Williams call time on great career
Former Wales great Shane Williams ended his illustrious career on something of a sour note in Japan on Saturday after finishing on the wrong end of a 7-53 thumping.
His hopes of getting the Dynaboars into the Top League as a parting gift were shattered in a Valentine's Day mauling at the hands of Industries Shuttles, who ran in seven tries in Nagoya.
Williams, who made 87 appearances for Wales and became the first player from his country to be voted rugby's World Player of the Year in 2008, received a bouquet of flowers at the final whistle after coming off the bench for his swansong with just over 10 minutes to play.
That was just enough time for the 37-year-old to show glimpses of the explosive running which made him Test rugby's third-highest try scorer behind Japan's Daisuke Ohata and Australian David Campese, but he failed to cap off his cameo performance with a farewell try.
"I've tried to get Mitsubishi into the Top League and am sorry we couldn't do it today," Williams told Japan's Kyodo news agency.
"I'm more sorry for the players. They've tried really hard but sometimes the big games are too much for them.
"It's my third year here and it's certainly something three years ago I didn't think I would be doing,"
"It's been one of the best experiences of my life and I've enjoyed every minute of it. But it's time to go home and be with my family."
Williams turned down an offer from French side Toulon and the opportunity to play alongside England's golden boy Jonny Wilkinson to extend his stay in Japan. Williams promises to return to Japan when the country hosts the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
"I will hopefully be bumping into you guys in 2019. I will be supporting Wales and Japan, he said.
