Ali Williams
Encyclopedia
Alexander James "Ali" Williams (born 30 April 1981 in Auckland
) is a New Zealand
rugby union
player at the position of lock. He represented Auckland
and plays for the Blues in the Super 14, when he signed for the Tasman
provincial side. In 2008, he played for the Crusaders in the Super 14
and in 2010 signed on loan for Nottingham Rugby in the Championship. He has played for the All Blacks
since 2002 and was in the All Blacks
squad for the 2003
, 2007
and 2011
World Cups. In 2005, NZ Rugby Almanack chose him as one of its five players of the year.
An advert he commentated for a product his company sells, "Water for Everyone", was found by the Chairman of the Advertising Standards Authority New Zealand to have potentially broken some Codes of Advertising including the codes of advertising to children. The advert was discontinued so did not go before the full ASA board, thus the case was considered settled. In July 2011 it was announced that Williams was in the Tri Nations team. In August 2011 it was announced that Williams had been selected for the All Blacks 2011 Rugby World Cup team.
Second XV. He had already represented Auckland at junior level in soccer, tennis
and cricket
. In 1999, he was a member of the King's College First XV and at this stage he decided to concentrate on rugby. He began a business studies course at Auckland University of Technology
, but after playing club rugby and spending time at the Auckland Rugby Academy, he was selected to make his provincial debut for Auckland in an National Provincial Championship
(NPC) match against Taranaki on 24 August 2001. The following year he was named in the Blues squad for the Super 12 and made his debut against the Hurricanes
in the opening game of the tournament, on 22 February 2002. Later that year, he was selected for the All Blacks' year-end tour to , and ; he played in all three Test matches, making his international debut against England at Twickenham
on 9 November 2002.
teams, in June 2003, though he could have missed the games against Wales and France, after being cited for stamping on the head of England fullback Josh Lewsey
; he was cleared of the charge when a disciplinary tribunal ruled that his actions had been "inadvertent and incidental". He started in all four matches in the 2003 Tri Nations Series
, before being chosen in the All Blacks squad for the 2003 Rugby World Cup
. He almost did not make the squad, after suffering a stress fracture of the right foot during the All Blacks training camp in New Plymouth
, an injury that required the insertion of a pin, but was included on the strength of his line-out
play. He was rested for the first two pool matches, against and , but started in the remaining five games that New Zealand played, scoring his first international try in the final pool game, against Wales, when he jumped above the Welsh wing Shane Williams
, to collect a cross-field kick from Carlos Spencer
. French back, and newspaper columnist, Thomas Castaignède
named Williams and England's winning captain, Martin Johnson as the locks in his "team of the tournament".
. Struggling to recover from the foot injury sustained just before the World Cup, he was below his best in the Super 12 series
. Also, Henry was looking for locks who could perform well in the tight forward role, whereas the athletic and mobile Williams was viewed as a forward who was happier operating in loose play. For the trial match between "Probables" and "Possibles", he was chosen merely as a replacement for the "Possibles", and he was left out of the squad to face England, and the Pacific Islanders
, and missed the next five Tests, including the opening match of the 2004 Tri Nations
against . He was called into the squad before the Pacific Islands match, as cover for the injured Keith Robinson
, but was not used, and he was left out of the squad for the Tri Nations. When Robinson had to withdraw from the opening game, it was Simon Maling
, not Williams, who was called up to replace him. Williams was recalled to the squad for the next game, against , in which he came on as a substitute, and started in the return fixture against Australia, a game which the All Blacks lost and in which Williams was sin-binned after New Zealand were adjudged to have infringed repeatedly. After an indifferent performance against Australia—according to coach Graham Henry, "we thought Ali Williams had an opportunity on Saturday and didn’t take it"—Williams was dropped from the squad for New Zealand's last game in the 2004 Tri Nations, against South Africa, who won comprehensively, out-scoring the All Blacks by five tries to two.
Williams's selection for the All Black's end-of-year tour to Europe was helped by the unavailability of Keith Robinson, and Simon Maling, who was about to take up a contract in Japan
, but he only started in the second Test, against Wales, coming on as a replacement in the other two Tests, against Italy and France. He also started in the end-of-tour match against the Barbarians
.
—he was suspended for six weeks after being found guilty of trampling on fellow All Black Richie McCaw
during the game between the Blues and Crusaders—Williams was chosen to start in the opening Test of the All Blacks season, a 91–0 rout of , during which he scored his second international try. His third came two weeks later, in the first Test against the touring British and Irish Lions
, a game in which he dominated the line-out, winning the ball several times on the opposition's throw, most effectively in the 24th minute, when, having caught the ball on a Lions' defensive line-out, he spotted a gap in the opposing line, darted through it and, shaking off an attempted tackle by the Lions half-back, Dwayne Peel
, drove over the goal-line for the All Blacks' first try of the match. He started in all three Tests against the Lions, and scored his fourth international try in the final Test, when Dwayne Peel fumbled a grubber kick from Luke McAlister
, and Williams pounced on the loose ball in the in-goal area. He started in all four of New Zealand's matches in the 2005 Tri Nations Series
and came close to scoring another try in the last game, against Australia, on his home ground, Eden Park, but, after winning the ball at an Australian line-out and making a 20-metre break, his attempted grubber kick
was wayward. He did, however, create the second of wing Doug Howlett
's three tries in the game when, from within the Australian 22, in front of the posts, he executed a fine cross-field kick that Howlett caught on the far right of Australia's in-goal area for an easy touch-down. In 2009 Williams released his biography "Ali: Tall Book of Tales",It was during this time in which he spoke of a incident involving Clint Brown
then TV anchor for 3 News who was stripped naked by Ali and members of the All Black team and had his eyebrows shaved off after becoming heavily intoxicated on a flight from South Africa to Australia.
After such a successful season, Williams was an automatic choice for the year-end "Grand Slam" tour of the British Isles
. Still nursing a shoulder strain that he sustained during a game of backyard rugby, he was rested for the first game, against Wales, but returned for the game against Ireland a week later, in a starting line-up that included none of those who had started against Wales. He started against England at Twickenham, a game that lived up to expectations as the toughest of the tour, but was omitted from the squad for the final game of the tour, against Scotland, after coach Graham Henry opted to make 13 changes from the team that had faced England.
. Williams was selected in the squad to face Ireland, but suffered a syndesmosis injury—commonly referred to as a high ankle strain—during a training session. Chris Jack
, who had originally been included in the starting line-up for the Argentina game, was brought in to replace him, and Williams took Jack's place for the game in Buenos Aires. Williams was named on the bench for the first match in the 2006 Tri Nations Series
, against Australia in Christchurch; he replaced Jason Eaton
with 20 minutes remaining and came close to creating a try when he leapt high to retrieve a cross-field kick from Dan Carter, tapping it back to wing Rico Gear
, who was unable to hold on to the ball. He started in the next two matches, against South Africa in Wellington
and Australia in Brisbane
, being replaced late in the latter game by Eaton, who replaced him in the starting line-up for the return match against Australia in Auckland. Williams again came off the bench with less than an hour gone, and then played the full 80 minutes in the All Blacks' remaining two fixtures, both against South Africa away from home.
Williams did not feature in the first game of the All Blacks' year-end tour to Europe, but was one of ten changes to the starting line-up for the second game, against France in Lyon
and he started in all three remaining matches, two against France and one against Wales in Cardiff. He was replaced by James Ryan
after an hour of the last game, but not before he had demonstrated yet another aspect of his versatility, when he fielded the ball in his own 22 and, with a spiralling kick, cleared it into touch on Wales' 10-metre line, setting up a line-out from which the All Blacks came away with the ball to score their third try of the game.
. A week later he was back on the bench for the Blues game against the Sharks . A few weeks later, "for disciplinary reasons", Williams was left out of the squad to face the Sharks in Durban
in a S14 semi-final match—which the Blues lost—and returned home to Auckland. Blues chief executive Andy Dalton
told the press that management and senior players had made a joint decision to eject Williams from the team camp over incidents which occurred during the team's stay in Perth, Australia, where they had played the Western Force
. "On several occasions (Williams's) behaviour has been deemed inappropriate within team conduct and protocol and on at least four occasions Williams has been addressed by either coach David Nucifora
and manager Ant Strachan or the leadership group on behalf of the team", Dalton said. In response, Williams said that he took "a bit of responsibility" for his actions but that "it takes two to tango
".
The disciplinary issue was later linked to a dispute between Williams and his coach about his lack of game time in the Super 14 and it was reported that Williams was one of three players who were demanding a release from their contracts if coach Nucifora was re-appointed for 2008 (as he later was). The report was denied by Auckland management and in any case Williams's contract with the Blues was due to terminate at the end of 2007.
for 2008, so as to be eligible for selection for the Crusaders in the 2008 Super 14 season. Salary cap restrictions prevented a move to Canterbury
, but his contract with Tasman has an option that would allow him to be loaned to Canterbury for the 2008 ANZ Cup. Williams was duly included in the Crusaders squad when New Zealand's 2008 Super 14 teams were announced, in October 2007.
. As a result, he missed the whole of the 2007 Tri Nations Series
. But despite having his jaw wired and being forced to subsist on soup for several weeks, he made a return to rugby for his club side, Ponsonby
, at the end of July, scoring two tries, and started for Auckland in their Air New Zealand Cup
match against Bay of Plenty on 3 August, scoring a try in the fourth minute of the game. Coincidentally, this was the first time that Ali and his younger brother, Jay, had played together as locks in first-class rugby.
Following his return from injury, Williams was an automatic selection for the 2007 Rugby World Cup
, especially as two other locks, James Ryan and Jason Eaton were unavailable owing to long-term injuries and Keith Robinson
had suffered a calf strain during the Tri Nations and was a doubtful starter, at least for the first pool game. Robinson suffered a recurrence of his calf strain during pre-tournament training, which left Williams and Chris Jack to share the locking duties during the early games. Williams started in New Zealand's first three games, against , and Scotland. He was replaced for the last 10 minutes of the Italy game, his place being taken by number eight Rodney So'oialo
. So'oialo again replaced him for the last 25 minutes of the game against Portugal, but not before he had scored his fifth international try. He scored again in the game against Scotland, which he started alongside Reuben Thorne
, being replaced for the last 15 minutes by Chris Jack. Robinson was fit again for New Zealand's final pool game, against , and he and Thorne started as locks, with Jack on the bench; Williams was rested for this game.
The Scotland game was an emotional occasional for Williams. It was the first time that his father had left New Zealand since a bad fall ten years earlier had left him a tetraplegic, using a wheelchair, and he and Ali's mother were seated alongside the pitch, while Ali's grandmother and other Scottish relatives watched from the stands.
, then moved and played rugby for Blackheath
. His mother, Helen, was born in Carlisle, but her mother, Doreen, comes from Galashiels
, Scotland
. Rodney and Helen emigrated to New Zealand after they married, and Ali was born there. By birth, he was qualified to play for New Zealand; through his father, he was eligible to play for England; and through his maternal grandmother he was eligible to play for Scotland. Through his mother, he is related to Donald Fairgrieve, former president of Gala RFC
in the Scottish Borders
, and also to former Scottish scrum-half Arthur Dorward (a cousin of his maternal grandfather), who played 15 Tests between 1950 and 1957. His younger brother, Jay, is also a rugby footballer, who plays at lock for Auckland. Together with former Blues and All Blacks team-mate Doug Howlett
, Ali Williams is an official patron of the KidsCan Charitable Trust, a national charity dedicated to the welfare of financially disadvantaged New Zealand children.
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
) is a New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player at the position of lock. He represented Auckland
Auckland Rugby Football Union
The Auckland Rugby Football Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Auckland Region, in the North Island of New Zealand. Its colours are navy blue and white in a hoop design. Auckland's top representative team have won New Zealand's top provincial rugby competition 16 times, more than...
and plays for the Blues in the Super 14, when he signed for the Tasman
Tasman Rugby Union
The Tasman Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union at the top of the South Island in New Zealand. It is New Zealand's newest provincial union, founded in 2006 with the amalgamation of the existing Marlborough and Nelson Bays sub unions...
provincial side. In 2008, he played for the Crusaders in the Super 14
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
and in 2010 signed on loan for Nottingham Rugby in the Championship. He has played for the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
since 2002 and was in the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
squad for the 2003
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
, 2007
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
and 2011
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
World Cups. In 2005, NZ Rugby Almanack chose him as one of its five players of the year.
An advert he commentated for a product his company sells, "Water for Everyone", was found by the Chairman of the Advertising Standards Authority New Zealand to have potentially broken some Codes of Advertising including the codes of advertising to children. The advert was discontinued so did not go before the full ASA board, thus the case was considered settled. In July 2011 it was announced that Williams was in the Tri Nations team. In August 2011 it was announced that Williams had been selected for the All Blacks 2011 Rugby World Cup team.
Career summary
Williams did not begin playing rugby until 1998 when, aged 17, he played for the King's CollegeKing's College, Auckland
King's College is an independent secondary school in New Zealand. It was originally a boys-only school but now also admits girls in the sixth and seventh forms . The school has strong links to the Anglican church; the Anglican Bishop of Auckland, and the Dean of Auckland are permanent members of...
Second XV. He had already represented Auckland at junior level in soccer, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. In 1999, he was a member of the King's College First XV and at this stage he decided to concentrate on rugby. He began a business studies course at Auckland University of Technology
Auckland University of Technology
The Auckland University of Technology is a university in New Zealand. It was formed on 1 January 2000 when the Auckland Institute of Technology was granted university status. Its primary campus is on Wellesley Street in Auckland's Central business district...
, but after playing club rugby and spending time at the Auckland Rugby Academy, he was selected to make his provincial debut for Auckland in an National Provincial Championship
National Provincial Championship
The National Provincial Championship, or NPC, is the major domestic rugby competition in New Zealand. The NPC has seen many alterations to its format and brand. Since 2006 the National Championship has been split into 2 competitions, the ITM Cup and the Heartland Championship...
(NPC) match against Taranaki on 24 August 2001. The following year he was named in the Blues squad for the Super 12 and made his debut against the Hurricanes
Hurricanes (Super rugby franchise)
The Hurricanes are a New Zealand professional Rugby union team based in Wellington that competes in the Super Rugby competition...
in the opening game of the tournament, on 22 February 2002. Later that year, he was selected for the All Blacks' year-end tour to , and ; he played in all three Test matches, making his international debut against England at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
on 9 November 2002.
2003
Following the 2002 year-end tour to Europe, Williams became a regular member of the All Blacks. He started in all three matches against touring Northern HemisphereNorthern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
teams, in June 2003, though he could have missed the games against Wales and France, after being cited for stamping on the head of England fullback Josh Lewsey
Josh Lewsey
Owen Joshua Lewsey MBE is a former English rugby union footballer who played fullback, wing or centre for Wasps.-Career:...
; he was cleared of the charge when a disciplinary tribunal ruled that his actions had been "inadvertent and incidental". He started in all four matches in the 2003 Tri Nations Series
2003 Tri Nations Series
The 2003 Tri Nations Series was contested from 12 July to 16 August between the Australia, New Zealand and South Africa national rugby union teams. The All Blacks won the tournament.-Table:-Results:...
, before being chosen in the All Blacks squad for the 2003 Rugby World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
. He almost did not make the squad, after suffering a stress fracture of the right foot during the All Blacks training camp in New Plymouth
New Plymouth
New Plymouth is the major city of the Taranaki Region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England, from where the first English settlers migrated....
, an injury that required the insertion of a pin, but was included on the strength of his line-out
Line-out
A line-out is the means by which, in rugby union, the ball is put back into play after it has gone into touch. It is the equivalent of the throw-in in soccer. Rugby league abolished line-outs in 1897...
play. He was rested for the first two pool matches, against and , but started in the remaining five games that New Zealand played, scoring his first international try in the final pool game, against Wales, when he jumped above the Welsh wing Shane Williams
Shane Williams
Shane Mark Williams is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays as a wing for the Ospreys and who can also play scrum-half. Williams is the record try scorer for the Wales national team and he is third on the international list of leading Rugby union Test try scorers behind Daisuke Ohata...
, to collect a cross-field kick from Carlos Spencer
Carlos Spencer
Carlos James Spencer is a New Zealand rugby union footballer who currently plays at fly-half for the Lions in the Super 14 and formerly for the New Zealand All Blacks. He is well known for his flamboyant, attacking play and ball handling skills. He has signed to play for the Lions for 2010 and 2011...
. French back, and newspaper columnist, Thomas Castaignède
Thomas Castaignède
Thomas Castaignède is a former French rugby union footballer from Mont-de-Marsan, Gascogne.Born in Mont-de-Marsan, Aquitaine, Castaignède played as a junior and senior for Stade Montois in various positions, initially as fly-half or centre, and latterly as fullback...
named Williams and England's winning captain, Martin Johnson as the locks in his "team of the tournament".
2004
At the start of the 2004 season, Williams failed to impress new All Black's coach Graham HenryGraham Henry
Graham Henry is a New Zealand Rugby Union coach, and former head coach of the country's national team, the All Blacks. He played rugby union for Canterbury and cricket for Otago in the Plunket Shield. Henry was heavily criticized following the All Blacks quarterfinal exit at the 2007 Rugby World...
. Struggling to recover from the foot injury sustained just before the World Cup, he was below his best in the Super 12 series
2004 Super 12 season
The 2004 Super 12 season was the ninth season of the Super 12, contested by teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The season ran from February to May 2004, with each team playing all the others once. At the end of the regular season, the top four teams entered the playoff semi finals,...
. Also, Henry was looking for locks who could perform well in the tight forward role, whereas the athletic and mobile Williams was viewed as a forward who was happier operating in loose play. For the trial match between "Probables" and "Possibles", he was chosen merely as a replacement for the "Possibles", and he was left out of the squad to face England, and the Pacific Islanders
Pacific Islanders rugby union team
The Pacific Islanders rugby union team is an international rugby union team, started in 2004, that represents Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. While Niue and the Cook Islands are not members of the Pacific Tri-Nations competition, they did supply players to the squad for the Pacific Islanders' tour in 2004...
, and missed the next five Tests, including the opening match of the 2004 Tri Nations
2004 Tri Nations Series
The 2004 Tri Nations Series, an annual rugby union competition between the national teams of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, was the ninth in the series. The competition is organised by SANZAR, a consortium of the three countries' rugby union federations...
against . He was called into the squad before the Pacific Islands match, as cover for the injured Keith Robinson
Keith Robinson (rugby player)
Keith Robinson is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer. His usual position is at lock. He was first selected for New Zealand's national team, the All Blacks in 2002. His career was plagued by injury, and he was selected into the 2006 All Blacks after making a remarkable comeback from a...
, but was not used, and he was left out of the squad for the Tri Nations. When Robinson had to withdraw from the opening game, it was Simon Maling
Simon Maling
Simon Thomas Maling is a New Zealand rugby union footballer and former All Black. His usual playing position is at lock. He joined the Scarlets at the start of the 2008–09 European season, leaving Suntory Sungoliath in Japan, where he played for three years from 2005 to 2008...
, not Williams, who was called up to replace him. Williams was recalled to the squad for the next game, against , in which he came on as a substitute, and started in the return fixture against Australia, a game which the All Blacks lost and in which Williams was sin-binned after New Zealand were adjudged to have infringed repeatedly. After an indifferent performance against Australia—according to coach Graham Henry, "we thought Ali Williams had an opportunity on Saturday and didn’t take it"—Williams was dropped from the squad for New Zealand's last game in the 2004 Tri Nations, against South Africa, who won comprehensively, out-scoring the All Blacks by five tries to two.
Williams's selection for the All Black's end-of-year tour to Europe was helped by the unavailability of Keith Robinson, and Simon Maling, who was about to take up a contract in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, but he only started in the second Test, against Wales, coming on as a replacement in the other two Tests, against Italy and France. He also started in the end-of-tour match against the Barbarians
Barbarian F.C.
The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
.
2005
Despite a lack of game time during the 2005 Super 12 season2005 Super 12 season
The 2005 Super 12 season was the tenth season of the Super 12, contested by teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The season ran from February to May 2005, with each team playing all the others once. At the end of the regular season, the top four teams entered the playoff semi finals,...
—he was suspended for six weeks after being found guilty of trampling on fellow All Black Richie McCaw
Richie McCaw
Richard Hugh "Richie" McCaw is a New Zealand rugby union player, and is the current test captain. He plays in the openside flanker position for the New Zealand, Crusaders and Canterbury rugby teams...
during the game between the Blues and Crusaders—Williams was chosen to start in the opening Test of the All Blacks season, a 91–0 rout of , during which he scored his second international try. His third came two weeks later, in the first Test against the touring British and Irish Lions
2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
In 2005 the British and Irish Lions rugby union team toured New Zealand for the first time since 1993, playing 7 tour matches against first and second division clubs from the National Provincial Championship series, 1 tour match against the national New Zealand all Māori club, and 3 official test...
, a game in which he dominated the line-out, winning the ball several times on the opposition's throw, most effectively in the 24th minute, when, having caught the ball on a Lions' defensive line-out, he spotted a gap in the opposing line, darted through it and, shaking off an attempted tackle by the Lions half-back, Dwayne Peel
Dwayne Peel
Dwayne John Peel is a Welsh rugby union player who plays for Sale Sharks and Wales. He is the most capped scrum-half for the Wales national rugby union team....
, drove over the goal-line for the All Blacks' first try of the match. He started in all three Tests against the Lions, and scored his fourth international try in the final Test, when Dwayne Peel fumbled a grubber kick from Luke McAlister
Luke McAlister
Charles Luke McAlister is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He plays first five-eighths and second five-eighths ....
, and Williams pounced on the loose ball in the in-goal area. He started in all four of New Zealand's matches in the 2005 Tri Nations Series
2005 Tri Nations Series
-Round Two:-Round Three:-Round Four:-Round Five:-Round Six:-External links:* at Rugby.com.aurugby union schedule for 2005...
and came close to scoring another try in the last game, against Australia, on his home ground, Eden Park, but, after winning the ball at an Australian line-out and making a 20-metre break, his attempted grubber kick
Grubber kick
The Grubber kick is a type of kick in various codes of football with an oval ball which results in the ball moving erratically along the ground....
was wayward. He did, however, create the second of wing Doug Howlett
Doug Howlett
Douglas Charles Howlett is a professional New Zealand rugby union player of Tongan descent. He is primarily a wing but he has also covered fullback at national and international levels. He currently plays in Ireland with Munster. He is the brother of former Tongan rugby league international Phil...
's three tries in the game when, from within the Australian 22, in front of the posts, he executed a fine cross-field kick that Howlett caught on the far right of Australia's in-goal area for an easy touch-down. In 2009 Williams released his biography "Ali: Tall Book of Tales",It was during this time in which he spoke of a incident involving Clint Brown
Clint Brown
Clint Brown is a former sports presenter for the TV3 in New Zealand. Considered one of the country's most talented sports broadcasters , Brown was with TV3 for 18 years, reporting and presenting.-Controversy and Resignation:...
then TV anchor for 3 News who was stripped naked by Ali and members of the All Black team and had his eyebrows shaved off after becoming heavily intoxicated on a flight from South Africa to Australia.
After such a successful season, Williams was an automatic choice for the year-end "Grand Slam" tour of the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
. Still nursing a shoulder strain that he sustained during a game of backyard rugby, he was rested for the first game, against Wales, but returned for the game against Ireland a week later, in a starting line-up that included none of those who had started against Wales. He started against England at Twickenham, a game that lived up to expectations as the toughest of the tour, but was omitted from the squad for the final game of the tour, against Scotland, after coach Graham Henry opted to make 13 changes from the team that had faced England.
2006
At the start of the 2006 season, the All Blacks faced an awkward schedule, with two home Tests against Ireland to be followed, a week later, by a Test against in Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. Williams was selected in the squad to face Ireland, but suffered a syndesmosis injury—commonly referred to as a high ankle strain—during a training session. Chris Jack
Chris Jack
Christopher Raymond Jack is a New Zealand rugby union footballer who plays as a lock. He has played for Canterbury and the Tasman Makos in the National Provincial Championship and its successor, the Air New Zealand Cup; the Crusaders in Super Rugby; Saracens in the Guinness Premiership; and...
, who had originally been included in the starting line-up for the Argentina game, was brought in to replace him, and Williams took Jack's place for the game in Buenos Aires. Williams was named on the bench for the first match in the 2006 Tri Nations Series
2006 Tri Nations Series
-Week 2:-Week 3:-Week 4:* All Blacks retain Bledisloe Cup-Week 5:-Week 6:-Week 7:-Week 8:-Week 9:-External links:* * *...
, against Australia in Christchurch; he replaced Jason Eaton
Jason Eaton
Jason John Eaton is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He plays lock.-Early life:Though born in Palmerston North he grew up on a dairy farm near the small community of Colyton.-Career:...
with 20 minutes remaining and came close to creating a try when he leapt high to retrieve a cross-field kick from Dan Carter, tapping it back to wing Rico Gear
Rico Gear
Rico Levi Gear is a New Zealand rugby union international player. He is a specialist right wing but can also cover midfield positions. He currently plays for Kintetsu Liners in the Top League....
, who was unable to hold on to the ball. He started in the next two matches, against South Africa in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
and Australia in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, being replaced late in the latter game by Eaton, who replaced him in the starting line-up for the return match against Australia in Auckland. Williams again came off the bench with less than an hour gone, and then played the full 80 minutes in the All Blacks' remaining two fixtures, both against South Africa away from home.
Williams did not feature in the first game of the All Blacks' year-end tour to Europe, but was one of ten changes to the starting line-up for the second game, against France in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
and he started in all three remaining matches, two against France and one against Wales in Cardiff. He was replaced by James Ryan
James Ryan (rugby player)
James Andrew Cheyne Ryan is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He plays lock.-Career:Ryan plays for the Highlanders in the Super 14 and for Otago in the National Provincial Championship....
after an hour of the last game, but not before he had demonstrated yet another aspect of his versatility, when he fielded the ball in his own 22 and, with a spiralling kick, cleared it into touch on Wales' 10-metre line, setting up a line-out from which the All Blacks came away with the ball to score their third try of the game.
Problems at the Blues
In 2007, Ali Williams was one of the 22 players withdrawn from the first half of the Super 14 season in order to attend a "conditioning camp", as part of the All Blacks' World Cup preparations. Although he became available for the Blues in week 8 of the tournament, he was left out of the squad that week, was on the bench in week 9, and did not make his first start of the season until week 10, when the Blues played the CheetahsCentral Cheetahs
The Central Cheetahs, known for sponsorship reasons as the Toyota Cheetahs, is a South African rugby union team that entered the Super Rugby competition in 2006. The franchise area encompasses the Free State and Northern Cape. In terms of Currie Cup unions, the Cheetahs draw from Free State...
. A week later he was back on the bench for the Blues game against the Sharks . A few weeks later, "for disciplinary reasons", Williams was left out of the squad to face the Sharks in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
in a S14 semi-final match—which the Blues lost—and returned home to Auckland. Blues chief executive Andy Dalton
Andy Dalton
Andrew Grant Dalton is an ex-All Blacks rugby union player who captained the side 17 times in tests...
told the press that management and senior players had made a joint decision to eject Williams from the team camp over incidents which occurred during the team's stay in Perth, Australia, where they had played the Western Force
Western Force
Western Force is a rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia playing in the international Super Rugby competition. They first competed in the 2006 season and finished with the wooden spoon in that year, however their performances greatly improved in 2007. In 2008 they finished in 8th...
. "On several occasions (Williams's) behaviour has been deemed inappropriate within team conduct and protocol and on at least four occasions Williams has been addressed by either coach David Nucifora
David Nucifora
David Nucifora is a former Australian rugby union player, who played for the Queensland and Australia. He played as a hooker. He played for the Queensland team from 1986-1993 and was selected into the Wallabies in 1991 and was also a part of the famous 1991 Rugby World Cup winning team which beat...
and manager Ant Strachan or the leadership group on behalf of the team", Dalton said. In response, Williams said that he took "a bit of responsibility" for his actions but that "it takes two to tango
Takes two to tango (idiom)
It takes two to tango is a common idiomatic expression which suggests something in which more than one person or other entity are paired in an inextricably-related and active manner, occasionally with negative connotations....
".
The disciplinary issue was later linked to a dispute between Williams and his coach about his lack of game time in the Super 14 and it was reported that Williams was one of three players who were demanding a release from their contracts if coach Nucifora was re-appointed for 2008 (as he later was). The report was denied by Auckland management and in any case Williams's contract with the Blues was due to terminate at the end of 2007.
Move to Tasman
In August 2007, Ali Williams announced that he had signed a new contract with the NZRU that would keep him in New Zealand until the end of 2009 and that he was signing for the Tasman MakosTasman Rugby Union
The Tasman Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union at the top of the South Island in New Zealand. It is New Zealand's newest provincial union, founded in 2006 with the amalgamation of the existing Marlborough and Nelson Bays sub unions...
for 2008, so as to be eligible for selection for the Crusaders in the 2008 Super 14 season. Salary cap restrictions prevented a move to Canterbury
Canterbury Rugby Football Union
The Canterbury Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in a substantial part of the Canterbury region, in the middle of the South Island of New Zealand...
, but his contract with Tasman has an option that would allow him to be loaned to Canterbury for the 2008 ANZ Cup. Williams was duly included in the Crusaders squad when New Zealand's 2008 Super 14 teams were announced, in October 2007.
2007 Internationals and World Cup
Williams's troubles with the Blues had no impact on his international career, as he was included in the New Zealand squad for the two-Test series against in June 2007. He started both Tests, but suffered a serious injury in the second Test, on 9 June, when he fractured his jaw while tackling French number eight Sébastien ChabalSebastien Chabal
Sébastien Chabal, born 8 December 1977 in Valence, Drôme, is a French rugby union rugby player. He has played number eight and lock professionally for the French team Bourgoin ; the English team Sale Sharks ; the French team Racing Métro 92 Paris ; and the French national side. He earned his first...
. As a result, he missed the whole of the 2007 Tri Nations Series
2007 Tri Nations Series
The 2007 Tri Nations Series was an annual rugby union competition between the national teams of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The series began in South Africa on 16 June, with a Test between South Africa and Australia at Newlands, Cape Town and ended on 21 July in Eden Park, Auckland...
. But despite having his jaw wired and being forced to subsist on soup for several weeks, he made a return to rugby for his club side, Ponsonby
Ponsonby, New Zealand
Ponsonby is an inner-city suburb of Auckland City located 2 km west of the Auckland CBD, in the North Island of New Zealand. The suburb is oriented along a ridge running north-south, which is followed by the main street of the suburb, Ponsonby Road....
, at the end of July, scoring two tries, and started for Auckland in their Air New Zealand Cup
Air New Zealand Cup
The ITM Cup is New Zealand's annual professional domestic Rugby union competition, taking place from late July through October . It was founded in 2006 with 14 teams, after the National Provincial Championship was split into two separate competitions. The other 12 provincial teams from the NPC...
match against Bay of Plenty on 3 August, scoring a try in the fourth minute of the game. Coincidentally, this was the first time that Ali and his younger brother, Jay, had played together as locks in first-class rugby.
Following his return from injury, Williams was an automatic selection for the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
, especially as two other locks, James Ryan and Jason Eaton were unavailable owing to long-term injuries and Keith Robinson
Keith Robinson (rugby player)
Keith Robinson is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer. His usual position is at lock. He was first selected for New Zealand's national team, the All Blacks in 2002. His career was plagued by injury, and he was selected into the 2006 All Blacks after making a remarkable comeback from a...
had suffered a calf strain during the Tri Nations and was a doubtful starter, at least for the first pool game. Robinson suffered a recurrence of his calf strain during pre-tournament training, which left Williams and Chris Jack to share the locking duties during the early games. Williams started in New Zealand's first three games, against , and Scotland. He was replaced for the last 10 minutes of the Italy game, his place being taken by number eight Rodney So'oialo
Rodney So'oialo
Rodney So'oialo is a New Zealand rugby union player currently playing in Japan for the Honda Heat. Previously, he had been a stalwart for the Hurricanes in the Super Rugby competition, making 101 appearances for the franchise. He also made 62 test appearances for the All Blacks between 2002 and 2009...
. So'oialo again replaced him for the last 25 minutes of the game against Portugal, but not before he had scored his fifth international try. He scored again in the game against Scotland, which he started alongside Reuben Thorne
Reuben Thorne
Reuben David Thorne is a New Zealand rugby union player, and former captain of the national team, the All Blacks.-Super 12:...
, being replaced for the last 15 minutes by Chris Jack. Robinson was fit again for New Zealand's final pool game, against , and he and Thorne started as locks, with Jack on the bench; Williams was rested for this game.
The Scotland game was an emotional occasional for Williams. It was the first time that his father had left New Zealand since a bad fall ten years earlier had left him a tetraplegic, using a wheelchair, and he and Ali's mother were seated alongside the pitch, while Ali's grandmother and other Scottish relatives watched from the stands.
Family background
Rodney Williams, Ali's father, was born in KentKent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, then moved and played rugby for Blackheath
Blackheath R.C.
Blackheath Football Club is a rugby football club based in Blackheath in south-east London, now playing at the Rectory Field . It was founded in 1858 and is the oldest open rugby club in the world...
. His mother, Helen, was born in Carlisle, but her mother, Doreen, comes from Galashiels
Galashiels
Galashiels is a burgh in the Scottish Borders, on the Gala Water river. The name is often shortened to "Gala" .Galashiels is a major commercial centre for the Scottish Borders...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Rodney and Helen emigrated to New Zealand after they married, and Ali was born there. By birth, he was qualified to play for New Zealand; through his father, he was eligible to play for England; and through his maternal grandmother he was eligible to play for Scotland. Through his mother, he is related to Donald Fairgrieve, former president of Gala RFC
Gala RFC
Gala Rugby Football Club are a rugby union team based in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, founded in 1875, they play their home games at Netherdale....
in the Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
, and also to former Scottish scrum-half Arthur Dorward (a cousin of his maternal grandfather), who played 15 Tests between 1950 and 1957. His younger brother, Jay, is also a rugby footballer, who plays at lock for Auckland. Together with former Blues and All Blacks team-mate Doug Howlett
Doug Howlett
Douglas Charles Howlett is a professional New Zealand rugby union player of Tongan descent. He is primarily a wing but he has also covered fullback at national and international levels. He currently plays in Ireland with Munster. He is the brother of former Tongan rugby league international Phil...
, Ali Williams is an official patron of the KidsCan Charitable Trust, a national charity dedicated to the welfare of financially disadvantaged New Zealand children.
Other
- Played in five RWC 2003 matches, scoring one try.
- Has joined Nottingham RFC in January 2011 on a temporary contract for 4 games to start the year.
- An advertisement, featuring Williams promoting a product his company sells, "Water for Everyone," was found by the Chairman of the Advertising Standards Authority New Zealand to have potentially broken some Codes of Advertising; including the codes of advertising to children. The advert was discontinued so did not go before the full ASA board, thus the case was considered settled.