Fresh from the excitement of this week’s British and Irish Lions squad announcement, and the news that he has made a second Lions tour, Williams will become just the seventh player in Ospreys history to reach the 100 cap mark, behind Paul James (121), Adam Jones (110), Jonathan Thomas (106), Duncan Jones (103), Barry Williams (101) and Shaun Connor (100).
Speaking about the achievement, Williams said: “I’m very privileged to be joining an elite club of great players who have been loyal servants to the Ospreys. To clock up 100 appearances is a real achievement for anybody, and hopefully this confirms my status as true Osprey. We’ve come a long way since I made my Ospreys debut against Leinster at the Gnoll in November 2003, and personally, it’s been an incredible journey.
“The last 18 months in particular have been mind blowing for me. The obvious highlights are my testimonial year, a Grand Slam, becoming Wales’ all time try scorer and winning the IRB World Player Award, but I am well aware that all that success has been built on what I have achieved at the Ospreys, and how I perform week in, week out, so to make my 100th appearance at the Liberty Stadium in front of our fans will be a particularly satisfying moment.
“I’m proud to have been part of the Ospreys from the very beginning, we’ve come a long way in six years. I’m proud of what we have achieved already in such a short time and I’m hopeful that we can enjoy more success over the next few years, with me getting quite a few more appearances to my credit. I think everybody realises how much I love being an Osprey, I couldn’t imagine playing my rugby anywhere else.”
Shane first arrived in Ospreylia when he signed for Neath from Amman United in 1998, and last year he was granted a testimonial in recognition of his services to rugby within the region. One of the deadliest finishers in world rugby, he has gone on to secure a place in the history books of Welsh rugby thanks to his on the pitch achievements in both an Ospreys shirt and the red of his country.
Capped 65 times for Wales and twice by the British & Irish Lions to date, he tops the all time Welsh try-scoring list with 46. He is also the region’s leading all time try-scorer with an identical number of tries (46), coming in his 99 appearances, leaving him an incredible 22 ahead of Gavin Henson in second place
