RWC 1995 anniversary: Remembering Chester Williams
Certainly, when it comes to legendary former Springboks, Williams stands tall as one of the true icons of the game who transcended sport and politics and became a beacon of hope for so many.
You can find part one here and part two here in this ongoing series.
Williams played 27 Tests in total for the Springboks scoring 70 points thanks to 14 tries.
He was on the winning side in 20 Tests, while losing six and drawing one for win percentage of 76%.
Williams made his debut against Argentina in Buenos Aires in November 1993 and played his final Test against Wales in Cardiff in November 2000.
Williams rose to fame during South Africa's march to the 1995 Rugby World Cup title.
An injury prior to the start of the tournament ruled him out of the World Cup, but a suspension to wing Pieter Hendricks, for his part in a brawl against Canada, allowed Williams a reprieve after he had recovered.
He returned to the side with four tries against Samoa in the quarter-finals and maintained his place through to their victory in the final against the All Blacks.
Later in his career Williams was critical of the quota system employed in South African rugby and also spoke out against racism in the national squad in his book Chester .
Williams's coaching career began shortly after as his playing days ended.
In 2001, he was Boland's assistant coach and then became coach of the Springbok Sevens team, who he had represented at the World Cup that year.
He was in charge of the Cats in 2004 and 2005, before becoming South Africa 'A' and Pumas coach in 2006.
Williams coached abroad in Uganda in 2007, Tunisia in 2008, and two Romanian clubs, Dinamo Bucharest (2008-11) and Timisoara (2012-13).
He finished his diploma in coaching in sports science in 2015 and was appointed marketing director of Forward Africa Petroleum.
As reported by The South African website, he died from a suspected heart attack on 6 September 2019 at the age of 49.
*Keep an eye on TheSouthAfrican as the remaining articles in this remembrance content series will be published over the next few days
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211.
Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
TimesLIVE
7 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Southern heavies begin honing their World Cup squads
With two years to go until the Rugby World Cup in Australia, this year's Rugby Championship offers an early glimpse into the plans of the southern hemisphere heavyweights as they start shaping their squads for the 2027 tournament. South Africa and Australia open this year's championship at Ellis Park on Saturday, while Argentina and New Zealand clash in their round-one opener in Cordoba later in the day. The Springboks are the world champions and Rugby Championship holders, and look the team to beat again despite a tough two-Test visit to New Zealand, including Eden Park in Auckland where they have not won since 1937. The All Blacks swept their three-match July series against an understrength France and will have eyes on regaining a title they have won for a record 20 times, boosted by facing their bitter old rivals at home. Australia finished their British & Irish Lions series on a high with a victory in the rain in Sydney as coach Joe Schmidt continues their rebuild until he hands over the reins to Les Kiss in mid-2026.
IOL News
7 hours ago
- IOL News
Bionic man Jesse Kriel says Springboks' conditioning has gone up a level ahead of Wallabies encounter
Ultra-fit Springbok Jesse Kriel has adorned the cover of Men's Health magazine, exhibiting an eight-pack, so when he says the recent Springbok camp was 'extremely tough,' you know it was torturous for the rest. Kriel, who captained the Springboks in the recent series against Italy, reckons the Boks have never been fitter as they enter the Rugby Championship, starting on Saturday against the Wallabies at Ellis Park. The 37-man Bok squad was put through their paces by their head of athletic performance, Andy Edwards. Edwards joined the Boks after 15 years with Saracens, where he powered the English team to five English Premiership league crowns and three European titles. 'A few of the guys wanted to give Andy an uppercut,' Kriel grinned. 'No, it was very tough. We all know the game is getting quicker, more physical. Players are getting bigger, faster and stronger. In parallel with that, the training has to get more intense and more demanding. 'It has been exactly that. We have trained at a level and intensity probably higher than a game. Playing rugby when you are fit is lots of fun. Playing when you are unfit is no fun at all. 'We got a lot of bang out of what we put into the last three weeks of camp. Hopefully, we will reap the benefits on Saturday,' Kriel added. With regular inside centre Damina de Allende recovering from a niggle — he is due to start next week in Cape Town in the return Test against the Wallabies — Kriel will link up with Andre Esterhuizen in the midfield. Kriel is thrilled about the prospect of teaming up with the blockbusting Esterhuizen. 'It comes back to there being so much competition in every position in our squad,' he said. 'Andre has been extremely good in all the Tests he has played. 'He is an asset to this team. I have played with many times, especially against Australia, funnily enough. I am excited that he has an opportunity. Canan Moodie is also involved, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do.' Going back to the 1.95m, 114 kg Esterhuizen, Kriel says his size is a unique attribute. 'It's no secret that Andre is devastating with ball in hand, and he also has a great understanding of the game, like Damian has as well,' said Kriel. 'It's been great to see how he and Damian have been working together and trying to help one another become better. 'That is what we are about in this team. How the centres help each other to grow. We have buddied up, and there is constant feedback from the guy in your same position to see where you can get better, where he can sharpen your game, and you can sharpen his game. 'Andre is a great guy to get us moving forward and getting us quick, front-font ball.' Kriel played down suggestions that Australia are more battle hardened than the Springboks and said: 'We will have to see on Saturday who is battle-hardened. Everyone is entitled to their opinions about what battle-hardened is, but for us, it's about how you pitch up at training every day, and your mindset towards everything during the week. 'Ultimately, this is a good opportunity to represent South Africa, and nobody in this environment takes that lightly. We are excited about the match, and I am confident it will go well.'
eNCA
7 hours ago
- eNCA
Gayton's Tweets: Will He Survive Racism Storm?
Will the Minister Sports, Arts and Culture keep his job? Plus, Micah Reddy from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists explains the successes and challenges of investigative journalism, and Legal expert Emma Sadlier breaks down how South African law affects the internet.
