Shane vows not to let up in glory search

Mar 22 2008 by Simon Thomas, Western Mail

SPEED king Shane Williams has no intention of taking his foot off the gas following his Grand Slam heroics.

The wing wizard may have equalled the Six Nations try-scoring record with six touchdowns and been named player of the championship, but he’s not about to rest on his laurels.

He now wants to win yet more silverware – this time with the Ospreys, who are chasing cup glory on two fronts.

That will be his firm focus today when he returns to the Millennium Stadium, the scene of the Slam-sealing victory over France last Saturday, when his predatory touchdown saw him break the all-time Wales try-scoring record.

On this occasion, it’s Saracens who provide the opposition in the semi-final of the EDF Energy Cup. It will be the first of two huge clashes between the sides, who meet again in the quarter-final of the Heineken Cup on April 6.

For Williams, the dream scenario would be to get his hands on two more trophies to go with the three he’s already lifted in recent weeks – the Triple Crown, the Six Nations trophy and the player of the championship trophy.

“It would obviously cap off a remarkable season,” he said. “You can’t take your foot off the pedal now. There are a lot of big games left and this game is certainly up there with the best of them.

“It’s a massive match for us. Saracens are a very good side and playing very well in the Guinness Premiership and Europe. They are a very sharp side who score a lot of tries and we are going to have to be on top of our game.

“We enjoyed the EDF final against Leicester last year, even though we lost. It was a great experience for the lads and a great second-half performance. We want to get there again, but we want to win it this time. So we can’t afford to step off the gas.”

For the 31-year-old Williams, the memorable 29-12 victory over France brought a second Grand Slam to go with his 2005 triumph.

“Having been through it, I knew what to expect afterwards, but I still didn’t realise just how mad the week was going to be,” he said.

“It was crazy last time, but probably even crazier this time. It still hasn’t sunk in properly again. It took me a couple of months last time and that will probably be the case again. It’s a great achievement and we celebrated well on the weekend. The lads certainly deserved a couple of drinks after the efforts of the Six Nations.

“It’s been a very tough eight weeks and we worked very hard for what we accomplished and at the end of it you do get your rewards. It is nice to have some down-time with your team-mates. They are not just your team-mates, they are your friends.”

Williams added, “I went home on the Sunday afternoon and a friend of mine who works for the WRU took the Triple Crown trophy down to my local rugby club at Amman United, so I went down to meet a few people there.

“It was great being with all my friends and family again and just people in the community. It was a great day for the people there just to get a glimpse of the Triple Crown.”

Then on Wednesday came the news that he had won the public vote to be named player of the Six Nations.

“That was lovely and a massive bonus for what Wales have achieved already,” he said. “It’s a huge accolade when you look at the players that have had it before.

“Obviously, Martyn Williams won it when we did the Grand Slam in 2005 and we all know what sort of player he is, and Brian O’Driscoll has won it too.

“It made my day and marked off a remarkable Six Nations for myself. It’s been the craziest few weeks of my life, but I’ve loved every minute of it. My form this year has been probably the best it’s ever been and I’m really enjoying my rugby at the moment.”

That’s what he aims to continue to do, first with the Ospreys and then with Wales, who he says must build on the Grand Slam, in contrast to what happened three years ago.

“We have got this mentality and professional attitude now, maybe more so than we did in 2005,” said the 56-cap flier. “This time around we’ve played some more experienced rugby and more all-round rugby and that’s a credit to the lads.

“What we need to do now is continue improving on things that didn’t go right for us in the Six Nations. It wasn’t perfect by any means and we need to step on from this really. There’s a big tour to South Africa coming up in the summer and I would love to go on that.”

Williams was speaking at a promotion for Puma. He wears the new v1.08 Puma rugby boot. For more details go to www.puma.com