One of the stars of the golden era of Welsh rugby in the 1970s, winger JJ Williams, has sadly passed away at the age of 72.
He made 30 appearances for Wales, scoring 12 tries for his country.
The Llanelli club man played on two tours with the British and Irish Lions, scoring five tries in seven appearances.
He shone on the unbeaten tour of South Africa in 1974, scoring a brace of tries in the second and third tests.
Williams was a key player as Wales won the Five Nations Championship on four occasions between 1975 and 1979, including the Grand Slam winning campaigns of 1976 and 1978.
Munster are not the only team to have beaten New Zealand.
Williams was on the Llanelli side that defeated the All Blacks at Stradey Park in 1972.
We are deeply saddened to hear that our former player JJ Williams has passed away.
JJ played 223 games for Llanelli RFC in nine seasons at Stradey Park.
Our thoughts are with JJ's family, many friends and former team-mates at this sad time. A true great of Welsh rugby. pic.twitter.com/WX2EuEJcmQ— Scarlets Rugby (@scarlets_rugby) October 29, 2020
His speed was also used to great effect on the athletics track, as he represented Wales as a sprinter in the Commonwealth Games.
His son, Rhys, won gold in the 400 metres hurdles at the European Championship in 2012.
JJ Williams also played for Bridgend, who have added their tribute today.
May he rest in peace.
All at Bridgend Ravens are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former player JJ Williams.
Alongside the honour of playing for Bridgend, he went on to represent @WelshRugbyUnion & @lionsofficial 🏴🦁
Our thoughts are with JJ's family and friends at this tough time 💙
🔵⚪ pic.twitter.com/vonBCZMlfZ— Bridgend Ravens (@bridgendravens) October 29, 2020
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