Tuesday, December 06, 2011
A Tribute to the Artful Dodger
And so, a fond farewell to Ickle Shane Williams.
The IRB 2008 Player Of The Year has been around the international scene since 2000 and now retires with 87 caps for Wales and 4 for the British and Irish Lions with 60 test tries.
Well know for his steps, acceleration and his ability to find open space through opposition defense, he is an inspiration for smaller players(me included) in the big man's game. He was one of the few wingers I followed closed when I started rugby in 2003.
I still remember the 2003 Rugby World Cup match against the All Blacks where he almost single handled won the match and made everyone notice. I was like holy shit who is this hobbit of a winger carving up the All Blacks? You can watch some of them in the clip below. I also personally enjoyed his 2005 season when he was dancing around fatties on the field, getting one in for the small dudes.
The story goes that a good big man will always beat a good little man. People of his diminutive stature are now more likely to be overlooked in favour of bigger, stronger players, but 80kg Williams has proved that size doesn’t matter as the little maestro has outfoxed far bigger opponents and produced skills of such a sublime nature that few can replicate them.
Although not quite the fairy tale ending, Shane was an emotional wreck before kick-off and after the he crossed for the final try against Australia on Saturday. But what a way to end his international career: A try with his last touch of the ball in his last test. Watch the anthems/match on youtube here --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1FEXmHkH-k
It's a shame that his like may never be seen again on the world stage. I doubt we'll see his like again now that behemoth wingers have become the norm.
Goodbye Shane, you will be missed. Please let your hair grow and spike them again like you did back in 04/05. You look so much better (see 1st photo artful dodger above).
Hello George North.
