All Black Tamaiti Williams misquoted as ‘mouldy Aussie’ in Australian paper

All Black Tamaiti Williams was wrongly quoted as being "mouldy" rather than "Māori" in an Australian paper. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

An Australian paper has been called out after mistakenly quoting All Black Tamaiti Williams as a “mouldy Aussie”.

In an interview with the West Australian before Saturday night’s Bledisloe Cup showdown in Perth, the 25-year-old loosehead prop called himself a “Mozzie”, which is a nickname or a slang term for a Māori person living in Australia.

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However, the paper quoted him as saying “mouldy Aussie” and said it referred to a Kiwi with Australian heritage.

The article with the misquote was printed in the newspaper and also appeared online for most of the day, however, it has since been amended.

People who saw the mistake online seemed to believe that this was a genuine misunderstanding of the word Māori.

“They probably mistook the proper pronunciation of “Māori” as “mouldy” as I’m Mozzie myself,” one person said.

Williams was interviewed ahead of the second Bledisloe Cup test in Perth, the city where the prop grew up.

He was born in New Zealand, but moved to Western Australia and played both Rugby union and League.

At 16 years old, he returned to Aotearoa and played at No 8 for Kerikeri High School before earning a scholarship at St Kentigern College.

He moved to Christchurch near the end of 2019 and made his Mitre 10 Cup debut for Canterbury in 2020 before his Super Rugby debut for the Crusaders in 2021.

At the end of August, the prop re-signed with New Zealand Rugby through to 2029, making him available for selection for the 2027 Rugby World Cup and the 2029 British & Irish Lions Tour.

Williams will start for the All Blacks this weekend, making this his second professional game in Perth, his last being for the Crusaders against the Western Force three years ago when the New Zealand side won 53-15.

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Seven changes have been made from the starting team that beat the Wallabies at Eden Park, with captain Scott Barrett returning from a shoulder injury and Damian McKenzie taking Beauden Barrett’s spot due to a shoulder injury.

Robertson said his side were looking to build on their win in the previous round of the Rugby Championship, with the All Blacks needing a win to have a chance at winning the competition for the first time since 2023.

“We saw how competitive and determined the Wallabies were in Auckland last weekend, staying in the fight right to the end,” Robertson said.

“We expect another tough contest this Saturday.

“We have picked a 23 to go toe-to-toe with a quality Australian team.”

The Herald has approached the West Australian for comment.