Billy Williams (rugby union, born 1929)

For other sportsmen of the same name, see Billy Williams (disambiguation) and William Williams (disambiguation).

William Owen Gooding Williams (23 November 1929 – 19 March 2013) was a Welsh international rugby union player. A prop forward, he played club rugby for Gowerton, Swansea and the Royal Navy. At international level he represented Wales on 22 occasions and was chosen to represent the British Isles team on their 1955 tour of South Africa.

Billy Williams

Birth name	William Owen Gooding Williams
Date of birth	(1929-11-23)23 November 1929
Place of birth	Gowerton, Swansea, Wales
Date of death	29 March 2013(2013-03-29) (aged 83)
Occupation(s)	Boilermaker Steelworker
Rugby union career
Position(s) Prop Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) Gowerton RFC () – Swansea RFC () – Devonport Services R.F.C. () – Royal Navy () – Barbarian F.C. () International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1951–1956 Wales 22 (3) 1955 British Lions 4 (0)

On the 1955 British Isles tour, the all-Welsh front row of Billy Williams, Bryn Meredith and Courtney Meredith was selected for a Lions test match. This did not occur again until June 2009 when Gethin Jenkins, Adam Jones and Matthew Rees were selected as the British & Irish Lions front row for the 2nd Test against South Africa.