Comment by Ashfak Mohamed
Grant Williams celebrated his 28th birthday on Monday this week.
There wasn’t much of a party to see on his social media accounts, but the man from Paarl likes to showcase his talents on a rugby pitch rather than Instagram.
He did post a few pics before his birthday, from events on and off the field, with the caption: “A grateful heart never feels lack. It feels deserving of abundance and blessings.”
There is no doubt that Williams has been a blessing for the Springboks and Sharks in recent years, which culminated in a Rugby World Cup triumph in France last year.
Williams had to be satisfied with a few appearances at wing in the “minor” games, but he has seldom taken the easy way to the top.
Despite earning a bursary to attend the prestigious Paarl Gymnasium school after starring for Paulus Joubert Primary, Williams didn’t receive a provincial contract at the time, and had to work his way through the Stellenbosch Rugby Academy and Maties.
Club rugby in Durban, though, was his path to recognition as Williams impressed at College Rovers in 2017, to make it into the Sharks set-up. And even though injuries and Covid-19 hampered his progress, he made his Bok debut against Wales in 2022.
He has had to play behind the likes of Faf de Klerk, Cobus Reinach and Jaden Hendrikse in the national team, but next month’s Rugby Championship trip to Australia is the time for Williams to take centre stage.
De Klerk and Hendrikse have been ruled out of the trip Down Under with injuries, so Williams will be joined by Reinach and newcomer Morné van den Berg when the Boks gather in Johannesburg tomorrow for a camp before departing for Australia on Wednesday.
And while many may feel that coach Rassie Erasmus should go with the experienced Reinach as the starting No 9 against the Wallabies on August 10 (Brisbane) and August 17 (Perth), it is actually the 34-year-old halfback’s own journey in the green-and-gold that should result in Williams getting the nod instead.
For years, Reinach has been playing outstanding rugby, but he has to continually ride the bench, behind De Klerk in particular.
He even missed out on the 2015 World Cup in controversial fashion when Rudy Paige was selected, but whenever he has been called upon, the former Sharks stalwart has produced slick displays for South Africa.
But while there is no doubt about his ability, Reinach will turn 35 in October, so there is a question mark around whether he will make it to the 2027 World Cup in Australia.
So, the Boks can’t afford to make the same mistake with Williams as they did with Reinach over the past decade by having him involved as just a bit-part player – it is time to unveil the “Grant Williams Show”.
The Aussie tour represents an ideal opportunity to see whether Williams can take charge of the Bok attack.
It was also notable that Williams was on the bench in both recent Tests against Ireland, with De Klerk starting and Reinach left out.
Everybody knows about his electric pace – he is universally regarded as the fastest player in the world champions’ squad – which has been evident whenever he has come on for an exciting cameo off the bench.
Where do we even begin.🤌
— Springboks (@Springboks) July 23, 2024
The energy was off the charts.🙌
Thank you Bloem.🫶#ForeverGreenForeverGold #Springboks pic.twitter.com/8z9d6EyCJg
But can he do it as the starting scrumhalf? That can only be answered by the man himself in a big Test against a top team, and the Wallabies have often had the Boks’ number on home soil.
They have already made pleasing progress under new coach Joe Schmidt of New Zealand – the former Ireland boss who has been part of the All Black set-up – and will hope to continue giving the Boks a hard time in Australia.
Williams can be the man to make that significant difference at No 9. He has a quick service from the base, is able to take on defences by breaking himself, and is also capable of drawing defenders and getting offloads away.
He is a more than competent defender as well, and has made really good progress with his box-kicking, where he gets excellent height on the ball to allow the chasers time to contest possession in the air.
Rassie on 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘴
— Springboks (@Springboks) July 24, 2024
Rugby has always been part of his life 🏉
Episode 5: Rassie Erasmus on falling in love with rugby ▶️#ForeverGreenForeverGold #Springboks pic.twitter.com/l6wZ0ic3y6
All of his attributes tie in favourably with the new attacking mindset being inculcated by Kiwi assistant coach Tony Brown, as the Boks attempt to add even further bows to their game ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
Williams can also free up whoever is at flyhalf between Handré Pollard, Manie Libbok and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, giving them those few extra seconds to make their decisions with his bullet-like passes, which is not the strongest part of De Klerk’s skill-set.
While we’re at it, imagine this thrilling backline that the Boks could field at some point this year, when everybody is fit for selection: 9 Grant Williams 10 Manie Libbok 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse 12 Damian Willemse 13 Lukhanyo Am 14 Cheslin Kolbe 15 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu...
Springbok Squad for Australia
Forwards: Ben-Jason Dixon, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Thomas du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Johan Grobbelaar, Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi (captain), Elrigh Louw, Frans Malherbe, Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi, Salmaan Moerat, Ox Nche, Ruan Nortjé, Kwagga Smith, RG Snyman, Gerhard Steenekamp, Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels.
Backs: Lukhanyo Am, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damian de Allende, Aphelele Fassi, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Willie le Roux, Makazole Mapimpi, Manie Libbok, Handré Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Morné van den Berg, Grant Williams.