John Williams, a former Springboks coach and player passed away on Thursday morning after suffering from Leukemia.
(The Post News)- 78-year-old John Williams, a former Springboks player and lock coach, has passed away. Williams, the first Springboks coach after isolation in 1992, was battling with leukemia, and he passed away on Thursday morning after being in a coma for the past ten days.
The President of Bulls, Willem Strauss, revealed the news to News24. Williams, whose height was over 2 meters, was a renowned lock for the Bulls during the 1970s, and he won the Currie Cup in 1973, 1974, and 1975. Moreover, he participated in 13 Springbok test matches at that time. At the age of 24, Williams made his Springbok debut against France in Bloemfontein, where they won 22-19. Meanwhile, at the age of 29, he played his last Springbok encounter against New Zealand in Bloemfontein.
Williams’ height made him an embodiment of strength in the line-out and gained him the nickname “Jolly Jumper. Following his retirement from playing professional rugby, in 1977, Williams finished his doctoral studies in Canada. He went on to have a distinguished academic career as a dean of students at the University of North West. His strength also allowed him to excel as a scrummager.
Williams began his coaching career at the Bulls from 1987 to 1991, where he experienced success as a provincial coach. In 1987, 1988, and 1989, the Bulls won the Currie Cup under the management of Williams. In 1992, Williams was appointed as Springbok coach when South Africa got permission to return to the international competition following its exclusion and later expulsion from the world arena due to apartheid. Under Williams’ coaching, the Springboks participated in five test matches that year, winning only one test match. This led to Williams being dismissed from his duties and replaced by Ian McIntosh, prompting his return to coaching the Bulls in the mid-1990s.
Williams later spent 20 years on his family’s farm in Mayholme, Limpopo, where he grew livestock and game. Additionally, Williams was the Chairman of Agri Limpopo and received an award for Limpopo Farmer of the Year. After his first wife, Martie, with whom he has three children—Elmien, Lianie, and Boeta—passed away in 2023, he got married to Mariana.
After the news of Williams’ death, messages of condolences began pouring in from the SA rugby community; amongst them was the president of SA Rugby, Mark Alexander. According to Alexander, Williams was “one of the only six” men who played for the Springboks and subsequently coached them after their unification in 1992, together with Carael du Plessis, Rudolf Straeuli, Allister Coetzee, Nick Mallett, and Rassie Erasmus. Additionally, Alexander described Williams as “a true rugby man, who was more of a gentle giant in essence,” who returned to the game after hanging up his boots and remained a devoted fan of both the Bulls and the Springboks.
Alexander stated that the rugby community extends its heartfelt condolences to his wife, children, and other family members, as well as his friends and loved ones.
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