Williams waiting for try chance

Fleet-footed winger Shane Williams heads into his 50th Test tomorrow with a golden opportunity to overtake the legendary Ieuan Evans in Wales’ all-time try-scoring list.

Evans scored 33 tries for Wales in a 79-Test career. Williams is now just one try behind and he boasts a remarkably superior strike-rate.

It is often difficult for players to take a step back and quantify their own achievements when their focus is trained so acutely on the next match, the next battle, the next try, the next tackle.

The time for reflection, they usually say, comes with retirement.

But Williams knows what it would mean to score twice against Japan and move above Evans into second place in the Welsh try charts, behind only Gareth Thomas.

And he will lead the Wales side out at the Millennium Stadium in expectant mood after notching seven tries in three previous encounters with Japan.

“It would be great if I could do it. I grew up watching Ieuan and I remember all his tries. He just seemed to score for fun so to be up there with him is a privilege,” said Williams.

“The likes of Ieuan and Gerald Davies were players I aspired to so when people are talking about you scoring more tries than Ieuan Evans it is great.

“If we do play as we have done against them in the past, especially the last time when we scored 98 points, then I would like to think I would be on the scorebook!”

Four years ago Williams was taken to the World Cup as a back-up scrum-half and “bag carrier” – but his career took off with explosive performances on the wing against New Zealand and England.

Now he is a senior player and, at the age of 30, the man Wales arguably look to more than any other as the catalyst for their attacking game.

After another slow start allowed Australia to open a 25-3 half-time lead on Saturday, Williams took it upon himself to spark Wales into life.

The match had gone – but on the back of Williams’ pace injection Wales built some attacking momentum and dominated the second half.

The challenge now is for Wales to play that high-tempo rugby from the off.

“It is good that when I get involved it seems to get the lads going,” said Williams.

“It is very difficult to get involved in a game when you are on the wing and the team isn’t playing well. You are the furthest person away from the ball.

“But I was determined in the second half against Australia to get involved more and be more gutsy and take players on.

“I needed a big performance. I want a big World Cup from myself. I was happy with my performance in the second half against Australia but I want to do that for 80 minutes.

“For me to do that we need to play well as a unit. With the squad we have got we are certainly capable of scoring tries.

“Hopefully that will be the case tomorrow.”

Williams has demanded Wales put Japan to the sword at the Millennium Stadium and prove wrong the critics who have written off their chances of making a positive impact on the World Cup.

“This is a game where we need to prove the doubters wrong, we need to play as we have been in the second half of matches right from the start,” he said.

“We want to start the game well, we want the set piece to work well and we want to play an open expansive game.

“It is frustrating because we know we are a far better side than we’re showing in the first half of matches.

“But if we play the way we played in the second half against Australia I don’t think Japan will be able to compete with us.”