Liam Williams, the fearless former scaffolder and now Wales full-back, returns to Twickenham on Saturday having left the ground dazed and confused after the World Cup victory against England there last September.
“I was kicked in the head by Tom Wood as he went for the ball on the floor,” explains Williams, who has been compared to his namesake JPR in the way he throws himself around with a lack of regard for his own safety. “I woke up on the bed in the changing room and was chatting with the doctor when we heard this massive roar. Gareth Davies had scored a try but I don’t remember much after that because I was groggy. Someone had to tell me we had won.”
The Ireland scrum-half, Conor Murray, suffered a similar injury to Williams when Ireland played at Twickenham in the last round of the Six Nations and the England full-back Mike Brown tried to kick the ball at a ruck. Neither he nor Wood was cited, which did not impress the Irish.
“I watched my incident on tape and I do not think Wood meant to kick my head,” says Williams. “He went for enough of the ball. Brown had a couple of attempts and maybe it was a little reckless but again I think he is going for the ball. What are you meant to do if the ball is there?
“Brown is quite a spiky character and, if I am selected, I will look forward to the battle against him. I do not see myself taking a backward step. I don’t really know the guy and I am not sure he’s one to have a chat with. He was angry about what happened to England in the World Cup but that’s sport. He can have his say, everyone is entitled to their opinion but the better team on the day won, so there is not much to moan about.”
Williams only just made the World Cup after having foot surgery in the summer but broke it again against Australia in the final group game, putting him out of action for nearly four months. He returned for the Scarlets just before the start of the Six Nations and started against Ireland on the opening weekend after Gareth Anscombe strained a hamstring in training.
“If it had not been for the World Cup I would have waited longer to come back last year,” says Williams, who featured on the wing for Wales in the 2015 Six Nations but has moved to his preferred position of full-back in the absence of the injured Leigh Halfpenny. “I had a bit of a cry in the dressing room after breaking the foot again because I knew my tournament was over and I had worked so bloody hard to make it.”
Williams is one of the few players at the top level now who has not come through the academy system. “I think I am different because that is just my character,” he says. “I have worked hard to get here and quitting being a scaffolder was not difficult. As a kid I played all sports and was always jumping around in goal or climbing trees. I was not that reckless when I started scaffolding, not least because I did not really like heights, but I got used to it.
“I would be over the top of a blast furnace, 300 feet from the ground and looking down. It came with the job. Dan Biggar still takes the piss, telling everyone that I am the scaffolder living the dream. The way I am means I am never afraid to go up for a high ball: if I am going to get hurt does not matter, taking a catch or making a tackle is about helping the team. I don’t know if it is reckless; it’s just me.
“I used to love playing cricket and was picked by West Glamorgan when I was 16. I could bat and bowl and throw the ball miles. I wanted to be the next Freddie Flintoff but when I started playing rugby my shoulders hurt from smashing people all the time. I don’t play now. I used to stand on the North Bank at the Vetch Field when I was a kid; it could get a bit lively and I loved it.
“I don’t get nervous before a game, but this week will be different. It is a big match you want to be involved in. England are different from the team that played at the World Cup because they have a new head coach and have tweaked a few things but, if we get our own house in order, there isn’t an international team that we can’t go out and beat.”
The former scaffolder is now helping Wales reach the top.
