Liam Williams

Liam Williams is a former scaffolder who turned into a full-time professional rugby player in 2011. He launched his rugby career at Waunarlwydd RFC and has since turned into one of the best full-backs in the world game. Equally at home on the wing, in his 50 starts for Wales he has played wing 25 times and full back 25 times [up to 1 August, 2019]. As well as 56 Welsh caps, in which he has bagged a dozen tries, he started in the three Tests for the British & Irish Lions in their series draw in New Zealand in 2017.

Capped by Wales at U20 level in 2011 in both the Six Nations and Word Rugby Junior Championships, he played for a season with Llanelli before making his Scarlets regional debut against Connacht on 10 September, 2011. In his first season in regional rugby he was nominated for the ‘LV Breakthrough Player Award’ and he was voted ‘Player’s Player of the Year’ for the Scarlets. Named in the Guinness PRO12 ‘Dream Team’ for the two seasons at full-back, he won the Welsh Professional Players Association ‘Welsh Player of the Year’ in 2014.

He helped Scarlets to win the Guinness PRO12 title against Munster in Dublin in 2017, scoring the opening try, before moving to Saracens after the 2017 Lions tour. He scored a try for his new team as they won the Gallagher Premiership title in 2019 while he also helped Saracens to Heineken Champions Cup glory.

His first Welsh cap came at full-back against the Barbarians at the Millennium Stadium on 2 June, 2012, and he was also selected to go on the Wales tour to Australia that summer, playing in one match against the ACT Brumbies in Canberra. He was on the wing for the games against New Zealand and Australia in the autumn series in 2012, but missed the 2013 6 Nations. He toured Japan in the summer of 2013 and made his 6 Nations debut in the defeat to Ireland at Lansdowne Road in 2014.

He underwent foot surgery in June, 2015, and faced a race against time to be fit for the World Cup. He came through and played against Uruguay, England and Australia.