Williams steps back into fray

Paul Williams

Two years ago Paul Williams suffered a horrendous injury that threatened his rugby career.

Playing at fullback for the Highlanders against the Blues in the sixth match of the 2003 Super 12 season Williams, then aged 20, fell awkwardly when tackled and broke his lower right leg in two places.

The game was stopped for 10 minutes as Williams was attended to before being carried from the Carisbrook field on a stretcher.

Almost two seasons have gone by since that day. Finally the son of the legendary Bryan Williams is back playing again.

Over the past two weeks he has played two full games for the Ponsonby premiers and is again showing glimpses of the form that launched him into a Super 12 contract.

"Apart from those first six games of the 2003 Super 12 season I had all of the rest of that year off," Williams said this week.

"I had broken both the tibia and fibula of my right leg and had a pin inserted in the tibia.

"I had intended to play again last season and had been selected for the Highlanders.

"But every time I trained and put pressure on my right leg it was painful.

"In August the leg was x-rayed again and it showed that the fibula had not knitted together properly. So a plate was inserted.

"The leg is not causing me any problems now and I'm confident it will be okay."

Williams is a member of the Blues development squad and his goals for this season are to help Ponsonby retain the Gallaher Shield - which the club has won three of the last four seasons, make the Auckland NPC team and secure a Super 12 contract for next season.

The Highlanders are still keeping in touch with him and he is grateful for that.

Williams' older brother Gavin is, meanwhile, experiencing the Italian lifestyle while playing second division rugby with the Treviso club in Northern Italy.

Gavin, 25, has played several games as a midfield back for Auckland in the NPC. He returns to Auckland in June and should be available for Ponsonby for the second half of the Auckland club season.

* Jonah Lomu has chosen Massey as his new North Harbour club though there will be some doubt whether he gets to play in the side's strip this season.

Lomu announced this month he would join Harbour in his return to NPC rugby after his successful kidney transplant last year.

However, he was adamant his first game back would be the June 4 match at Twickenham which doubles as a testimonial match for former England and Lions skipper Martin Johnson.

Lomu last played rugby in a trial game for Wellington in August 2003 before his unco-operative kidneys forced him out of the sport.

The 29-year-old Lomu has been working on a gruelling conditioning schedule since he was medically cleared to resume training.

Lomu chose to sign with Harbour and now the Massey club because he wanted to stay in Auckland to be closer to medical advice offered by All Blacks team doctor Graham Paterson.

Auckland had two test wings while Harbour had lost the Gear brothers on transfer so it made sense for Lomu to link with the young backline.