John Williams Biography

One of the early Springboks who played in a time when nothing but a hard hit was considered a good tackle, John Williams enjoyed rugby for the game itself, and not what it could become.

He was born on 29 October 1946, and enjoyed some rugby during his schooling years at Potgietersrus. He was a strapping young lad, and active in many sporting codes. 

Rugby was not a priority for the lock at the time, neither was it among the most fruitful ventures to go into either. The retired Springbok opted to give it a go during his years at university, playing for Tuks before eventually moving to play for the Northern Transvaal (now known as the Bulls).

John Williams enjoyed his rugby at the Bulls for the entirety of his local career, playing from the mid 1960s into the 1970s. This coincided with the Bulls’ dominant run, where they secured the Currie Cup trophy an incredible six times between 1966 and 1976.

It’s fair to say the Springbok legend helped carry his team to an enviable run.

In 1971, John Williams made his Test debut for the Springboks against the touring French side. They took the game 22 - 9, and drew the follow up match 8 - 8.

The South African side the legend played for at the time was a strong one, defeating the Wallabies in all three games during their tour of Australia.

The forward would suffer his first Test defeat at the hands of England in Johannesburg. Two years later, the British & Irish Lions toured South Africa and inflicted two more losses to the Springbok side.

John Williams played 13 Test fixtures for South Africa during his time on the pitch. After his retirement, he would come back to coach the Bulls from 1987 to 1991, experiencing similar success as a provincial coach.

The Pretoria franchise would go on to reach the Final throughout his tenure there, lifting the trophy four times.

A career that even a professional era rugby player would admire, John Williams’ talent and passion for the game saw him lift many trophies, as player and coach.