JPR - J. P. R. Williams

JPR Williams won his first cap for Wales in 1969, and until his retirement in 1981 was the mainstay of Welsh teams that won six Triple Crowns, three Grand Slams and six Five Nations Championships. Renowned for his power and bravery on the pitch, JPR is a hero to the Welsh and a respected icon of the rugby world. In his autobiography, JPR recalls his childhood in Bridgend and the early signs that he was destined for sporting greatness. He showed initial promise as a tennis player, beating David Lloyd at the age of seventeen to win Junior Wimbledon, but in 1968 decided to abandon any plan of becoming a professional tennis player in order to combine his medical career with amateur rugby. That year he was selected for the Welsh tour of Argentina, and this marked the beginning of his rugby adventure. He relives his early rugby career and remembers the most exciting matches of his playing days, both for Wales and for the British and Irish Lions, including the 1971 win against the All Blacks - the only time the Lions have ever beaten New Zealand in a series - a team in which he was an integral player. His love of rugby was so strong that he was unable to tear himself away from the game, and played amateur rugby well into his fifties with Tondu, the Welsh junior side.