Читать книгу Martyn Williams - Marty Williams - Страница 4

by Steve Hansen

In the early days after I took over as Wales coach, I think Martyn – or Ginge as I know him – may have thought I was an absolute so-and-so, to put it mildly. But, in the end, I think he started to understand what I was about. There were times when I didn’t play him and I know he was really disappointed. But these decisions were about looking after him and trying to lengthen his career, because he wasn’t a big man.

Early on, I thought Martyn found things difficult because of his physical stature. But the Wales conditioning coaches Andrew Hore and Mark Bennett helped him produce more consistent performances, as his body became able to take the punishment that he put it through playing in such an involved position.

Ginge was a young man who desperately wanted Wales to be good and he wanted to be good himself. Probably, early on, he wasn’t sure how he could do that. But he was willing and able to change certain things and he was always the first to try something new. First and foremost, his priority was the team. Martyn cared about the other guys. At times we wanted him to be the captain, but it wasn’t something that sat easy on his shoulders. He would rather be a doer than an actual captain. In the end he became one of the leaders within the team. He became one of the main lieutenants and provided great support for his captain, which was role he was born for. It’s the one he liked doing and it suited his game as well.

While Martyn’s not a big man, he’s certainly got a big heart and he plays true to it. He also plays with a lot of skill and he’s a tremendous servant of Welsh rugby.

I enjoyed being around him, I enjoyed coaching him and I enjoyed his humour. It was a privilege to coach him and it remains a privilege to watch him play.