McCaw relishing link-up with wing wizard Williams
McCaw, the revered All Blacks leader, has led tributes to the Wales wing wizard following his award success.
Williams, Wales’ record Test try-scorer with 43 touchdowns in 60 Tests, beat his international skipper Ryan Jones, All Blacks fly-half Dan Carter, Scotland’s Mike Blair and Italy number eight Sergio Parisse to land the prestigious honour.
And McCaw, whose team fought back to beat Williams and company 29-9 in Cardiff two days ago, is now eagerly anticipating the London Olympic Centenary match on December 3, when both players are due to feature in a star-studded Barbarians team against Australia.
McCaw said: “It will be a good experience. It will be nice to have him on my team — I will just stand and watch. There are some great wingers in the world, and winning this trophy shows where he sits.
“When we (New Zealand) play against him, he is a big threat. We rate him pretty highly.
“When you do your preparation to play Wales it is always ‘keep an eye on Shane’.
“When you see little fellas like that, all the big boys think: ‘Right, I’m going to get this guy’, but he is so difficult to get your hands on.
“That is the way rugby should be. Hopefully, it always remains like that.
“He is tough to play against when you give him space. You just don’t want to give him room to move — that is when he is most dangerous.
“He is fast, he is good on his feet and he makes teams pay when he has good ball to operate with.”
Williams was back at Wales’ training base yesterday as he begins preparations for next Saturday’s Millennium Stadium clash against Australia. He admits the player of the year honour is still sinking in.
“Any one of the lads nominated could have won it,” he said.
“I don’t think I believed it, even when my name was mentioned. It is a massive accolade.”
Williams is now officially tagged the best player in the world following his memorable exploits for Wales last season, which included scoring six tries during their Grand Slam-winning RBS 6 Nations title campaign.
But the 31-year-old recalled: “When I was playing for the Amman (Williams’ first club Amman United), I just wanted a game for the firsts every weekend. I would have taken a start for the Amman firsts several years back, so to get this award is overwhelming.
“Certainly, the success Wales have had with the Grand Slam has helped.
“I am able to get a lot of ball and get involved in the game a lot, and the fact is I am still enjoying my rugby.”
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