Williams has picked up a trophy haul totalling seven pieces of silverware, including an un-precedented hat-trick of individual awards, but he is still thirsty for more and wants to top Gareth Thomas’ achievements of 2005 by lifting the Heineken Cup and touring with a winning British Lions side to boot.
“If you want to put it into some kind of perspective, someone like Gareth in 2005, won the Grand Slam with Wales, but he also captained the Lions and lifted the Heineken Cup with Toulouse,” said Wales’ record try scorer.
“So there is still plenty for me to aim for. I may not be captaincy material, but it would be great to make a Lions tour of South Africa in the summer and perhaps go one better than ‘Alfie’ and be involved in a winning set-up.
“Seven trophies speak for themselves and tell you what a great year I have had in rugby, but I keep saying it’s not over yet. The Heineken Cup, in particular, is something we at the Ospreys are targeting this season and it’s something which is certainly missing from my trophy collection.
“But, my immediate aim is an obvious one – to take the Ospreys as far as we can in the Heineken Cup and work hard to defend the Six Nations title with Wales.”
Williams also insists on putting his personal achievements aside and says the EDF Cup and the RBS Six Nations trophies are the prizes which mean the most to him.
“This last year has been out of this world for me, to be honest, and it’s pretty difficult to choose a favourite trophy, but, if pushed, I have go to go for both the EDF Energy Cup and the Six Nations trophy.
“Both of those are symbolic of a lot of hard work put in by an entire team – the players, management and staff – at international and regional level with Wales and the Ospreys.”
The Williams trophy cabinet for 2008 boasts three individual awards – for the IRB World Player of the Year, the BBC Sports Personality of the Year and the RBS Six Nations Player of the tournament; three trophies won with Wales – the RBS Six Nations Triple Crown, the RBS Six Nations Title trophy and the James Bevan Trophy (awarded after the Australia game this November); and the EDF Energy Cup won with the Ospreys.
