Liam Williams worked as a scaffolder before becoming a professional rugby player and he has been charged with helping Wales reach the high levels they have enjoyed in recent years when they look to recover from the Six Nations opening-round loss to England by recording a fourth successive victory over Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday.
The 23-year-old is the only change from the side that were defeated 21-16 by England. He has replaced George North, who suffered two blows to the head last Friday night, on the left wing having featured there during the November victory over South Africa. “It is a huge opportunity for me,” said Williams, who plays at full-back for the Scarlets. “I played a couple of games in last year’s Six Nations and having been on the bench last week, I am pleased to be starting against Scotland. It is up to me to go there and do a job.
“I prefer playing at 15, but I am just happy to be in the team. I have not played at Murrayfield for Wales but I have been there in the Pro12. It was not exactly packed when we faced Edinburgh but I am sure it will be rammed on Sunday. Every player enjoys playing in front of huge crowds and I am no different.”
The Wales head coach Warren Gatland resisted any urge to make wholesale changes after the second-half collapse to England, but he has made it clear that he expects a vastly improved performance against opponents whose last victory over the men in red was in 2007.
“We kicked the ball a lot against England, but this time we are going to play a bit more and get the back three on to the ball,” said Williams. “The key is holding on to it, going through the phases and trying to create, generating plays where we have backs against forwards. Tries come from mismatches. We have also been working on the aerial side of the game having lost that battle against England.”
Four years ago Williams would watch Wales matches with friends. He was then working as a scaffolder in a steelworks. “Everything has happened so fast – it is crazy,” he said. “When I worked in Margam, I used to climb 250ft and you are just looking down at the floor. I worked on the top of the blast furnace and that may be a bit higher again. Getting hurt on the rugby field is not something that bothers me. It is all about giving 100%.”
He has been compared to his namesake, JPR Williams, Wales’s full-back from the end of the 1960s to the beginning of the 1980s and a player who was renowned for his fearlessness. “I have had a few tweets likening me to him,” said Williams. “That is overwhelming because he is a legend”
Williams found himself the subject of a social media storm before Christmas when he went to a fancy dress party dressed as Wilfried Bony, the Manchester City striker who was then playing for Swansea City. “The whole incident was taken out of context,” he said. “Some people were saying I should be sorry for what I had done, others argued I had done nothing wrong. It was just a laugh with no malice intended – there is not a racist bone in my body. Bony was fine with it.”
