Tom Williams (rugby union, born 1983)

Tom Williams (born 12 October 1983) is an English former rugby union player who played for Harlequins in the Aviva Premiership. He normally played at either full-back or on the wing.

Tom Williams
Williams in 2013
Birth nameThomas Williams
Date of birth (1983-10-12) 12 October 1983 (age 41)
Place of birthBrighton, England
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight91 kg (14 st 5 lb) [1]
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing / Full-back
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2004–15 Harlequins 208 (304)
National sevens team
Years Team Comps
2004– England Hong Kong

Early life

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Williams was born in Brighton and attended Windlesham House School.[2][3] He represented Wales at U16 and U19 levels, then switched to England for the 2002 IRB U19 World Cup.[4]

International career

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Williams represented England in the 2003-04 World Sevens Series,[5] winning the Hong Kong leg.[6] He also competed in the 2006-07 IRB Sevens World Series.[7]

Club career

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Williams started and scored a try for Harlequins in their 2011–12 Premiership final victory over Leicester Tigers.[8] He is a member of the “200 Club” having represented Harlequins for over 200 games.

He retired in 2015[2] moving into a coaching and mentoring role at Harlequins for four years before leaving professional rugby in 2019 to pursue a career in consultancy.

Bloodgate

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During the 2008–09 Heineken Cup quarter final against Leinster, Williams was told to fake a blood injury by Dean Richards to allow a tactical substitution to reintroduce Nick Evans leading to the bloodgate scandal. This resulted in a 12-month ban for Williams, (reduced to four months on appeal), a three-year ban for former rugby director Dean Richards as well as a two-year ban for physiotherapist Steph Brennan from the ERC with a £260,000 fine for the club.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "Harlequins 1st XV". Harlequins. 2011. Archived from the original on 14 December 2008. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Tom Williams: Harlequins winger to retire in summer". BBC Sport. 12 May 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  3. ^ "Windlesham House School in Washington". Sussex Life. 27 August 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  4. ^ "'Welshman' Williams waits for 'Bloodgate' decision". Wales Online. Media Wales. 17 August 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
  5. ^ "Williams gets sevens call". Scrum. ESPN. 24 March 2004. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
  6. ^ "Profile - Tom Williams". Scrum. ESPN. 24 September 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
  7. ^ "Disappointment for England as they bow out of Hong Kong". RFU. 1 April 2007. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
  8. ^ "Harlequins 30-23 Leicester". BBC Sport. 26 May 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Quins escape further action in bloodgate scandal". Agence France-Presse. 24 August 2009. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2009 – via Google News.
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