JPR Williams, considered one of the best fullbacks in the history of rugby and a Welsh star of the sport in the 1970s, has died at the age of 74. It was the Bridgend Ravens club, for which he played and which he chaired, which announced his death.
Star player of Welsh rugby in the 1970s, JPR Williams, considered one of the best full-backs in the history of the game, has died at the age of 74, the Bridgend Ravens club announced on Monday. was a player then president until his death.
The club “regrets to announce the death of JPR Williams”, an “icon of the game on a global level”, wrote the club in the blue and white jersey Monday evening on its website.
55 capes with the Leek XV
John Peter Rhys “JPR” Williams was part of the golden age of the Leek XV of the 1970s, accumulating 55 caps and achieving the Grand Slam three times in the Five Nations tournament in 1971, 1976 and 1978.
Lively and blessed with great athletic qualities, he redefined the role of the full-back in the 1970s by breaking certain conventions of the time, with a forward-looking and destabilizing game. His legend was also built with the victorious tours of the Lions, selection of the best British players, to New Zealand in 1971 and to South Africa in 1974.