Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Giant lock Scotland-Williamson leaves rugby for shot at NFL

By RugbyPass
Christian Scotland-Williamson

Giant lock Christian Scotland-Williamson has left Worcester Warriors as he looks to pursue a career in American Football in the USA.

ADVERTISEMENT

According to the club’s website Scotland-Williamson will be heading out to Florida to work with NFL coaches over the next few months, in hope of earning a place on an NFL team roster for the 2018 season.

Scotland-Williamson, 24, has played 23 times for Warriors since joining the Club in 2014, where he burst onto the scene scoring a try on his debut in the LV= Cup against Leicester Tigers at Sixways.

Unfortunate injuries kept the 6ft 9ins, 125kg lock on the sidelines for much of the next three seasons but he has since recovered to become a regular in Warriors’ Aviva Premiership squad during this campaign.

But the former Loughborough University student will now make the move to the USA as he looks to chase a lifelong ambition.

One potential pathway for Scotland-Williamson is the International Player Pathway programme, which has seen former England Sevens star Alex Gray spend the season with the Atlanta Falcons.

Scotland-Williamson said in a statement on the club’s website: “I’d like to thank everyone at Sixways for all the support over the years. I appreciate everything they have done for me – giving me the opportunity to play professional rugby, playing against some of the top players in the world, and also helping me recover from injuries in what was a tough time for me.”

Having recently achieved a distinction in MSc International Business alongside playing for Warriors, Scotland Williamson added: “Worcester is a great Club where I have made many lifelong friends and I have no doubt they will continue to move forward and compete with the top sides in the league and Europe in years to come.

“This a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me and one that I simply can’t turn down. I’m incredibly excited about testing myself and trying to get on the team roster at an NFL club.”

Warriors Director of Rugby Alan Solomons added: “While it’s disappointing to lose a player of Christian’s talent, we understand this is a lifelong dream of his to play American Football.

ADVERTISEMENT

“We wish him all the best of luck in his next venture and thank him for his continued efforts at Sixways over the past few years.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

44 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Diamond demands law change while accusing Tigers of illegal activity Diamond demands law change while accusing Tigers of illegal activity
Search