = Gavin Williams (son)
Paul Williams (son)

| school = Mount Albert Grammar School

| height = {{height|m=1.79}}

| weight = {{convert|89|kg|stlb|abbr=on}}

| ru_position = Three-quarter

| amatyears1 = 1968–1982

| amatteam1 = Ponsonby

| ru_amupdate =

| provinceyears1 = 1969–1982

| province1 = Auckland

| provinceapps1 = 132

| provincepoints1 =

| ru_provinceupdate =

| repyears1 = 1970–1978

| repteam1 = New Zealand

| repcaps1 = 38

| reppoints1 = 68

| ru_ntupdate =

| years1 =

| clubs1 =

| apps1 =

| points1 =

| ru_clubupdate =

| ru_currentclub =

| coachyears1 = 1999

| coachyears2 = 2000–2001

| coachteams1 = Samoa

| coachteams2 = Hurricanes (assistant coach)

}}

Tuifaʻasisina Sir Bryan George Williams {{post-nominals|country=NZL|KNZM|MBE}} (born 3 October 1950) is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer and former coach of the Samoan national rugby team.

Playing career

Williams was born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1950. His father was Samoan, and his mother a Rarotongan of Samoan descent.{{cite web |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10717470 |title=B.G Williams – 'Beegee' our first Samoan superstar |author=Cleaver, Dylan |date=1 August 2011 |work=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=22 September 2011}} His family lived in Ponsonby, and he was educated at Mt Albert Grammar School, where he started his rugby career.{{cite Q|Q117189974|page=150}} He became an All Black in 1970 as a wing and distinguished himself in the 1970 South African Rugby Tour where he was a sensation, scoring 14 tries in his 13 appearances and in the international series he scored in each of the first and fourth Tests. This was during apartheid, so with his parentage he was only able to tour after honorary white status was granted.{{cite web |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/news/3673865/Bee-Gee-I-never-felt-I-was-an-honorary-white |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100510215245/http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/news/3673865/Bee-Gee-I-never-felt-I-was-an-honorary-white |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 May 2010 |title=Bee Gee: I never felt I was an honorary white |author=Reid, Neil |date=9 May 2010 |work=Sunday News |access-date=22 September 2011 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/springbok-rugby-team/news/article.cfm?c_id=327&objectid=10639172 |title=Rugby: Once was hatred |author=Brown, Michael |date=18 April 2010 |work=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=22 September 2011}}

Williams' international rugby career lasted from 1970 to 1978 in which he played 113 matches (including 38 international Tests) and scored 66 tries in all matches as an All Black (ten tries in Tests), which was a record until beaten by John Kirwan.

Retirement

After he retired from rugby, he coached a number of club sides in New Zealand. During the 1990s onwards, he has been the national rugby coach for Samoa.{{cite web |url=https://www.samoaobserver.ws/category/samoa/110801 |title=Reflections of a rugby pioneer |publisher=Samoa Observer |author=Sulamanaia Manaui Faulalo |date=27 August 2024 |access-date=28 August 2024}} He is married and has two sons Gavin and Paul, who also play rugby union: Gavin plays internationally for Samoa and plays club for French side US Dax; and his other son Paul played for the Auckland Super Rugby side the Blues before playing for Sale in the English Premiership and debuting for Samoa in 2010. Williams now coaches at the Ponsonby Rugby Club and the Mt Albert Grammar School Rugby Academy.

Williams was appointed President of the NZRU in 2011.{{Cite web|url=http://www.nzru.co.nz/about_us/nzru_board|title = Home}}

Honours and awards

In the 1983 Queen's Birthday Honours, Williams was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), for services to rugby.{{London Gazette |issue=49376 |date=11 June 1983 |page=34 |supp=2}} In the 2013 Queen's Birthday Honours, Williams was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM), also for services to rugby.{{cite web |url=https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/publications/queens-birthday-honours-list-2013 |title=Queen's Birthday honours list 2013 |date=3 June 2013 |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |access-date=18 June 2018}} He was promoted to Knight Companion of the same order in the 2018 New Year Honours (KNZM), for services to rugby.{{cite web | url=https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/publications/new-year-honours-list-2018 | title=New Year honours list 2018 |date=30 December 2017 | publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet | access-date=18 January 2018}} In August of that year, he was announced as a member of the 2018 induction class of the World Rugby Hall of Fame, officially being inducted at the Hall of Fame's physical location in Rugby on 12 September.{{cite press release|url=https://www.world.rugby/news/353951 |title=Five new inductees to the World Rugby Hall of Fame presented by Tudor |publisher=World Rugby |date=10 August 2018 |access-date=27 November 2018}} In 2024, Williams was an inaugural inductee into the Pasifika Rugby Hall of Fame.{{cite news |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/513208/pasifika-hall-of-fame-induction-held-in-auckland |title=Pasifika Hall of Fame induction held in Auckland |date=2 April 2024 |first=Iliesa |last=Tora |work=RNZ News |access-date=11 April 2024}}