World rugby mourns loss of Ray Williams

The man who earlier this season was presented with the IRB’ highest honour, the Vernon Pugh Award, for his outstanding services to the global game died at home in Haverfordwest on Tuesday night aged 87.
 
Born in north Wales, Williams was good enough to play for London Welsh and Northampton and earn a Welsh trial as an outside half. He studied at Loughborough College and went to work for the Central Council for Physical Recreation as a technical officer before returning to Wales as the first paid coaching official in world rugby.
 
“Ray changed our perception of the view we should have of rugby football in the future. He tabulated the essential ingredients of the game in which he was involved so deeply and went on to preach his rugby gospel all over the world,” said Gerald Davies.
 
“He did nothing less than to cause a revolution in the game. It was the bringing together of coaching ideas and physical preparation in a way that had never been done before and the world came to Wales for his coaching courses and to listen to what Ray Williams had to say about coaching.”
 
Williams became the WRU’s Coaching Organiser in 1967 and went on to hold many key jobs in his amazing career. He became the WRU Centenary Officer (1980), WRU Secretary (1980-88), WRU Board Member (1993-97), IRB Board Member (1993-1997), Chairman of the Lions committee (1997) and Tournament Director of the 1991 Rugby World Cup.
 
Working very closely alongside the National Coaches, Williams and his assistant Malcolm Lewis were instrumental in instigation squad sessions, fitness testing and running coaching courses for coaches across the globe. He also wrote a number of key texts on junior rugby.
 
“Ray was a superb organiser and I learned so much from him. When he took over in 1967 there was no organised coaching in clubs – there was just teaching in schools,” said former Wales captain, coach and president, Clive Rowlands.
 
“Ray wasn’t just significant in rugby in Wales, he was significant in rugby football throughout the world. The number of people who came over to Wales to watch our coaching sessions and to attend his courses was amazing – he was rugby’s coaching guru.”