One of the greatest players of all-time, he overtook Gareth Edwards Wales cap record of 53 as he played 55 times for his country over a 12-year period. He also played in eight successive Tests for the Lions.
He won three Grand Slams and six Triple Crowns during his incredible career and set up a record that is never likely to be broken by winning 11 successive internationals against England. He was on the winning side between 1969-73 and 1975-80, missing only the defeat at Twickenham in 1974 when he was nursing a broken jaw.
Five of his six tries for Wales came against England, who he also beat in a Schoolboys international in 1967 and then in a series of Veterans matches after retiring.
He won 37 caps while playing with London Welsh before returning to Bridgend for 18 more caps, one of which was at flanker on the 1978 tour to Australia. He also captained Wales five times (1978-1979), leading them to a Triple Crown in 1979.
He played for England-Wales against Scotland-Ireland in 1970 at Twickenham, 1972 at Murrayfield, 1975 at Dublin and 1980 at Cardiff, as well as playing for the Barbarians against the Lions at Twickenham in 1977.
He also played a role in what is described as ‘The Greatest Try’ scored by the Barbarians against New Zealand in 1973. He scored another try in that famous win at Cardiff Arms Park.
He toured the a Wales XV in Argentina in 1968, when he was only 19, and was a Middlesex Sevens winner in 1972 and 1973 with London Welsh; won the Hospital’s Cup title with St Mary’s in 1972 and 1973; played for London Counties against South Africa in 1969 and Fiji in 1970.
He played 11 times for the Barbarians and faced South Africa, Scotland and Fiji for them in 1970 Scotland, New Zealand in 1973 and the Lions in 1977. He also played for Wales U25 against Fiji in 1970, East Wales v Australia in 1973, a World XV against South Africa in 1977, and Bridgend, as their captain in their centenary season, against New Zealand in 1978.
He was awarded an MBE in 1977.
There was no one quite like him on the rugby field. A true @WelshRugbyUnion great, my thoughts are with JPR Williams’ family and friends. W.
Roedd e’n gymeriad unigryw ar y cae rygbi. Un o wir fawrion @WelshRugbyUnion, mae fy meddyliau gyda theulu a chyfeillion JPR Williams. W.
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) January 9, 2024
SIR IAN MCGEECHAN – SCOTLAND & LIONS CENTRE
“JPR was the best full-back the game has ever seen. Full stop. There have been some fantastic full backs in rugby but, for me, he is still my No 1. If I had to pick one to play with again, it would be him every day of the week. It was a pleasure to play alongside him; what I felt for him was greater than respect.
“JPR was an incredibly strong character – tough as teak – and such a good, natural team-mate. He led by example, but he encouraged, too. He was such a hard man. Anyone who played against him knew that. You didn’t win a game easily if JPR was against you.
“I know that because most of our encounters did come with us on opposing teams, in Wales v Scotland fixtures. But, when you played with him, you could not have had more support or a feeling of strength. He never took a backwards step, exemplified by those ‘99’ calls where he’d sprint from full-back to get involved in a scrap with the forwards.
“You wouldn’t have wanted to have played with anyone else. It was not just the calibre of the player, but the calibre of the man. A towering presence in one of the most towering teams in the history of the sport.”
ALASTAIR HIGNELL – BRISTOL & ENGLAND FULL BACK
“He was just so big and strong, so aggressive and faultless. He was an intimidating presence on the field. I played four times against Wales, and JPR, and lost all four games.
“He was good under the high ball and had great vision. He would catch the ball, look up, scan the options and see what was on. I’m sure a lot of that came from his tennis background.
“We always fancied out chances with England, although we knew that Wales were at a different level. They were better co-ordinated, better organised and fitter than we were.
“He changed the way full backs played along with Pierre Villepreux and paved the way for players like Andy Irvine and Serge Blanco. Before JPR the full back was there to catch, kick and tackle, but he changed all that.”
Rest in peace JPR Williams – one of the greatest the game has seen.
Our thoughts are with all his family and friends at this truly sad time ♥️ pic.twitter.com/02gytOcxcN
— Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) January 8, 2024
JOHN TAYLOR – LONDON WELSH, WALES & LIONS FLANKER
“JPR was a unique rugby player and a unique human being. I’ve never met a more competitive person in my whole life. With him there was never a lost cause.
“I first met him in the changing rooms at the Athletic Ground, Richmond, when I was captain of London Welsh in 1969. Gareth James was due to play at full back and when he pulled out, Robin Hammond was due to step in.
“When I walked into the dressing room I could see this big kid getting changed in the corner. I didn’t have a clue who he was, so I asked John Dawes. He took me aside and said he had pulled rank and put him in the team – ‘he’s the next Wales full back’ John said to me.
“They had been on the Wales tour to Argentina that summer and JPR had obviously made a big impression on John. He wasn’t wrong in his assessment!
“We became very close, and I actually acted as ‘Best Man’ at his wedding to Scilla. His arrival at London Welsh along with Mervyn Davies provided the final two pieces into the jigsaw that turned a good club side into a great one.
“JPR was always full of confidence in his rugby skills and ability, but away from the sporting field he was quite a shy lad. That made his difficult to fathom for some people.
“He was so determined and dedicated to everything he did in life. Even after battling back after two cancer operations he was back on his bike doing everything he could to improve. We have lost an icon of Welsh sport.”
SIR GARETH EDWARDS – WALES & LIONS SCRUM HALF
“Everyone always talks about how competitive JPR always was and an example of that was in the final game of the 1975 Five Nations against Ireland in Cardiff. We’d lost out on a chance of a Grand Slam by losing 12-10 to Scotland in Edinburgh.
“We came through a tough 40 minutes against the Irish before we clicked and went into a 32-0 lead. The crowd were loving it and we were having a bit of fun. Then I got a ball tapped down from w line out 30 metres out from our line and flung a reverse pass in the direction of JPR.
“I thought we could start another attack and may score another try, but Willie Duggan intercepted and raced the length of the 22 to score. Most of us were laughing and joking about it, but JPR we should have been trying to keep a clean sheet!
“Many years later one of my sons, Rhys, was playing for Tondu and he asked me to present some awards at the club dinner. It was at the Chinese restaurant in Aberkenfig and the Player’s Player award for the 3rdXV went to none other JPR.
“After I handed him the trophy he gave a speech saying how the award went as much to him as any honour he had received in his career. I looked at him and said ‘really’. He was 54!
“On the field he was fearless and confident, and that attitude rubbed off on players around him. His defence was immaculate, and he was never afraid to offer an opinion. And he was never afraid to get stuck in, either, as we all saw on the 1974 Lions tour to South Africa.
“His impact was huge, and he changed the way the Welsh team played. If the ball ever came to him his first thought was to pick it up and run with it in the true sense of what rugby was all about.”
GERALD DAVIES – LONDON WELSH, WALES & LIONS WING
“He started the trend of changing the very nature of how full backs should play in the future. Wherever rugby was played across several continents, JPR, those three initials, rang out and people knew who you were talking about, how good he was and agreed that he would be the number one full-back in any team.
“The words legend and icon are bandied around for all sorts of people these days and are used in a very glib way, but JPR was a truly iconic figure. Not just in Wales or Britain, he crossed boundaries.
“I shared the same room with him for 10 years when playing for Wales. Quite often he would bring down huge volumes of books preparing for his exams before an international. I was always hugely impressed with his dedication.”
