Shane Williams is learning what it's like to deal with personal and public expectations, says Andrew Longmore in The Sunday Times.
"Sitting in the changing room after Wales had defeated England last weekend, Shane Williams was able to assess the mood of his team with a more objective eye than usual. An injured ankle had deprived him of a part in the victory, so he kept quiet for once, stopped and listened to the debrief.
"What he heard were not the usual tales of derring-do or hints of self-congratulation. Instead, he heard a team intent on improvement, restless in their pursuit of excellence, ruthless in the analysis of their weaknesses. And, for the first time, Williams understood how an All Black dressing room might sound after an unexpectedly rugged win.
“It was very much, ‘We didn’t quite do this right or that right, didn’t quite defend properly on this side’,” says Williams. “Two or three years ago we would have given our right arms to beat England, even by a point. It was great to hear them. Yes, we are playing good rugby, but we can get better, we’ve got to get better. That’s how the New Zealanders do it and they’ve been up there a long time.”
"The absence of Williams from his usual station on the wing showed Wales two things in this RBS Six Nations championship. One was that they can win without their talismanic little flyer, the other that they might make very hard work of it. Without Williams’ cutting edge, England won the try count 2-1 and it can be taken as read that the medical bulletins on his ankle will be as eagerly awaited in Paris, where Wales play on Friday, as in Cardiff."
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