Back in the early days of professionalism in Ireland, the big players got £30,000 (punts) but the biggest and best got that annual fee AND a Ford Mondeo.
Shane Williams’ first car, secured soon after he signed a pro contract, was a little less grand.
The former Wales and Lions winger joined The Hard Yards to look ahead to his country’s Six Nations clash with Ireland [from 16:00 below]. He shared some great tales about his GAA days in Donegal, getting a black eye just before his wedding and some top advice he once received from Tommy Bowe.
However, Williams was at his funniest when describing his first ever official club car, which he got the keys to back in 1998…
Williams was a talented gymnast, growing up, but he got back involved in club rugby at 19 when his friends encouraged him to get involved with the local side.
“It wasn’t long before I had a professional contract,” he recalls. “I think I had it after a season [of playing amateur].
“I got a car… if you can call it a car, really.
“I had a Fiesta 1.1 litre. It had obviously been involved in a bump prior to that as I couldn’t get in through the passenger door and there was a huge dent there.
“I was living every kid’s dream in Wales – I was a professional rugby player. If they had given me a scooter or a skate-board, I wouldn’t have cared.”
Williams had a topsy-turvy start to his Test career, which began 18 months after his pro debut, in 2000.
It was not until the 2003 World Cup, in Australia, that Williams finally cut loose on the biggest stage possible and never looked back.
“I was going to leave everything out on the pitch – whether I made 100 mistakes or I did something good, I didn’t care. I was just going to go out and go for it.”
“It was a reat experience for me and that was the turning point,” he said. “I never looked back after that.
Williams has teamed up with Guinness to announce plans to give Welsh fans a welcome to Dublin this weekend. Guinness has partnered with Paddy Cullen’s pub to change its name to “Shane Williams” for the day. It will also collaborate with the renowned Welsh Male Choir, Bechgyn bro Tafon, where they will accompany fans in the build-up to the game uniting them in song.
