Wales legend Shane Williams has revealed that at one time he “hated Welsh rugby and head coach Steve Hansen with a passion.”
Wales Superstar Shane Williams spoke up about his career in BBC Documentary called Slammed
When Hansen took over the Wales Rugby team from Graham Henry in 2002 Williams had scored 10 tries in his first 10 Tests but it was not enough for Hansen. Kiwi had concerns over the winger’s size and therefore refused to select him in the early days of his reign.
“I remember one of my first meetings with Steve when the conversation was basically: ‘You’re not big enough, you’re not physical enough, your defence isn’t quite good enough, and I’m not going to select you in this Welsh team’,” Williams said on the documentary in a story carried by Rugby Pass.
“My heart just sank. I thought I was doing alright, and you’re taking this dream away from me. You’ve come over from New Zealand and taken this dream away from me, how dare you.”
“I put on a stone of weight in a few weeks, and it just didn’t work. Yes, I was more muscular, but my pace had slowed, I was getting injuries, and I was missing games.
“It was just a vicious circle. It was a horrible time in my life, the worst two years in my rugby life, for sure.
“One day it just clicked. Stop thinking about Steve Hansen, stop worrying about what he has said. Work on your speed, your fitness and let’s go.”
Hansen was part of the 2011 and 2015 World Cup winning All Blacks outfits.
