J.J.
Williams

J.J. Williams was a true legend of the game and an incredible sportsman, learn more about his career within the sport with RugbyPass.

J.J. Williams Bio

J.J. Williams – full name John James Williams – was a true legend of the game and an incredible sportsman who left behind an impressive legacy with Welsh rugby union.

Born in Nantyffyllon, Wales in April 1948, J.J. Williams initially excelled in his youth as a talented track athlete and went on to represent Wales in the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. He competed in several events including the 100m, 200m and 4 x 100m relay and his speed saw him become Welsh sprint champion the following year.

It was also in the early 1970s that he officially started his rugby union career. Having previously played as a youth with Maesteg RFC, he played for Bridgend Ravens as a winger and made over 100 appearances, before signing for Llanelli RFC in 1972. He spent a total of nine seasons with the Welsh side playing in 223 games, winning the Welsh Cup with the side four times and the Snelling Sevens twice.

J.J. Williams biggest impression on the sport was arguably on the international stage where his pace and prowess as a winger saw him help Wales earn a wealth of trophies and titles – and the affectionate nickname ‘the Welsh Whippet’. Notably this included wins in the Five Nations Championships of 1975, 1976, 1978 and 1979, including Grand Slam wins in 1976 and 1978. He also earned call ups for the British & Irish Lions tours in 1974 and 1977, and in the former he was instrumental as a try scorer and creator and played all four tests in South Africa.

His full international career saw him play 30 times for Wales and seven for the British and Irish Lions before he retired from the sport in 1979. After this he became a pundit for BBC Cymru Wales and ran a number of successful businesses. All of J.J. Williams’ children have represented Wales in various track and field events – in particular his son Rhys Williams who has represented Great Britain in a number of international championships.

J.J. Williams sadly passed away in October 2020 at the age of 72 from cancer. He is survived by his wife and three children and of course the memories he made playing rugby union for club and country.