Percy Williams (New Zealand rugby league player)

Percy Williams (1879-1947) was a New Zealand rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played representative rugby league (RL) for New Zealand.

Percy Williams

Personal information
Full name	Lionel Percival Williams
Born	6 January 1879 Russell, New Zealand
Died	8 May 1947 (aged 68) New Zealand
Playing information
Position	Hooker, Second-row, Loose forward
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1910–13 Wigan 111 16 0 0 48 1914 City Rovers 7 0 0 0 0 Total 118 16 0 0 48 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1913 Auckland 2 0 0 0 0 1913 New Zealand 2 0 0 0 0

Early years

Williams originally played rugby union for the City club in Auckland and represented Auckland.^[1]

Playing career

He played club rugby for City in Auckland and also played for the Auckland representative team. He was signed by Wigan in August, 1910.^[2] Williams played for Wigan for three seasons between 1910/11 to 1912/13. During this time he played in 111 matches for the club in the Lancashire League, including in the 1911 Challenge Cup Final loss.^[3]

In 1913 he was called into the New Zealand squad, joining them midway through their tour of Australia. He had been returning to New Zealand from England at the time.^[4] Williams was said to be instrumental in New Zealand's 17-11 upset victory over New South Wales.^[1]

Williams returned to New Zealand after the tour and in 1914 he played 7 matches for the City Rovers club in Auckland before announcing his retirement before the start of the 1915 season.^[5]

References

1. John Coffey and Bernie Wood, The Kiwis: 100 Years of International Rugby League, Hodder Moa, Auckland, 2007, p. 49.
2. "Aucklanders in England". New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14453. 20 August 1910. p. 9. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
3. Percy Williams wigan.rlfans.com
4. WILLIAMS, Lionel Percival 1913 - Kiwi #99 nzleague.co.nz
5. "The League Game/Notes and Comments". New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15906. 1 May 1915. p. 4. Retrieved 22 September 2020.