William Henry Williams (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
William Henry "Buller" Williams (1873 - 9 January 1936) was a Welsh
international rugby union
forward who played club rugby for Pontymister RFC
; and represented Wales
. In 1900, Williams became a Triple Crown
winning player when he represented Wales in all three of the games during the Home Nations Championship
.
area to have provided international players to the Welsh squad. Williams was the second player from Pontymister to represent Wales, following Joseph Booth
who earned a single cap in 1898
. Williams was first chosen for the Welsh squad as part of 1900 Home Nations Championship
, playing in the opening game against England. Williams, along with Bob Thomas
, were the two new caps brought into the forward positions for the game. Wales won the game 13-3, and Williams was reselected for the second game of the tournament, over Scotland. Wales beat Scotland, scoring four tries
in the process, with Williams among the scorers, his first international points. The final game, away to Ireland, decided the Championship, and Wales took the Triple Crown with the only points coming from Swansea's
George Davies
.
Williams played just one more international game for Wales, the opener of the 1901 Championship
, again against England. The game ended in another confident win for Wales, with Williams again on the score sheet with another try. The next match he was replaced by Hopkin Davies
.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
international 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...
forward who played club rugby for Pontymister RFC
Risca RFC
Risca Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club based in Risca, Monmouthshire. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons.-Club history:...
; and represented Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
. In 1900, Williams became a Triple Crown
Triple Crown (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, the Triple Crown is an honour contested annually by the four national teams of the British Isles who compete within the larger Six Nations Championship: England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. If any one team manages to win all their games against the other three they win the...
winning player when he represented Wales in all three of the games during the Home Nations Championship
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
.
Rugby career
"Buller" Williams played club rugby for Pontmister, one of the few second-tier clubs from the MonmouthshireMonmouthshire
Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...
area to have provided international players to the Welsh squad. Williams was the second player from Pontymister to represent Wales, following Joseph Booth
Joseph Booth (rugby player)
Joseph "Joe" Booth was a Welsh-born rugby union forward who originally played club rugby for Pontymister and international rugby for Wales. Booth later joined West Hartlepool R.F.C...
who earned a single cap in 1898
1898 Home Nations Championship
The 1898 Home Nations Championship was the sixteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Five matches were played between 5 February and 2 April. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
. Williams was first chosen for the Welsh squad as part of 1900 Home Nations Championship
1900 Home Nations Championship
The 1900 Home Nations Championship was the eighteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 6 January and 17 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.-Table:-Results:...
, playing in the opening game against England. Williams, along with Bob Thomas
Bob Thomas (rugby player)
Robert "Bob" Thomas was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Morriston and Swansea. Thomas was a Triple Crown winner, after representing Wales for all three matches on the 1900 Home Nations Championship....
, were the two new caps brought into the forward positions for the game. Wales won the game 13-3, and Williams was reselected for the second game of the tournament, over Scotland. Wales beat Scotland, scoring four tries
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
in the process, with Williams among the scorers, his first international points. The final game, away to Ireland, decided the Championship, and Wales took the Triple Crown with the only points coming from Swansea's
Swansea RFC
Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. Its home ground is St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea. The team is sometimes known as The Whites because of the primary colour of the team strip...
George Davies
George Davies (rugby player)
George Davies was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Llandeilo and Swansea. A two time Triple Crown winner, Davies would represent his country on nine occasions. A skillful player, Davies was unfortunate to be playing during the same period as Rhys Gabe, who was...
.
Williams played just one more international game for Wales, the opener of the 1901 Championship
1901 Home Nations Championship
The 1901 Home Nations Championship was the nineteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 5 January and 16 March...
, again against England. The game ended in another confident win for Wales, with Williams again on the score sheet with another try. The next match he was replaced by Hopkin Davies
Hopkin Davies
Hopkin Davies was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Swansea and was capped for the Wales international team on four occasions.-Rugby career:...
.