Ali Williams: Five of the best locks I've played against
Former All Blacks lock Ali Williams discusses five of the best locks he’s played both with and against in his exclusive RugbyPass column.
Nathan Sharpe – Australia
I played Nathan several times in both Super Rugby and during internationals.
On the field, he didn’t look like a lot but he was a great player. He didn’t look like he could carry the ball very well but he was deceptively good at it and kept his feet.
In the lineout he was just a genius. He understood what you were trying to do, and he eventually tried to crack you. There was a lot of mental games that went on with him.
First and foremost, he was a leader. He led that team around by his actions. With leaders, you’ve got to combat them and make them focus on themselves so that they can’t have as much impact or influence on the rest of their team.
Leaders can lead in two ways, they lead by voice or they lead by actions. Nathan was definitely a man of action, so you had to take away the example he was setting.
You play against these guys so often, you get to know them off the field. Sharpey was a great man off the field. He was quick to move on from the game. We’d always have a casual beer after the match and talk about, not just rugby, but life after, life during, family and things like that.
I think there was a great connection there.
Patricio Albacete – Argentina
He was one of those lads where you just know when he’s hit you. He was very direct.
Patricio was great in the ruck with no cameras around him. You always knew that he was around because you had sore ribs.
He’s also far better looking than me, so that’s why I had to win on the field because off the field I’m sure he was streaks ahead of me in terms of getting free beers and the like.
He has a great sense of humour. A lot of the South Americans do. They enjoy life, they enjoy great food. It’s not just about the game, it’s also about the week.
When you play against guys like Patricio quite often, you understand what they’re like. Off the field, I can recall one night when we were all a bit lost in Buenos Aires. I remember Patricio saying “Hey, I’ve got this lads, follow me.” He took us to an outstanding nightclub and we all thought, “Whoa, we’ll hang out with this guy a lot more.”
So off the field, his leadership was insane.
Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield – South Africa
Now we get to my mates in South Africa. I can’t just say that there was one of them, I think that both Bakkies and Victor had a pretty unique impact in my career.
Bakkies and Victor played so closely together. Bakkies was great because he always talked in the third person. He would take you out, put you in a headlock, smash you off the ball, make a high tackle, whatever it was, and then you’d hit him up after the game.
“Bakkies mate, that was not called for eh, you didn’t have to whack me like that,” you’d say. “Bakkies didn’t do that” was the response. You would follow up with “I’m pretty sure it was you, mate,” and he would stonewall you again with “Bakkies doesn’t do that”.
The other thing that people may not know about Bakkies is that he’s always one to kiss. He loves air-kisses. He’ll look at you from the opposite side of the scrum and blow you a big kiss, you’d look at this 2.02m big giant – and he’s no oil painting, that’s for sure – kissing you.
It was a scary sight in itself. Especially before a scrum, normally it would mess with your head.
Bakkies didn’t show his face after hours too often – that wasn’t his thing – which is part of what made him and Victor such a great partnership.
On the field, Victor was an astute man of the lineout, understood it, great around the field in terms of running the ball and understanding what he needed to do. He was another excellent leader.
He was just as magical off the field. I don’t think there were many Tests where Victor and I didn’t go and have a few beers after the game and go out together. We became really great mates off the field. We really challenged each other and looked at the game in the same light.
Brad Thorn – New Zealand
How many things do we need to say about Brad Thorn. He’s a great man.
The first story that comes to mind, and one that sums up Brad’s style, took place against South Africa in Wellington.
I think the whistle had already blown, he screamed into a ruck and ended up with John Smit on his shoulders. He just picked him up and threw him to the ground. I remember saying “Thornie what are you doing that for?” and he said “He jumped on my shoulders, I didn’t put him there”.
He was of that simple mentality, “we’ve got to hurt them before they hurt us”. His presence was constantly felt by both the opposition and his own teammates. You would be in a ruck and think you’ve won it before something barrelled into you – it would be your own teammate screaming out “let’s go boys, let’s go!”. We all got used to Thornie’s big claps and air punches, it was just priceless.
For me personally, partnering with Brad was one of the best combinations I was a part of. He knew his role and played it very well. Our styles didn’t necessarily cross-over but we mutually respected each others’ skill sets.
While he never dared to put a kick in – I think he would be ashamed of himself if he kicked the ball – he was in fact a great kicker of the rugby ball. Because he used to play Australian Rules, he could really kick a ball, but he would never do it on the rugby field because he didn’t want to ruin his brand of “Big Bad Brad”.
I remember my first encounter with Brad. He came off the bench for Canterbury in 2001, I believe, just before he made the All Blacks. I vividly remember the first time we gave him a kickoff. As soon as he got up there to receive, he couldn’t catch a thing. That became our thing, once we played together he said “look mate, you just make sure you catch the kickoff, I’ll do everything else.” My days as a goalkeeper definitely helped in that regard. Towards the end of Brad’s career he obviously got quite good in that area as well.
Off the field, Brad was great. Pre-match we would always sit together and chew the fat. We would sit, we would laugh and we would talk, and you just couldn’t believe that this was the guy who was going to run out and be the enforcer and aggressor that he was.
He’s a very relaxed human being, a big gentle giant. A great family man, and you knew that when he was speaking to you, it was coming from the heart.
In other news:
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks Nick. I’m looking at the other 7 options in Australia and they don’t seem to be close behind Fraser at the moment? Even before reading this I thought he was well ahead. A random one - Slipper and Allalatoa seem to be getting well beaten in the scrum. I can’t remember this happening often before. Is it a technique/teamwork issue or are their bodies finally past it?
10 Go to commentsNZ is now entrenched in Div 2 of womens rugby. Canada would be thrashed by the likes of France or England. Europe are Div 1, with massive competitions, massive money…
2 Go to commentsBlackadder dies not deserve selection. He has not played enough games. Finau is just better. Kaino's replacement at Blindside On form TJ should be the starting 9 .
127 Go to commentsThe difference is Cotter..
5 Go to commentsThey can’t handle the level of comp in the NH. Pollard was a complete waste at Montpellier - and was the backup 12 when he left. Kitschoff was stealing his paycheque every week at Ulster,- getting absolutely rinsed by backup THs in the URC. There is a reason all the Boks go to Japan - they don’t have it in them to be able to compete. And yes, they won the RWC. Where Barnes and O'Keeffe were the direct reason for that tragedy occurring.
36 Go to commentsTrouble with Jones is he has so many impractical innovations. Kemeney wasn't good enough in any position for top level test rugby. I like how Vern has Papalii playing. He's always had the workrate when in form, although I'm not sure that he quite has Cane's mongrel.
10 Go to commentsPut those results on the old CV and send it in to the crusaders bro.
1 Go to commentsJust go with a top 6 system where the top 2 teams go straight to the semi-finals and the other 4 teams fight it out for the other 2 semi-final spots.
8 Go to commentsIt’s a shame that Baxter wasn’t nominated for DoR of the season. what he did is more impressive than McCall imo
1 Go to commentsSeveral boks said during World Cup they play so hard to give people back home hope. As an Englishman the Springboks Captain’s life story is an inspiration which should give us all hope and inspiration. Rather like that other great South African, Nelson Mandela
36 Go to commentsFox News, Tucker Carlson, Jordan Peterson and Joe Rogan? Yikes.
1 Go to commentsThat is harsh though. Messi has/had a reputation for trying to keep his feet and keep dribbling for goal. Many of his brethren were the histrionic divers but not him.
2 Go to commentsMcReight is certainly one of the first picked. He’s going to be the glue, a Wallaby with some rugby IQ and the everywhere man for the Wallabies.
10 Go to commentsSophie De Goede is one of the best players we’ve ever produced. Kicked all the points, 2 try assists, line out takes, carries, tackles, charge downs… what a player
1 Go to commentsThe guy had just beasted himself in a scrum and the blood hadn't yet returned to his head when he was pushed into a team mate. He took his weight off his left foot precisely at the moment he was shoved and dropped to the floor when seemingly trying to avoid stepping on Hyron Andrews’ foot. I don't think he was trying to milk a penalty, I think he was knackered but still switched on enough to avoid planting 120kgs on the dorsum of his second row’s foot. To effectively “police” such incidents with a (noble) view to eradicating play acting in rugby, yet more video would need to be reviewed in real time, which is not in the interest of the game as a sporting spectacle. I would far rather see Farrell penalised for interfering with the refereeing of the game. Perhaps he was right to be frustrated, he was much closer to the action than the only camera angle I've seen, however his vocal objection to Rodd’s falling over doesn't legitimately fall into the captain's role as the mouthpiece of his team - he should have kept his frustration to himself, that's one of the pillars of rugby union. I appreciate that he was within his rights to communicate with the referee as captain but he didn't do this, he moaned and attempted to sway the decision by directing his complaint to the player rather than the ref. Rugby needs to look closely at the message it wants to send to young players and amateur grassroots rugby. The best way to do this would be to apply the laws as they are written and edit them where the written laws no longer apply. If this means deleting laws such as ‘the put in to the scrum must be straight”, so be it. Likewise, if it is no longer necessary to respect the referee’s decision without questioning it or pre-emptively attempting to sway it (including by diving or by shouting and gesticulating) then this behaviour should be embraced (and commercialised). Otherwise any reference to respecting the referee should be deleted from the laws. You have to start somewhere to maintain the values of rugby and the best place to start would be giving a penalty and a warning against the offending player, followed by a yellow card the next time. People like Farrell would rapidly learn to keep quiet and let their skills do the talking.
1 Go to commentsThe name “Kwagga” came to mind while I was reading this. And there’s another Sevens convert roaming the wide open kant at the Lions now - JC Pretorius. Keep an eye on him.
10 Go to comments2024 Rugby Championship: Sat, 10 Aug 2024 – Sat, 28 Sept 2024. Looking forward to watching the All Blacks coached by Scott Robertson, with or without the ‘dynamic’ qualities of Shannon Michael Frizell - see his display against South Africa at Go Media Mount Smart Stadium on July 15.
1 Go to commentsI agree about 8 being too many The English premiership has top four only Top 14 has six URC has 8 I think 6 would be fine It gives those other two teams an incentive But rewarding a team in perhaps 8th with three wins is atrocious If they get in they know they only need one big game
8 Go to commentsInteresting article. I think the answer lies in a comment Kwagga Smith made during the World Cup. Asked whether it bothers him that the Bok team doesn’t get more credit he said: “We don’t play for people to respect us: we play for each other and we play for South Africa.” The Springbok team is a brotherhood - an incredibly tight unit, most of whom are good friends off the pitch as well. Not only do they not want to let South Africa down, but they fight like crazy not to let their teammates down. Not saying they don’t care about their club teammates, but I think the bond shared in the Boks is just much, much deeper. Tough to forge the same sort of bond at a club over a handful of years. That must translate into superior performances for country over club.
36 Go to commentsThere is very little creativity in the 9-10 axis for SA. 10 needs to be solid, put the work in and kick the points. the SA counter is almost always via the edge or a kick through for a winger. When was the last offensive backline score from SA against a top team? Perhaps the ultra physical nature of the SA teams means players they get to hit more stats in those games. Maybe the SA pleyers are perfectly suited to the SA system. In other Words they are not club players gathered to play SA Internationals. They are SA International players adapting to play club.
36 Go to comments