0:00:09 > 0:00:13I'm from the Amman Valley, which is Glanamman and Garnant.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18Not many people will have probably been there, let alone heard of it.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26It's one road in, one road out.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31You've got a couple of pubs, a rugby club.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37It's where I enjoy being, it's where all my friends and family are.
0:00:37 > 0:00:42It's probably where I'm going to end up living for the rest of my life, and dying.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55# I looked down at the chairs
0:00:55 > 0:00:58# I looked down at the tables
0:00:58 > 0:01:01# I tried to find the key. #
0:01:01 > 0:01:04- COMMENTARY:- Williams for the corner! A stumble and a dive!
0:01:06 > 0:01:10# I've been searching low and high. #
0:01:10 > 0:01:14- COMMENTARY:- Shane Williams for Wales scores! Always a buzz of excitement!
0:01:14 > 0:01:16That is world-class!
0:01:16 > 0:01:20# I won't get what I'm after Until the day I die. #
0:01:21 > 0:01:25I really still can't get over the fact that I've won Grand Slams and achieved so much.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30I was fed up of people telling me I was too small.
0:01:30 > 0:01:35I love the fact that I've proved a lot of coaches, papers, and TV interviewers wrong.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38# They call me the seeker
0:01:38 > 0:01:42# I've been searching low and high. #
0:01:42 > 0:01:45I wanted people to say, "That Shane Williams is a good player."
0:01:46 > 0:01:49# I won't get to get what I'm after
0:01:49 > 0:01:52# Until the day I die. #
0:02:04 > 0:02:09Cardiff, and the Welsh public are queuing
0:02:09 > 0:02:13for a small piece of a favourite son who has called time on his career.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18An extraordinary talent from an ordinary background.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26My mother and father divorced when I was very young.
0:02:26 > 0:02:32I was brought up by my mother with my brother, Dean, sister Hayley,
0:02:32 > 0:02:35and Beth came along a little bit later on.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40I am the oldest, so I always kind of had to look after them.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44Shane would be, I'd say, the man of the house,
0:02:44 > 0:02:48because me and their father were no longer together.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53I'm probably closer to my brother than anyone else really.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57Anything I've done, I always had my younger brother there.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02You know, he's my drinking partner and we look after each other.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Not to say that we haven't had our scrapes mind.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08There's a couple of legendary scrapes me and him have had in the valley,
0:03:08 > 0:03:12but that's the brotherly love we have, really.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17I just remember Shane, as a kid,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20always either on a bike or running around the village
0:03:20 > 0:03:22either with a rugby ball in his hands or football.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26After school, he was the guy who organised everything.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Down the park for a game of rugby.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30- He'd always be the first one picked! - Oh yes, definitely!
0:03:30 > 0:03:34Whatever sport, even through school. Gymnastics, football, rugby.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38I remember the first time I saw him.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41They ran out on the field and this little toddler was running behind them!
0:03:41 > 0:03:43I said, "Who's that?" "That's Shane."
0:03:43 > 0:03:48He was younger than the rest obviously because he was smaller.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51But when you saw him play, you couldn't leave him out of the team.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55You couldn't look at him, he was that quick.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Honestly, honestly. He was that quick.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02At Amman Valley Comprehensive, Shane's size, or lack of it,
0:04:02 > 0:04:04marked him out from the rest.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07Going into form one, I wasn't that much smaller than everyone else.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12But by form two and form three, everyone seemed to have a growth spurt and I was waiting for it.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14I found it very difficult.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17We used to play 'Bulldog' on the front lawn of the school,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20which later got banned because it was so physical.
0:04:20 > 0:04:25And I found myself getting hurt quite a lot because I was trying to tackle these big guys
0:04:25 > 0:04:28and I was thinking, "Some of these guys are a year younger than me."
0:04:28 > 0:04:29So it was tough.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33But I kind of got used to that and I didn't take any shit
0:04:33 > 0:04:35through school and I still don't now.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38I don't think you can.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47I remember watching him on the schoolyard
0:04:47 > 0:04:49during one morning break when I was on duty.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53He was playing touch rugby with his friends.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56The skill level was unbelievable.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02It wasn't long before he found his way up to the gym
0:05:02 > 0:05:06and it was in here that I think he started to develop
0:05:06 > 0:05:08those natural skills that he had.
0:05:08 > 0:05:13What I liked about gymnastics was the freedom of it all. It took you away from everything else.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17It took you away from the lessons, it took you away from the other students you were with,
0:05:17 > 0:05:22and I used to enjoy the fact that it was just me doing it and it was me learning on my own.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25We used to call him 'The Cat' in those days. He was so quick on his feet.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31So aware of everything going on around him.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36Anyone knows in school, if you did anything school-related
0:05:36 > 0:05:39during your lunch hour you were classed as a nerd,
0:05:39 > 0:05:43so it probably wasn't the coolest thing to be doing in a lunch hour,
0:05:43 > 0:05:44but I enjoyed it.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50I knew when I finished school I wasn't going to be a doctor,
0:05:50 > 0:05:54I wasn't going to be an astronaut, I wasn't going to be a brain surgeon.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56Always growing up, I wanted to be a stuntman.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01But there was no call for that in the Amman Valley
0:06:01 > 0:06:04so I probably left school quite clueless really.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09He came to a place where I was working
0:06:09 > 0:06:11and asked for a summertime job.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14I was on £30 a week, helping fitting windows,
0:06:14 > 0:06:18making tea or running over the shop which was about a mile and a half away
0:06:18 > 0:06:21to get the boss and a few of the guys some food and sandwiches
0:06:23 > 0:06:24I had all the tricks played on me.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28I was sent over to the stores for some tartan paint and all that crap!
0:06:29 > 0:06:34I found out then that they were taking on apprenticeships in the job centre.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36First thing I thought,
0:06:36 > 0:06:39"It's a cushy job, wear a shirt and tie, you're not out in the cold."
0:06:43 > 0:06:47I was working in Ammanford and Garnant job centre signing people on,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50the majority of them my friends or people who I knew!
0:06:50 > 0:06:53They were obviously working on the side,
0:06:53 > 0:06:55but I couldn't see nothing about it!
0:06:55 > 0:07:00I loved it. It was a job I probably would have kept on doing if I hadn't become a rugby player.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03While working at the job centre,
0:07:03 > 0:07:07Shane was living at his nan's house and playing rugby for the village team.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11He was building a reputation as a decent scrum-half.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16I'd heard that he was playing for Amman United after he left school.
0:07:16 > 0:07:22He was about 19 or 20 at that time. He had sort of matured physically.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25All the work he had done in the gym and everything else,
0:07:25 > 0:07:27it was blossoming.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Soon, word spread beyond the Amman Valley.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35I went along to watch Amman United play against...
0:07:35 > 0:07:36I think it was Haverfordwest.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39There was nothing really to see in Shane,
0:07:39 > 0:07:43but he did score a try from 45 metres which was pretty special.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46So we invited him down to Neath.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48as a second choice scrum-half really,
0:07:48 > 0:07:50and see what we could do with him.
0:07:50 > 0:07:55It was £150 a week and a substantial transfer fee to Amman United!
0:07:55 > 0:07:59Fair play, they were wise enough to understand what they had.
0:07:59 > 0:08:00They had seen enough.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02I just jumped at the opportunity.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05It meant I didn't have to leave the Amman Valley,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08I didn't have to move from my friends and family.
0:08:08 > 0:08:13I could continue living my life but as a rugby player.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17Neath was only 15 miles away, but it was a big step up.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19When he first came here,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22he looked as if he was straight out of school, to be honest.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24He didn't look older than 15.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27He was shy, quiet and he sat in the corner on his own
0:08:27 > 0:08:30and kept himself to himself.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33It wasn't until training when we'd play touch rugby, and I'd think,
0:08:33 > 0:08:35"I'm faster than this guy.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38"I can beat this guy with a sidestep. I just tackled Darren Morris."
0:08:38 > 0:08:41And then the confidence comes and comes and comes.
0:08:41 > 0:08:46Off the field then, you almost gain the respect of these people
0:08:46 > 0:08:50and you start getting a bit of banter with the international players.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54I started thinking then, "Wow! They've got a bit of time for me."
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Your confidence and everything just comes.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Then came a masterstroke.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04Neath moved their young scrum-half out to the wing.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12I was the rugby correspondent with the Daily Mail
0:09:12 > 0:09:15and the word came through, I think about late '90s,
0:09:15 > 0:09:19that there was this little fella at Neath who had a bit about him
0:09:19 > 0:09:23but nobody was too sure whether he'd even be strong enough
0:09:23 > 0:09:27to stand up to the pressures of the professional game.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30He was electric. What he lacked in physical presence,
0:09:30 > 0:09:34he more than made up for with his speed and his ball skills.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37You can tell immediately when somebody is good
0:09:37 > 0:09:40because he had time and space and he was coming off his wing
0:09:40 > 0:09:43and turning up at full-back on the other side, in the centre.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46I thought, "You've got some confidence in your ability.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48"You've got something going for you."
0:09:48 > 0:09:52Shane was still learning his trade. He was producing something special.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57It was just a matter of time, that was for certain.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00Everybody knew he was going to put the Welsh shirt on one day, but when?
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Just 18 months after joining Neath,
0:10:05 > 0:10:09Shane, at just 5'7'' seven and eleven and a half stones,
0:10:09 > 0:10:13made Graham Henry's squad for the 2000 Six Nations.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17His debut came as a replacement against France
0:10:17 > 0:10:19at a packed Millennium Stadium.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22If I thought it was tough at Neath,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25it was 10 times worse going into the Welsh squad.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28The likes of Neil Jenkins, I had only seen them on the telly,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31and I was completely intimidated by them guys.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34They were the superstars at the time and I knew straightaway
0:10:34 > 0:10:39that I was the new kid and that I had to work hard to fit in.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42- COMMENTARY:- This guy coming on now as well. Shane Williams.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45It's the most scared I've been in my life to be honest with you.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Full crowd, knowing millions of people are watching me.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51- COMMENTARY:- He looks like a 12-year-old doesn't he?!
0:10:51 > 0:10:54Hopefully, we'll see him get some ball in hand
0:10:54 > 0:10:56because he is a fantastic runner.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58It was a bit surreal.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02Someone you know so well, so personally, there,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05playing for his country.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07It was such an honour really.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09Having known him, he was there in school
0:11:09 > 0:11:14and he'd done so much work and now he was playing for Wales.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17- COMMENTARY:- Left footed kick to Howarth. Shane Williams.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20This lad, he can ripple along.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23But Ntamack. And Ntamack is away.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25He gave the ball away then.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27He had a ribbing for that from all the boys.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32There were people sitting behind me in the stadium shouting,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35"That's it! He'll never play for Wales again!"
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Even though I did that, I came off that field and I thought,
0:11:39 > 0:11:44"That's one of the best days of my life and I'll never forget it."
0:11:45 > 0:11:49Very quickly, Shane became the fresh young face of Welsh rugby.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55He just went from Shane Williams to 'SHANE WILLIAMS'.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59- COMMENTARY:- Shane Williams! What a dream!
0:12:01 > 0:12:04- COMMENTARY:- There's a real opportunity here. It must be a try.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08Following the hype, came hope and expectation.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11All of a sudden, the whole of Wales knows who you are.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13Everybody wants to talk to you.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16It's an easy business this international rugby, isn't it?
0:12:16 > 0:12:19I wouldn't say it's easy. I am absolutely knackered!
0:12:20 > 0:12:24You're expected to be a world-class player and not make any mistakes.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28Any little mistake you make is in the paper or on the telly and everything else.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30That was tough.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33I found that very difficult when I started playing for Wales.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35I think he's got a long way to go to be honest.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38I think you put too much pressure on him.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41You don't want to kill a talent like he's got.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43So leave him alone and let him get on with it.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48Shane's stature had grown. But his body hadn't.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53For the new Wales coach, this was a significant weakness.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55We were going into the Steve Hansen period
0:12:55 > 0:13:00and he was pretty much, size mattered.
0:13:00 > 0:13:08Big was beautiful. Everybody had to be 6'3'' plus and 17 stone plus.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11The pundits were saying that Shane was a fantastic footballer,
0:13:11 > 0:13:15but he's too small. It's a game the big men these days.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18Some people doubted Shane Williams's defense. What did you think?
0:13:18 > 0:13:20Shane who?
0:13:20 > 0:13:24Shane pumped more iron and took more supplements like creatine,
0:13:24 > 0:13:28but what really grew was frustration.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32They tried to bulk out to make him a little bit bigger
0:13:32 > 0:13:34and to make stronger.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37But that isn't him. That isn't him at all. He's who he is.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40He doesn't have to be bulked out.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43I found myself, because I wasn't playing and not being selected,
0:13:43 > 0:13:47going out in the week either on a Wednesday or Thursday.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51I was drinking on the Saturday or the Sunday.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54He wouldn't have been vocal about it,
0:13:54 > 0:13:58but as his mother I knew what it was doing to him.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01I think there was a stage when he was unsure
0:14:01 > 0:14:04whether to stay with the rugby.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07We had a sit down and a chat and he had to stop doing it
0:14:07 > 0:14:10because it's all well and good trying to be 15 stone
0:14:10 > 0:14:13but if you're not on the field doing what you're supposed to be doing,
0:14:13 > 0:14:18then you've to stop it because the plan isn't working for whatever reason, right or wrong.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23We said, "Look, cut it out and get back on the field doing what you're good at."
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Even if you're five stone!
0:14:25 > 0:14:29I just started turning things around in the next season.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33I was more determined than ever that I was going to get back
0:14:33 > 0:14:36and play for Wales again and be as good as I possibly could.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39Happier with his shape, Shane rediscovered his form.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42But Wales were hitting new lows
0:14:42 > 0:14:46and suffered a Six Nations whitewash just a few months before the World Cup.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49By 2003, I got to the point where I thought,
0:14:49 > 0:14:51"Right, I'm good enough to be starting in this team."
0:14:51 > 0:14:54He always had faith that he was good enough
0:14:54 > 0:14:58because he kept on measuring against what the other people were offering.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02That's what the Welsh public wanted from Steve Hansen,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05to give Shane a chance because he was playing well for Neath.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07There was one last chance to make the squad.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10A warm up game against Romania in Wrexham.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13"More recognisable names in the Welsh side.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17"Shane Williams, his first start for Wales for over two years."
0:15:17 > 0:15:21I knew at the time it was probably a time when it was going to keep me
0:15:21 > 0:15:24off their back and keep people off Hansen's back.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28"He's been given his chance and that is it", kind of thing.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31I just went out there and, what the hell, give it a go, isn't it?
0:15:31 > 0:15:34- COMMENTARY:- Coming in from the wrong side, but it's advantage to Wales.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38Nicky Robinson picks out Henson. Shane Williams for the corner!
0:15:38 > 0:15:44Williams! And making his presence felt in an international shirt.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48Can Shane Williams produce a bit of magic?
0:15:48 > 0:15:50Lovely step and go!
0:15:50 > 0:15:53I did some crazy stuff - I chipped and caught
0:15:53 > 0:15:55and I just tried things in that game and it came off
0:15:55 > 0:15:56and I scored two tries.
0:15:56 > 0:16:01- COMMENTARY:- Andy Williams. Shane Williams!
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Hansen was convinced, partially.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08Shane scraped into the squad as a third-choice scrum half.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10I didn't care.
0:16:10 > 0:16:15I didn't care if he was taking me as a ball-boy or a tackle pad holder.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19It was the fact that I was... I had my foot in the door again
0:16:19 > 0:16:20and this was my chance.
0:16:20 > 0:16:27# A new age has begun. #
0:16:33 > 0:16:37The World Cup - the pinnacle of a rugby player's career.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40While Wales muddled through the early games,
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Shane was just a spare part,
0:16:42 > 0:16:46reduced to sightseeing trips or stewing in his hotel room,
0:16:46 > 0:16:50watching and waiting.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54It's not so bad if you're involved in the match-day 22
0:16:54 > 0:16:56or you know you're going to be playing,
0:16:56 > 0:17:00but Shane didn't really have a look in for the first three or four games.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05I'd taken the PlayStation with me because we were told
0:17:05 > 0:17:09we would have a lot of days where we'd have a bit of free time.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11We were in Canberra for a long time
0:17:11 > 0:17:13and there's not much in Canberra, to be honest with you.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19I was asking Steve why I wasn't selected and he kept telling me that I'd have my chance.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23I'd have training sessions where I'd be the opposition.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26I was playing as Tonga as a counter-attack
0:17:26 > 0:17:29so Wales were kicking to me and he told me,
0:17:29 > 0:17:30"When you get the ball,
0:17:30 > 0:17:34"just put it back in the air because this is what Tonga do."
0:17:34 > 0:17:36They kicked the ball to me and I thought,
0:17:36 > 0:17:39"I can see a hole there, there's a chance here",
0:17:39 > 0:17:41so I stepped one of the players
0:17:41 > 0:17:45and I went through this hole and he just went absolutely berserk.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48"I effin' told you to put it up in the air."
0:17:48 > 0:17:52I was like, "There was an effin' gap there, I wanted to go for it."
0:17:52 > 0:17:55"If you defend like this against Tonga, they're going to score."
0:17:55 > 0:17:58In the end I told him to eff off.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02And, you know, he told me to eff off.
0:18:02 > 0:18:07He came up to me after training and said, "Don't ever talk to me like that in front of the players again."
0:18:07 > 0:18:10I was like, "Don't talk to me like that in front of the players."
0:18:10 > 0:18:14I think...I put my point out there anyway. I had nothing to lose.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16I wasn't playing... so who gives a shit?
0:18:16 > 0:18:20Wales qualified for the quarter-finals
0:18:20 > 0:18:24but still faced a game against the others who had gone through, mighty New Zealand.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27When the result didn't matter,
0:18:27 > 0:18:33Hansen gave Shane his chance to shine or be shoved aside.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37The team we put out together wouldn't have played as a team
0:18:37 > 0:18:40and they were chucked in as lambs to the slaughter.
0:18:40 > 0:18:45"Having spoken to the New Zealand squad, we've been told that anything less than 50 points
0:18:45 > 0:18:46"would be an under-achievement."
0:18:46 > 0:18:51About four or five days before that game, I was ill,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54and I just remember thinking, this is just my luck.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58If I don't play in this game, I'm probably never going to play for Wales again.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01You're feeling for him because he more or less just held bags
0:19:01 > 0:19:06or acted...pretending to be a Tongan or Italian for three weeks in training
0:19:06 > 0:19:10against the first 15, and then, when he finally got his chance, he was cooped up all week.
0:19:10 > 0:19:15The 24 hours before it, before the game, I was feeling a lot better,
0:19:15 > 0:19:21but I was so stiff and I felt so lethargic. I thought, "Oh, god."
0:19:21 > 0:19:24But the next day I was bouncing and I couldn't wait for that whistle.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31I remember meeting his father in Tesco in Ammanford.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33He told me that Shane was playing in that game.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37I thought, "Shane, boy, this is your chance to show what you can do."
0:19:40 > 0:19:41It started off
0:19:41 > 0:19:44and I thought Wales were going to get splattered.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47It was one of those where you were thinking, this could be messy.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50- COMMENTARY:- Joe Rokocoko gets the ball on the outside
0:19:50 > 0:19:55and he's over for the try within just over a minute of play.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58All of the sudden, Wales started building this lead
0:19:58 > 0:20:00and we thought, this is pretty phenomenal.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04- COMMENTARY:- Brilliant man and ball tackle by MacDonald
0:20:04 > 0:20:05but it's still on.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08Taylor has a man spare but doesn't need him
0:20:08 > 0:20:14and Mark Taylor gets the try that gets the crowd on their feet.
0:20:14 > 0:20:19It was running rugby at its best and Shane exploited the gaps.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21- COMMENTARY:- Shane Williams. Lovely step!
0:20:21 > 0:20:23He's through. One more man to beat.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Shane Williams tries to dance past him
0:20:26 > 0:20:30and gets the pass to Shanklin, out to Sonny Parker! What a try!
0:20:30 > 0:20:32He was utterly devastating.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36- COMMENTARY:- Williams goes the long way round. Dummies inside.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39That's a brilliant run from Shane Williams.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41He's got Sweeney inside! To Sidoli.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43We were all like, "Shit!"
0:20:43 > 0:20:45- COMMENTARY: - Cooper out to Gareth Thomas.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49Floats it out and it's Shane Williams.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52This is absolutely incredible!
0:20:53 > 0:20:57And then, all of a sudden, people thought, who's this little fella?
0:20:57 > 0:21:02It was no surprise that he performed as he did to us at Neath.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04We always knew he could do that.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09It had taken a 10,000 mile journey from Glanamman to Australia
0:21:09 > 0:21:11for Shane's talent to be recognised.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15The small man from the Amman Valley had now won over the doubters.
0:21:15 > 0:21:20They fell in love with Shane because he epitomised the underdog.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23The little guy up against the big fella.
0:21:23 > 0:21:28It was like sending Barry McGuigan out to fight Mike Tyson.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31It was so unequal it was unfair.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37I was fed up of people telling me I was too small and everything.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39I was more determined than ever.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42The World Cup had been make-or-break,
0:21:42 > 0:21:46now Shane would show everyone what he could do.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49- COMMENTARY:- A try-scoring pass to Shane Williams!
0:21:49 > 0:21:52I love the fact I proved a lot of people wrong. I love that fact.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55- COMMENTARY:- Shane Williams doing what he does best,
0:21:55 > 0:21:56jinking inside and he's away.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58He got you on the edge of your seat.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00- COMMENTARY:- Williams! He's there!
0:22:00 > 0:22:03When he wasn't there, you were thinking, are we going to score?
0:22:03 > 0:22:07We were in Argentina and he made a break
0:22:07 > 0:22:11and he had a one-on-one with the Argentinian full-back
0:22:11 > 0:22:14and I've never seen a missed tackle by a greater distance.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17I've looked at that time and time again,
0:22:17 > 0:22:19thinking, "That defies physics!"
0:22:19 > 0:22:25And as Shane's reputation grew, Wales reaped the rewards.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29The 2005 Grand Slam came out of the blue.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32The 2008 one didn't come out of the blue,
0:22:32 > 0:22:34that just came from another planet.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38- COMMENTARY:- Williams, what can he create? He can create magic again.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41Shane Williams! And Williams for the corner.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47The reasons we won that Grand Slam was, one, our defence, and, two, Shane Williams.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49- COMMENTARY:- Stephen Jones. Now some width.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53Shane Williams, always a buzz of excitement.
0:22:53 > 0:22:54Williams has scored!
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Opponents lived in fear.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01His coaches just felt blessed.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05When he got the ball, they thought, "How am I going to stop this guy,
0:23:05 > 0:23:07"because I don't know which way he's going to go."
0:23:07 > 0:23:09- COMMENTARY:- Knock on by Jauzion.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13Shane Williams pounces. Williams. It's a foot race.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16Shane Williams is going to get... Oh, break away try!
0:23:18 > 0:23:22He was the double Grand Slam winner and the whole world saluted.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25- COMMENTARY:- Shane Williams is going to use all his trickery.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28That is mesmeric! That's world class!
0:23:28 > 0:23:32You knew you were going to get a tough challenge, coming up against Shane.
0:23:32 > 0:23:37I had one or two instances where Shane make me sit on my bum.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41- COMMENTARY:- Just needs to beat Habana. Wonderful!
0:23:41 > 0:23:42In 2008, the boy from Glanamman
0:23:42 > 0:23:46was voted the best rugby player on the planet.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50Ladies and gentlemen, IRB Player of the Year for 2008, Shane Williams.
0:23:50 > 0:23:51APPLAUSE
0:23:51 > 0:23:54I really still can't get over the fact
0:23:54 > 0:23:58that I was voted IRB World Player of the Year,
0:23:58 > 0:24:03that I've won Grand Slams and I've achieved so much with some great players and teams.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07I'm immensely proud and humble of the fact that I've done that.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10There's no big-headedness there or nothing,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13he's just a normal person from the valley.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17That's one thing I'm glad - that all this hasn't changed him.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22I've had the walks of the two lives.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25I've had the high life, I've been to parties and met people,
0:24:25 > 0:24:28I've got celebrity friends and I do enjoy that side of it,
0:24:28 > 0:24:32but I think I enjoy the fact that I can come away from that
0:24:32 > 0:24:37and be brought down to earth by the family and just enjoy being myself.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41At the age of 34, Shane's rugby career was drawing to a close.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45After wearing the red shirt of Wales for eleven-and-a-half years,
0:24:45 > 0:24:49he decided to bow out, enjoying one final day in the spotlight.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52The week leading up to it was incredible.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55There was a lot of attention, knowing it was my last game.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58Starting at nine will be Mr Lloyd Williams.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02Rhys Priestland at 10. Myself, of course.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04Erm, Jamie Roberts.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06We had days where we had Shane Williams Day
0:25:06 > 0:25:10where everyone decided to turn up with a Shane Williams mask
0:25:10 > 0:25:14and it was all fun, a great week and a great send-off for me.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17The last match was against Australia.
0:25:17 > 0:25:24A fond farewell to savour for fans, friends and family.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26I was more nervous in that game than
0:25:26 > 0:25:30I probably have been in the majority of the Welsh Games I've played.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32I knew it was the last time
0:25:32 > 0:25:35we'd be up there as a family watching him.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38# I never thought I'd miss you
0:25:38 > 0:25:42# Half as much as I do
0:25:48 > 0:25:52# And I never thought I'd feel this way
0:25:52 > 0:25:55# The way I feel about you. #
0:25:55 > 0:25:57I've never cried during the national anthem but I was gone.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59I couldn't do anything about it.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05We were shouting, pass the ball,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08because I've watched him play for so long,
0:26:08 > 0:26:13he'd have scored if he'd the ball. I knew that.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15- COMMENTARY:- Shane Williams!
0:26:15 > 0:26:18# It must be love, love, love
0:26:20 > 0:26:23# It must be love, love, love
0:26:23 > 0:26:26# Nothing more, nothing less
0:26:26 > 0:26:28# Love is the best. #
0:26:28 > 0:26:33Every time I put this jersey on, it's the best feeling ever,
0:26:33 > 0:26:35and I'm going to miss it.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39But...it has all been a great journey for me,
0:26:39 > 0:26:42I've enjoyed every second of it, the ups and the downs,
0:26:42 > 0:26:46and I just want to say thank you to all the supporters
0:26:46 > 0:26:49and especially everyone here today.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51CHEERING
0:26:51 > 0:26:55It's meant a hell of a lot to me. Thank you very much.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00It was a great send-off for me.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03I had a fantastic day and I loved every minute of it.
0:27:03 > 0:27:04To have my kids and my family there,
0:27:04 > 0:27:07to have Georgie and Carter on the field after the game,
0:27:07 > 0:27:10you could see how much it meant to me.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13I probably cried for about 36 hours afterwards.
0:27:13 > 0:27:19Shane Williams played 87 matches for Wales and scored 58 tries.
0:27:19 > 0:27:24No-one has ever scored more than the boy from Glanamman.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27No-one has stood as tall.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30He's given a lot of people clear understanding
0:27:30 > 0:27:33of what can be done with talent despite your natural size.
0:27:33 > 0:27:34You can dominate the world.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37You can't get more proud, you can't get more proud.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43The working-class boy still stayed with his roots
0:27:43 > 0:27:47and I think the Welsh people like people of that nature and ilk.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51He finds it so difficult
0:27:51 > 0:27:54to call me by my first name.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56I prompt him quite often.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59He still calls me Mr Beynon or calls me nothing at all.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03People say, "You're a legend." It gets thrown around a little bit.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05I don't see it like that, I really don't.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09It embarrasses me a little bit when people say that.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13Legends to me are Gerald Davieses and the Gareth Edwardses.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16When people bracket me with them guys,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19I still don't see it, to be honest with you.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21What I always say is that I'm just Shane.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30- COMMENTARY:- Scott Williams, Shane Williams. He's there!
0:28:30 > 0:28:33He's going to go out with a flourish.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36Last game, last try.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39Shane Williams off in style.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:46 > 0:28:50E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk.