J. J. Williams (rugby union)
| Birth name | John James Williams | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1 April 1948 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Nantyffyllon, Maesteg, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 29 October 2020 (aged 72) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Maesteg Grammar School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Cardiff College of Education | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John James Williams MBE (1 April 1948 – 29 October 2020), known universally as J. J. Williams, was a rugby union player who gained thirty caps for Wales as a winger. In his early career, Williams was a talented sprinter, later becoming a member of the Wales rugby team that won the Five Nations Championship in 1975, 1976, 1978 and 1979, including Grand Slam wins in 1976 and 1978.
Williams played at outside half for Nantyffyllon RFC in 1966 breaking the club scoring record with four tries against Llanharan; then Bridgend RFC as a winger in the late 1960s and early 1970s and Llanelli RFC from 1972. His time at Llanelli included a famous win against the New Zealand All Blacks in 1972. He was a key try creator and scorer for the 1974 British Lions tour to South Africa. After his retirement in 1980, Williams became a pundit and commentator for BBC Cymru Wales and later a successful businessman. His son, Rhys, is a professional track and field athlete.