From how he qualifies to Wales to recovering from testicular cancer, find out more about powerful Scarlets centre Johnny Williams
Who is Johnny Williams: Ten things you should know about the Wales centre
Find out more about Scarlets and Wales centre Johnny Williams, who made his Test debut in 2020.
Ten things you should know about Johnny Williams
1. Johnny Williams was born on 18 October 1996 in Weston-Super-Mare, England. He stands at 6ft 3in (1.9m) and weighs 16st 7lb (105kg).
2. He joined Scarlets in 2020 having previously played for Premiership clubs London Irish and Newcastle Falcons.
3. Williams played for Wales U16 and England U20, and he scored for England in an uncapped Barbarians match in 2019.
He qualifies to play for Wales through his father and told Rugby World in 2020: “My dad was born in Rhyl, North Wales, so I’m Welsh-qualified.
“He had a debenture at the Millennium Stadium so growing up I remember watching Wales play big games there – Wales-England, Grand Slams, All Blacks… I’ve played rugby in England and was brought up in England, but I’ve also seen my dad so passionate about Welsh rugby.”
Related: Get to know Scarlets centre Johnny Williams
4. He made his Test debut for Wales in November 2020 against Georgia.
5. He scored his first Test try against England, also in the autumn of 2020, and got his second a year later against New Zealand.
6. One of his middle names is Bleddyn after the Welsh centre Bleddyn Williams.
7. In 2019 he was diagnosed with testicular cancer and took time away from rugby to be treated.
He says: “It’s given me a new perspective on life. I don’t take my health or my job for granted.”
8. Wales head coach Wayne Pivac believes Williams could be a better version of Hadleigh Parkes, saying: “He’s a big, strong guy and we think he could do a role for us similar to what Hadleigh Parkes did but he’s actually got a little bit more X-factor about him.”
9. Former Scarlets head coach Glenn Delaney has spoken highly about Williams: “He is still a very young man, he’s early 20s, but he’s quite mature in his approach. The one beauty thing about him is he is very grounded. He works hard.
“We just want to make sure he is refining all the time. He will take the opportunity to learn and get better. Hopefully he has got a bright future.”
10. He is interested in property development.
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